AccuRay - Geezers History - INDUSTRIAL NUCLEONICS [AccuRay]

<strong>INDUSTRIAL</strong> <strong>NUCLEONICS</strong> & GEEZERS BRIEF HISTORY<br />

Industrial Nucleonics Corporation was the brainchild of brothers, Bert and Roy Chope and their<br />

friend George Foster. This threesome started the company in April 1950 in a garage in Columbus,<br />

Ohio. Their goal was to develop, sell and service devices using radioactive materials to very accurately<br />

measure the physical properties of industrial products while they were being manufactured in<br />

continuous processes - - such things as rubber tire fabric, paper, plastics, steel, aluminum, cigarettes<br />

and other products. These measurement systems, with the trade name of <strong>AccuRay</strong>, quickly proved to<br />

be far more accurate than anything else on the market and permitted their customers to achieve quite<br />

significant savings in raw materials and costs.<br />

As the company grew the family of measurement sensors expanded to included other energy sources<br />

including x-rays, radio frequencies, infrared, microwaves, visible light, and air bearings to very precisely<br />

measure additional physical properties of the industrial products instantaneously as they were being<br />

produced. This lead naturally to development of fully automated control systems to both measure and<br />

control the many variables in the industrial processes. The result for the customers was higher quality<br />

products made at lower costs.<br />

In the mid-1970s the Company changed its name to <strong>AccuRay</strong> Corporation. Combustion Engineering<br />

acquired this public company in a hostile securities takeover in 1987. CE than sold out in 1990 to the<br />

international conglomerate, ABB. Thus, the original high tech company went through four<br />

name/ownership changes in its history. It is still a part of ABB today.<br />

A social group of long-term employees from the Company was formed by a small number of <strong>AccuRay</strong><br />

retirees in the 1980s. It is called the <strong>Geezers</strong>. As it has evolved, membership is based on having at<br />

least 20 years of service with the “Company,” with a few exceptions. This group has grown to over 200<br />

members who want to stay in touch with each other through semiannual GeezerFests, the GeezerGram<br />

newsletters as well as personal contacts. Some of attendees at the September 17, 2009 GeezerFest<br />

are pictured below.<br />

The attendees at the September 17, 2009 GeezerFest were:<br />

Front Row Seated, Left to Right: Bernie Hatten, Orval Utt, Rosa Carlton, Lois Dunn, Frank Dolfinger,<br />

Kay Dukes, Jack Dukes, Jeanne Mank, Don Mank.<br />

Second Row Seated: Dennis Rodgers, Larry Huck, Otis Bradley, Maggie Merrill, Jean Stouder,<br />

Nick Masucci, Denny Allemang, John Yaklevich, Bob Byrd.<br />

Third Row Standing, full shoulders: Tom Lentz, Bob Butters, Al Brennecke, Bob Zust, Harry Burnam,<br />

Steve Marczika, Don Stouder, Bob Poirier, Dick Koontz, Carl Snyder,<br />

Tom Marshall.<br />

All in Back: Dave Doerschuk, Jim Gay, Dick Tresenrider, Jim Bowdle, Dave Knox,<br />

Emmett Starkey, Mike Hadra, Ken Dewey, Dan Merrill, Herb Dunn, Rex Dewey,<br />

Carl Morahan, Dale Hachtel, Gus Hoehl, Bob Kauffman, Dave Ault, John Bauerle,<br />

Bill Buss, Judy Dolfinger.<br />

Not in Picture (11): Glenn Brotherton, Gene Doon, Jack Kennedy, Marianne Mathews, George Peplow,<br />

Sharon Ronan, Ron Szczesny, Fred Truxall, Alice Umbstaetter, Frank Wolf,<br />

Phyllis Wolf.<br />

<strong>AccuRay</strong> - <strong>Geezers</strong> <strong>History</strong>

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Article contributed by Jack Dukes,<br />

Editor of the GeezerGram and <strong>Geezers</strong> Board Member<br />

October 10, 2009<br />

<strong>AccuRay</strong> - <strong>Geezers</strong> <strong>History</strong>