Joel Solon Spira (March 1, 1927 – April 8, 2015) was an American

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...

, entrepreneur, and

business magnate A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...

. He invented a version of the light-

dimmer A dimmer is a device connected to a light fixture and used to lower the brightness of the lighting, light. By changing the voltage waveform applied to the lamp, it is possible to lower the luminous intensity, intensity of the light output. Alt ...

switch for use in homes around the United States and led his Lutron Electronics Company into the production of lighting controllers.

Early life and education

Spira was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1927 to a Jewish family. He received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in physics from

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

West Lafayette, Indiana West Lafayette () is a city in Wabash Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, about northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash River from its sister city, ...

, in 1948 and became a benefactor with his wife, including the School of Mechanical Engineering Ruth and Joel Spira Award and others.

Career

In the 1950s, he worked for an aerospace company, where he was assigned to develop a reliable trigger for atomic weapons. Suggested by others at the laboratory, he called on the

thyristor A thyristor () is a solid-state semiconductor device with four layers of alternating P- and N-type materials used for high-power applications. It acts exclusively as a bistable switch (or a latch), conducting when the gate receives a current ...

, a solid state

semiconductor A semiconductor is a material which has an electrical resistivity and conductivity, electrical conductivity value falling between that of a electrical conductor, conductor, such as copper, and an insulator (electricity), insulator, such as glas ...

switch. During his research, he recognized that the device could also be employed to vary the intensity of light. A lighting

existed at the time, but was expensive, complicated, and necessitated the use of large

rheostat A potentiometer is a three-terminal resistor with a sliding or rotating contact that forms an adjustable voltage divider. If only two terminals are used, one end and the wiper, it acts as a variable resistor or rheostat. The measuring instrume ...

s, about 10 in (25 cm) in size. Though there were dimming devices already in use for theater lighting, they were far too big and bulky for use in homes. Spira successfully manipulated a

, a solid-state semiconductor small enough to fit into the wall box that housed a standard light switch. Unlike theatrical dimmers, Spira's standalone device was small enough for home application. He resigned from his job at the

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astrona ...

laboratory to concentrate on refining the device. Spira then went on to conduct experiments on a ping-pong table in his Riverside Drive apartment in New York City, which led to a device capable of dimming the lighting in a home or office setting.

Lutron Electronics Company

Spira became—as a result of his discovery—best known for his initial, seminal invention: the first successful solid state-electronic dimmer. He filed for a patent on July 15, 1959 (U.S. 3,032,688). On the basis of the dimmer alone, he and his wife

Ruth Rodale Spira Ruth Rodale Spira (December 9, 1928 – August 31, 2019) was an American businesswoman and cookbook author. Early life Ruth Rodale was the daughter of J. I. Rodale and Anna Andrews Rodale. Her parents founded Rodale Press. She earned a bache ...

, who was an active associate, founded the Lutron Electronics Company in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, in 1961. The privately held firm, whose headquarters remain there today, has grown into an international manufacturer and distributor not only of dimmers, but also of motorized and automated window-covering systems, as well as lighting fixtures and temperature controls. Spira headed the firm for 54 years and more recently became chair of the board and research director. He died in 2015 at the age of 88 from a heart attack in Springfield Township, Pennsylvania. He was awarded the ASME Leonardo Da Vinci Award in 2000 by the

American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing ...

Lutron has been designing and manufacturing home automation products since 1954. Lutron solutions are installed in more than 20,000 homes and businesses worldwide and are backed by a nationwide team of more than 1,000 support associates. Lutron’s expertise in th
Lutron home automation
ref> industry dates back to the invention of the first programmable dimmer in 1954.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spira, Joel S. 1927 births 2015 deaths American inventors Businesspeople from Pennsylvania Businesspeople in electronics