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296:. In addition his favorite sport was skiing. He was the author of two books ("Sprague Electric" of North Adams: a pioneer in electronics in New England, Newcomen Publishing (1958) and Parallel Skiing for Weekend Skiers, self-published (1970). Robert and his wife Florence Antoinette van Zelm had two children, Robert C. Sprague Jr and (Dr.) John L. Sprague. John L. Sprague was head of Sprague Electric from 1981 until its closing in 1993. Robert C. Sprague died at home in Williamstown, Mass on September 27, 1991.
160:(MIT). While a naval officer he invented the tone control for amplifiers and radio sets. In 1921 he married Florence Antoinette van Zelm. They were married until her death in 1987. Sprague patented the paper condenser (capacitor) and tone control in 1926, and this provided the capital to start a business.
292:. Aside from business and family, theater arts was his greatest love. In the 1940s he (as Sprague Electric) sponsored a symphony orchestra which later became the Berkshire Symphony Orchestra at
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used in a wide variety of electrical and electronic in commercial, industrial and military/space applications. Other products include resistive components, magnetic components (
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to serve as
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in 1926, and served as president from 1926-1953 and chief executive from 1953-1971. He invented the tone control for radio and the
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During his business life, Robert
Sprague served on the board for the following organizations and businesses:
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Sprague had two brothers, Frank
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in 1930. Sprague was an electronic component maker best known for making a large line of
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Appointed by
President Eisenhower as Undersecretary to the Air Force in 1953
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Sprague
Electric: An Electronics Giant's Rise, Fall, and Life after Death
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Sprague
Electric: An Electronics Giant's Rise, Fall, and Life After Death
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in
Annapolis like his father Frank, who was a business associate to
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Appointed by
President Eisenhower to the Security Resources Board-
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Robert C. Sprague was the driving force behind the annual
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Sprague founded
Sprague Specialties Company in 1926 in
109:(August 2, 1900 – September 27, 1991) was the son of
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for the
Advisory Committee on Capacitors (1942-1945)
198:. The company was renamed Sprague Electric in 1942.
245:Other Notable Awards, Memberships and Appointments
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251:Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
437:. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
354:. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
326:"Robert C. Sprague, 91; Began Sprague Electric"
236:Massachusetts Science and Technology Foundation
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517:Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni
156:and completed his graduate program at the
117:(originally Sprague Specialties Company),
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214:Massachusetts Institute of Technology
158:Massachusetts Institute of Technology
113:and Harriet Sprague. Sprague founded
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522:20th-century American businesspeople
375:Sprague, Robert C. (February 1993).
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144:in 1918, Robert Sprague went to the
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381:. National Academy of Engineering.
128:Sprague was appointed by President
507:United States Naval Academy alumni
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497:Businesspeople from New York City
512:Naval Postgraduate School alumni
527:20th-century American inventors
279:National Academy of Engineering
229:Charles Stark Draper Laboratory
190:and coils), filter assemblies,
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125:that launched his business.
100:, manufacturer of capacitors
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70:Williamstown, Massachusetts
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154:Naval Post Graduate School
136:Education and early career
433:Sprague, John L. (2015).
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152:. He later attended the
88:Engineer and businessman
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205:Family and philanthropy
52:New York City, New York
350:Sprague, John (2015).
140:After graduating from
176:Quincy, Massachusetts
119:Quincy, Massachusetts
284:Holder of 19 patents
262:War Production Board
142:The Hotchkiss School
130:Dwight D. Eisenhower
196:integrated circuits
331:The New York Times
150:Thomas Alva Edison
62:September 27, 1991
412:. PaulWMarino.org
378:Memorial Tributes
334:. 1 October 1991.
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414:. Retrieved
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64:(1991-09-27)
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300:References
184:capacitors
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80:American
274:in 1957
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253:(IEEE)
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281:1985
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59:Died
38:Born
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
