Charles Kaman
Charles Huron Kaman (born June 15, 1919 in Washington, DC , † January 31, 2011 in Bloomfield, Connecticut ) was an American engineer and businessman. He became known for his construction of helicopters and also as a guitar maker.
Professional activities
He began his professional career with Igor Sikorsky as a helicopter developer . In 1945, at the age of 26, Kaman started his own company in the garage of his mother's house in West Hartford. At the same time, he laid the foundation stone for today's Kaman Corporation . In 1948 he hired Anton Flettner as chief engineer. In 1951 Kaman launched the first helicopter of the type K-225 , which was equipped with a gas turbine . The company had 4,032 employees in 2009 and sales of $ 1.14 billion.
In 1964, the amateur musician Kaman and some of his engineers developed a guitar in which he combined high-tech materials with a wooden top, thereby pairing the instrument's high stability with a balanced sound. With the success of the guitars called Ovation , the company's product portfolio grew. The Kaman Music Corporation was until December 2007, the largest retailer of musical instruments and accessories in the US market. For five months, beginning in June 2007, Kaman negotiated the acquisition with Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC). On October 29, 2007, FMIC announced the acquisition and the purchase price of US $ 117 million.
In 1996 he received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation .
family
Kaman was married twice. He married Helen Sylvander in 1945. After the divorce in 1971, he married Roberta Hallock († 2010). He had three children, C. William Kaman II, Steven W. Kaman, and Cathleen Kaman Wood.
Individual evidence
- ^ Annual Report 2009. (No longer available online.) Kaman Corp., archived from the original on December 16, 2010 ; accessed on December 22, 2010 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Fender To Acquire Kaman Music Corp. (No longer available online.) October 29, 2007, archived from the original on September 29, 2008 ; accessed on December 31, 2008 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kaman, Charles |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Kaman, Charles Huron |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American entrepreneur |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 15, 1919 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Washington, DC , USA |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 31, 2011 |
| Place of death | Bloomfield (Connecticut) , USA |