Frederick Jones

"Made Mobile Refrigeration Possible"

Frederick M. Jones held more than 60 patents in a variety of fields, but refngeration was his specialization. In 1935, he invented the first automatic refrigeration system for long-haul trucks.

Later. the system was adapted to a variety of other carriers, including ships and railway cars. His first practical refrigeration unit helped to completely change the food transport industry. Consequently, it eliminated the problem of food spoilage and changed America's eating habits in addition, Jones developed an air conditioning unit for military field hospitals (which was needed to keep blood serum for transfusions and medicines at exact temperatures), a portable x-ray machine, and a refrigerator for military field kitchens.

Born in Ohio, Jones served in France during World War I. After the war, he worked as a garage mechanic and. from the knowledge gained in this early experience, developed a self-starting gasoline motor. In the late 1920 s, Jones designed a series of devices for the growing movie industry, adapting silent movie projectors to accommodate talking films, and developing the box-office equipment that delivers tickets and spills out change.

In 1949, the U.S. Thermo Control Company, founded jointly by Jones and his former boss, J.A. Numero, had boomed to a $3,000,000 a year business. They manufactured automatic air coolers for trains, ships and airplanes so that foodstuffs could be kept fresh for long periods of time. And Jones was behind it all.

At fifty years of age, Frederick Jones was one of the outstanding authorities in the field of refrigeration in the United States. In 1944, he was elected to membership in the American Society of Refrigeration Engineers. During the l950's, he was called to Washington to give advice on problems having to do with refrigeration. He was a consultant to both the Defense Department and the United States Bureau of Standards.

As an inventor, he was never satisfied with the improvements he had made in his cooling units. He developed ways that kept the air around the food at a constant temperature. He created other devices that produced special atmospheric conditions to keep strawberries and other fruits from drying out or becoming too ripe before reaching the supermarkets. Still other methods controlled the moisture in the air and air circulation. Jones' inventions made it possible for the first time to transport meat, fruit, vegetables, eggs, butter, and other produce that needed refrigeration over long distances during any season of the year.

When Frederick McKinley Jones passed away in Minneapolis in 1961, his inventions were serving people throughout the world. He was a behind-the-scenes contributor to many of the luxuries of modern living.

So, the next time that you go to any fast-food restaurant, or when you see one of those big rigs with the refrigerating units on the front end of the trailer, think of the man who made it possible: Frederick McKinley Jones.

References: 1. Black Contributors To Science and Energy Technology U.S.Department of Energy. 2. Havden,R.C., Eight Black American Inventors, Addison-Wesley.

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