Jackson Cane
News Editor
If you have ever gone running in the rain, hiking during a storm, or caught in some showers and didn’t get wet, it was most likely because of Robert Gore.
While working for his father's company in Maryland as a chemical engineer, Gore invented one of the world's most efficient and renowned fabrics to ever surface: Gore-Tex. He created a new form of polymer, a substance of repeating sub-units to build a chain and ultimately one product. This fabric is fully water-proof and something inventors and engineers likewise, have sought to create. In fact, there was another discovery before Gore’s of the same thing. Yet the man, John Cropper, chose to keep it a secret and Gore got it patented immediately.
Gore-Tex is seen on many products today: jackets, boots, sneakers, pants, hats, and pretty much anything else you could imagine. Since the invention, Gore-Tex has also been used on medical equipment, usually tools for internal operations. This prevents the tools from having human tissue grow into them, and keep them dry for the process.
Robert W. Gore died Sept. 17. The company announced a press release soon after, discussing his legacy and impact as a designer. Throughout his career, he had been awarded nine patents, elected into the National Academy of Engineering, inducted within the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006. Gore-Tex today can be seen on jackets of Patagonia, The North Face, and many other numerous renowned brands. Without him, rainy days would be the worst thing in existence.
