Legendary inventor passes away

SAGLE — At 8, he met Henry Ford at a party hosted by his father; as a teen, he visited with Orville Wright at the 1937 Cleveland Air Show.

And before his passing early Sunday morning at age 94 at his home in Sagle, Forrest Morton Bird would become a renowned pilot and a legendary inventor, and would go on to earn his medical degree. He also was a veteran, serving in World War II; a philanthropist and an author, becoming a sought-after lecturer.

“Forrest received a new set of wings in the early morning hours of Sunday, Aug. 2, 2015, as he passed away at home peacefully,” said Pamela Riddle Bird, announcing her husband’s passing in an email to friends and supporters. “God has a new angel and his name is Forrest Morton Bird.”

Pamela Riddle Bird, a successful author and mentor of inventors, thanked fellow pilots who buzzed the family’s home and museum in Bird’s final days — a tribute to a fellow pilot.

“Forrest loved the sound of the engines and it was a great tribute,” she wrote.

Burt Rutan, who called Bird on Saturday to talk to his longtime friend, said during the 10-minute call, he heard the sound of planes buzzing the home three times.

“I talked to him for about 10 minutes and three times during my call I could hear the sound of airplanes buzzing his house on his museum airport,” Rutan said. “Cool.”

Born June 9, 1921, in Stoughton, Mass., Bird was the son of a World War I flying ace who encouraged the youngster’s fascination with flying. By the time he was 14, Bird had graduated high school and performed his first solo flight in a 1928 Waco biplane.

By the time he was 16, he set his sights on obtaining multiple major pilot certifications. He soon enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and, in 1941, entered active duty as a technical air training officer.

During World War II he was certified to fly every aircraft in the armed services inventory and was among the pilots who flew over the Burma Hump with Gen. George S. Patton, and piloted a captured German Junkers 88 during the war.

The Junkers 88 had a pressurized cabin — allowing the German pilots to climb to higher altitudes than the American and Allied pilots. Bird came up with his own invention — turning a tin can into what is now called a demand regulator. That allowed Allied pilots to fly comfortably at 38,000 feet — and keep pace with the Germans.

During his time in the service, Bird also fashioned an inflating jumpsuit that prevented a loss of consciousness due to gravitational force.

“I started working (on those inventions) because it was a necessity,” Bird said several years ago, prior to his 90th birthday. “At the time, I didn’t really know where I was going with it.”

A thirst to help others led Bird to turn his sights on earning a medical degree.

“I’ve always wanted to help people,” he said in a recent interview. “I knew with medicine I could.”

As a doctor, he adapted the demand regulator to help force air into the lungs of ailing patients. The first device, according to Wikipedia, was created from strawberry shortcake tins and a doorknob. Further revisions followed and, by 1958, the little green Bird Universal Medical Respirator was a familiar sight in hospitals throughout the world. By 1965, the first medical respirator for home health rolled off the assembly line; and in 1970, a respirator for infants followed, nicknamed the “Baby Bird.” The devices would be credited with reducing the fatality rate of breathing-related infant deaths from 70 percent to 10 percent.

In 1995, Bird was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for his contributions to medicine and science with the invention of his revolutionary respirators and ventilators.

In 2007, Bird was interviewed by Morley Safer for an edition of “60 Minutes”, which highlighted the achievements of the pilot, inventor and doctor.

“We did some extensive research and checked into his many accomplishments,” “60 Minutes” producer David Browning said at the time. “This is a story that (had) to be told.”

Bird’s achievements have been repeatedly acknowledged by the highest rungs of science, medicine and government. He received the Presidential Citizens Medal in 2008 from President George W. Bush, followed by the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Barack Obama in 2009.

In January 2013, the local charter school was renamed the Forrest M. Bird Charter School in Bird’s honor.

School officials said they chose Bird because he has been a figure of inspiration for the students throughout his career. Throughout his long life, Bird broke ground as both an aviator and an inventor. His most acclaimed invention, the universal medical respirator, is a piece of standard-issue hospital equipment and has saved countless lives through its use in surgeries and emergency response.

His company, Percussionaire, Corp., continues to build the breathing devices invented by Bird and employs about three dozen people from its Glengary Bay headquarters.

To celebrate inventors and showcase science, the Birds opened the Bird Aviation Museum and Invention Center in July 2007.

The 16,000-square-foot museum is chock-full of American history and has attracted thousands of visitors. On the main floor are many of Bird’s airplanes, flight simulators and unusual, collectible automobiles. NASA has donated many of the items and several of Bird’s planes are destined for the Smithsonian Institute. Original patent models for many inventions can also be found here, including the doorknob, the floor mat, Superman original items and Kitty Litter. The museum contains the original computer chip as well as the first patent for the shoe.

The walls hold autographs from many famous people, including Amelia Earhart and Orville Wright. In the Hall of Prototypes, visitors can follow the progress from one version of Bird’s respirators to another.

“This museum is one of the things I want to leave behind,” Forrest Bird said recently. “This is a place to learn and explore.”