The University of Akron, University Libraries, Archival Services

Russell S. Colley was born in Stoneham, Massachusetts in 1899. He graduated from high school in 1916. Two years later, he graduated from the Wentworth Institute (now Wentworth Institute of Technology) in Boston, Massachusetts with a degree in mechanical engineering. After college he married Dorothy Antle of Stoneham. They had one daughter, Barbara. In 1928, Colley moved to Akron, Ohio to become a mechanical engineer for the aeronautical division of the B. F. Goodrich Company. During his tenure with Goodrich, Colley held numerous sales and development assignments. It was here that he made the "Riv-nut" that allowed a single worker to affix rivets to airplane wings. Also, after fellow engineer William Geer came up with the idea for the first aircraft de-icer in 1932, Colley was asked to make the device operational. Colley then tested the device during a storm that had grounded every other plane. Plane de-icers became and still are a major Goodrich product. Colley's unique contribution with Goodrich was the design and development of space suits, which he worked on for several decades. In 1934, Colley designed a pressurized suit for daredevil pilot Wiley Post, which helped Post reach the jet stream and break new altitude records. During his association with Goodrich, Colley secured as sole inventor or co-inventor of several patents, which were subsequently assigned to the B. F. Goodrich Company. Russell Colley eventually left Goodrich to work for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) where he designed the space suits used by the Mercury astronauts. All six original Mercury astronauts went to Akron to be fitted by Colley for their suits, which were two-ply silver nylon coated with neoprene. He said his design was inspired by a tomato worm. After Alan Shephard's flight aboard Freedom 7, the Akron press dubbed Colley "First Tailor of the Space Age" and Goodrich saluted him as "Father of the Spacesuit." Colley also designed special gloves worn by astronaut John Glenn, when he became the first American to orbit space in 1962. Glenn wanted the fingertips to light up so he could see his instrument panel, since lighting in the spaceship was sacrificed to keep the weight down. Colley received NASA's Distinguished Public Service Medal in 1994. Colley collected 65 patents in his career. When he retired from NASA, he returned to Ohio where he practiced jewelry design. A watercolor artist, Colley was an original member of the Whiskey Painters of America, founded in 1951 in Akron by industrial designer Joe Ferriot. Colley and others perfected the genre of painting miniature watercolors using alcohol as the medium. Russell Colley died February 4, 1996, in Springfield, Ohio.

From the guide to the Russell S. Colley Papers, 1933-1977, 1933-1977, (Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron)

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