William Dzus (5 January 1895, Chernykhivtsi,

Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria,, ; pl, Królestwo Galicji i Lodomerii, ; uk, Королівство Галичини та Володимирії, Korolivstvo Halychyny ta Volodymyrii; la, Rēgnum Galiciae et Lodomeriae also known as ...

, currently

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

- 19 June 1964,

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 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

) was born Volodymyr Dzhus ( uk, Володимир Джус) and was an American engineer from

Eastern Galicia Eastern Galicia ( uk, Східна Галичина, Skhidna Galychyna, pl, Galicja Wschodnia, german: Ostgalizien) is a geographical region in Western Ukraine (present day oblasts of Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil), having also essential h ...

, and the inventor of the Dzus fastener, also known as the quarter-turn fastener. He was also one of the founders of the

Ukrainian Institute of America The Harry F. Sinclair House is a mansion at the southeast corner of East 79th Street and Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. The house was built between 1897 and 1899. Over the first half of the 20th century, the ...

, a cultural foundation, for which he purchased the

Harry F. Sinclair House The Harry F. Sinclair House is a mansion at the southeast corner of East 79th Street and Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. The house was built between 1897 and 1899. Over the first half of the 20th century, th ...

(its current home).

Life

Dzus was born 1895 in the country of

to a family of wealthy Ukrainian farmers in the village of in the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

. In his late teens he moved over from his home country to New York where he quickly established himself as an innovative thinker, developing the first form of the quick‐acting fastener and founding the Dzus Fastener Company in 1934. The fastener was originally designed to fit aircraft - subsequently being used in heavy machinery,

automobiles A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...

and license plates. In 1948 Dzus founded the

, a charitable and cultural organization, of which he was also president of for a number of years. The building at which the institute is based was acquired in

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

. Furthermore, Dzus was also a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the Society of Automotive Engineers and the National Association of Manufacturers.

Death

William Dzus died aged 69 years old from a stroke and other health complications at the Good Samaritan Hospital on the 19 June 1964. A

Requiem mass A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

was held in his memory at the Holy Family Ukrainian Catholic Church.

Quote

“The obstacles will become diminutive when you view them from the pinnacle of love for the work to which you have set your hand.”

References

Austro-Hungarian emigrants to the United States Ukrainian Austro-Hungarians 20th-century American inventors People from Ternopil Oblast People from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria 1895 births 1964 deaths {{US-inventor-stub

Life

Death

Quote

See also

References