1. Introduction

Elise Frances Harmon (née Harmon; 3 September 1909 in Mount Enterprise, Texas – 6 March 1985 in Santa Clara County, California)^[1] was an United States physicist, chemist, and influential contributor to the miniaturization of computers.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]}

2. Career Highlights

Research

During World War II, she worked in the United States Naval Research Laboratory's Aircraft and Electrical Division. In the early 1950, Harmon worked for the Bureau of Standards and the Naval Research Bureau in Washington, D.C. In 1953, she became chief research printed circuit engineer for the Aerovox Corporation, headquartered at Plant 2 in New Bedford, Massachusetts. At the time, she had the responsibility of directing the research and development, as well as establishing plant procedures for new methods of printed circuitry and printed circuit components.^[12][13] In the 1970s, she was head of Aerovox Corporation's printed circuit activities.^[12] She was a member of the American Chemical Society, the Institute of Radio Engineers, and the Texas Academy of Science.

One of Harmon's major contributions to the field was the development of a hot die stamp method to create printed circuits in which silver conductors were infused on thermoplastics and thermosetting materials.^[14][15] She and Philip J. Franklin (né Philip Jacquins Franklin; 1909–1979) were awarded a patent in 1953 for this technological breakthrough.^[16] Harmon also researched the action of grease and lubricants in high speed bearings and established the pilot plant procedures for an entirely new method of printed circuitry.^[17]

Teaching

Harmon taught chemistry, physics, and biology at the Brownsville Junior High School from about 1934 to 1937. She later taught those subjects at Texas Junior College, the University of North Texas, and University of Texas at Austin.

Death

Harmon died March 6, 1985, in Santa Clara County, California, while a resident of Redwood City, California. She is buried in Section P, Block 35, Grave 1 of the IOOF Cemetery, Denton, Texas, next to her mother, Geoffie Harmon (1887–1931), in Grave 2, and brother, Hamlett Stephen Harmon (1913–1997), in Grave 3. The three grave sites were purchased in 1931 by her father, George Herbert Harmon (1881–1957).

3. Selected Patents

She held numerous patents including, ones for:

1953 US 2656570 A: "Plastic Matrix for Printing Resistors" (hot die stamp method of infusing silver conductors on polymerized materials)^[16]

1953 US 2844172 A: "Silk Screen Stretcher" (mechanism for stretching fabric to obtain uniform tautness)^[19]

Injection printing machine for film resistors

Improved high altitude carbon brush performance, enabling American airplanes to maintain superiority during WWII

4. Formal Education

Around 1927, Harmon graduated from Marshall High School in Marshall, Texas.

In 1931, Harmon earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from University of North Texas.^[20] In June 1930, while a student, she was elected president of the W.N. Masters Chemical Society,^[21] a student organization she joined as a freshman in 1927, sponsored by Wallace Newton Masters (1864–1943), founder of the Chemistry Department in 1910.^[22]

Harmon earned a Master of Science from the University of Texas at Austin.

Harmon did post-graduate work at George Washington University and the University of Maryland.^[14]

5. Awards

• 1956, Harmon was awarded the Society of Women Engineers Achievement Award for her specialty in printed circuits.^[23]
• 1968, Harmon was awarded the IPC President's Award, honoring those who made the most significant contributions to IPC programs during the term of office of each departing IPC president^[24]

6. Selected Published Works

• "Interconnection of Integrated Circuit Flat Packs in Autonetics Improved Minuteman Program," by Elise F. Harmon, IEEE Transactions on Component Parts (journal), Vol. 11, No. 2 (1964), pps. 135–144; ISSN 0097-6601, OCLC 4653138666
• "Fabrication of Multilayer Boards at Autonetics for Minuteman II Program," by Elise F. Harmon, Anaheim, California: North American Aviation / Autonetics (1965); OCLC 258395160

Presented at the Multilayer Seminar, sponsored by Milton S. Kiver Publications, Inc. (Milton Sol Kiver; 1918–2005), and Electronic Packaging and Production (magazine), New York, New York, March 22–25, 1965

• "Method of Making a Photosensitive Solder Maskant," United States Department of the Air Force , Fort Belvoir Defense Technical Information Center, December 21, 1973; OCLC 227239303, 831431571
• "Sliding Contacts at High Altitudes, Experimental System for Carbon Brush Investigations," PB129176 (U.S. Publications Board Number), by E.F. Harmon, E-3176 (NRL Formal Report Number), September 1947 (date of report)

Bibliography of Unclassified NRL Formal Reports Numbers 1000 to 5700, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, July 1962, pg. 52; OCLC 15697667, 831978265, 227304660

7. Affiliations

• American Chemical Society — Harmon became a member in 1950^[14][25]
• Institute of Radio Engineers^[14]
• Texas Academy of Sciences^[14]

8. Family

Siblings

1. Elise Harmon's brother, Ham Harmon (né Hamlett Stephen Harmon; 1913–1997) played professional football as a 220-pound (100 kg) center with the Chicago Cardinals in 1937 for one season. He was the 43rd pick in the 5th round of the 1937 NFL draft.^[18] In 1986, Ham Harmon was inducted by his alma mater, the University of Tulsa, into its Athletic Hall of Fame.^[26]
2. Elise Harmon and her aunt, Lucy Barham Johnson (née Lucy Elise Barham; 1885–1950), raised Elise Harmon's sister, Ann Ferrari (née Georgianna Marie Harmon; 1919–2014) following the death from cancer of their mother, Geoffie Harmon (née Barham; 1884–1931), when Georgianna was 11. Ann earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from the University of Texas at Austin in 1940 and a Certificate in Physical Therapy from Walter Reed General Hospital in 1942. During World War II, Georgianna Harmon served as a Physical Therapist at a field hospital in the Cotswolds of England . Following the war, Ann trained at the Warm Springs Foundation for Polio Rehabilitation in Georgia and participated in the Salk Polio Vaccine field trail. In 1952, she earned a Master of Science degree from Stanford and upon graduation served as Instructor of Physical Therapy at Stanford.^[27]

9. Further Resources

• "Harmon, Elise F.," Society of Women Engineers National Records, Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University, Box 189
• "Autumn Stanley Papers," Iowa State University, Special Collections, Box 77, Folder 64, Dates: 1953–2003