Si3: SIMPLICITY & INNOVATION through INSIGHT & INSPIRATION

Walter enjoyed a very successful design and engineering career, most of it working for himself in the service of solving problems for clients – and sometimes simply following through on a brainstorm or a tiny bit of inspiration that would lead to breakthrough solutions for vexing problems. “My father would often be hired to develop a solution for a particular company or industry,” said Carol Lovell, one of Walter’s six children. Indeed, Walter possessed that rare combination of gifts: He was equal parts designer and engineer. This quality enabled him to approach the challenge of problem-solving far more effectively than many of his peers. "He developed the twist-off bottle cap in 1962 when he was only 28 years old and later sold it to Anheuser-Busch," said Carol. From there, Walter went on to solve all manner of design and engineering problems for numerous industries, as well as develop and market everything from kitchen items like the Egg-Stir (that clever device to mix an egg inside its shell was a Lovell invention) to the Lovell Ramjet (a “sonic wave” ramjet engine with which the U.S. Air Force fell in love).

Walter began tinkering as a young boy and from an early age displayed an uncanny knack for taking things apart in order to see how they worked. Even so, there was a time or two as a teenager when his experimentation proved to be unpredictable and he nearly blew himself up. His parents were often not amused. After attending Hillyer College, Walter worked for companies such as Hartford Machine Screw and DeBell & Richardson Labs. Later, he began to offer his services as a freelance design engineer, a change that enabled him to spend more time with his growing family. “My father believed that nothing was impossible,” said Carol. “Sometimes when he was brainstorming on his own he’d do something that reflected his deep faith – like the day he was testing the jet engine he invented. He mounted it on an armature in our backyard and it went around in circles so fast that you couldn’t even see it. He was brilliant and he knew nothing would go wrong, but the whole neighborhood thought a jet fighter had landed in the backyard.” Once the Air Force undertook a detailed study of the Lovell Ramjet design, they appropriated it for national defense purposes. But Walter had no hard feelings. “My dad loved this country,” said Carol.

Walter was nothing if not fearless, and that’s the manner in which he approached every design problem presented to him. All avenues were open to exploration, and his ability to effectively connect with his inner muse in order to invent yet again was a frequent occurrence. The Lovell name graces dozens of patents – as an individual, in service to clients for whom he worked, and in concert with companies that would hire him for his design and engineering expertise or enter into licensing agreements for the numerous products he produced himself. His professional contacts and business associations extended around the world.

But Walter was perhaps most excited about the inventions that comprise his current patent portfolio, which his children are intent on sharing with the world. “One of the constant elements of everything my father invented was ‘simplicity',” said Carol. Indeed, all of the current innovations under patent are so straightforward that even a layman could understand them. “It didn’t matter if it was a children’s drinking straw or a new way to fire a fluorescent light or a piece of material that creates energy in a new way. They’re all very simple . . . which makes them all the more amazing.”