"Curiosity is man's greatest asset," said Willis Rodney Whitney — and he practiced this belief with a verve and brilliance that inspired the best scientific minds in America for over half a century. Recognized as the pioneer of industrial research in the United States, he founded the first laboratory at General Electric and turned the secrets of science into knowledge that brought untold benefits to mankind.

As a boy, Whitney was given a choice of a microscope or a bicycle; few were surprised when he chose the microscope. His curiosity in probing the mysteries of science led him to M.I.T. where he won early fame for his corrosion theory. When General Electric asked him to direct their research laboratory, the first of its kind, he saw the opportunity to be a scientist and a teacher with unlimited resources.

He hired the best men to work on whatever baffling problems they chose, giving them the freedom, encouragement and opportunity to develop their own theories. Much of the experimental work being done in the lab was the result of ideas he originated — the dishwasher, electric blanket, refrigerator, submarine detector, jet engine propulsion and others.

While Dr. Whitney was the recipient of almost every important scientific medal and award, he took equal delight in the discoveries of new truths, whether they were his own or those of his associates. He blazed the trail for American industrial research and set a pattern for laboratories throughout the world.

From the dust jacket