Brother Garrett A. Morgan We often hear of the contributions of Alpha Phi Alpha (and Alpha men) to the betterment of mankind and, almost immediately, we think of Alpha greats such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. DuBois, Paul Robeson, and others whose names are practically household words in this country. One outstanding Alpha man, however, has not been accorded the universal recognition that his insight and genius deserve. His name - GARRETT A. MORGAN. An inventor of great talent, his name and workings should be familiar to all . . . especially in light of the fact that almost everyone has had some encounter with his inventions. His achievements are among the many accomplishments of Black Americans that have been systematically purged from the history books through the years. Of the many inventions of Garrett A. Morgan, two stand out as having revolutionized the lives of modern society - namely, the "gas mask" and the "tri-color traffic signal". That's right, a Black man (an Alpha man) is responsible for the device that has become an indispensable tool to this modern automotive society. In 1877, Garrett A. Morgan was born in an all-Black section of Paris, Kentucky, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Morgan. Known as Claysville, this small community was a haven for Blacks seeking work in the trades and for the recently freed slaves fleeing the labor of the plantations. Here Morgan grew up and was educated in a "branch
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school". At the age of sixteen, he left Paris and went to Cincinnati, Ohio but was still unable to find employment suitable to his talents. So he moved on to Cleveland and gained employment in a sewing machine factory. It was in this setting that the inventive genius of Garrett Morgan was set into motion. He was intrigued by the fascinating machinery and, after rapidly advancing from janitor to apprenticed laborer, he began to develop machine parts for threading and winding the sewing machines. He developed the belt used on the foot pedal model sewing machine and, in 1907, set up his own sewing machine shop. From this point his mind was continually at work. In 1912, he developed his first major invention - the gas mask. This device was especially important in the mining region of the United States and, in 1916, his gas mask was credited with saving many lives following a tunnel explosion under Lake Erie. His "Breathing Machine", as it was earlier called, served as the prototype for similar devices that were later developed, including the masks which saved thousands of lives during World War I. He also invented a hair refining product which was sold across the country to Blacks, including many show business personalities. Despite the sociological aspects of this development, which range from being considered anti-Black and imitative to its present resurgence as a popular hair style, it stands as another
The Sphinx / December 1975