Luther Blount
Encyclopedia
Luther H. Blount was an American entrepreneur, inventor, and philanthropist
. Blount was a shipbuilder and holds 22 patents; most of which are relating to his trade.
Blount attended Wentworth Institute of Technology
where he obtained an associate degree (at the time, the highest degree offered at Wentworth) in 1937. He got his entrepreneurial start by carving duck jewelry pins that he sold out of his "Dippy Duck Widdle Shop." During those years Blount continued to design jewellery, worked for his grandfather's oyster company, and was also a mill machinist and plant engineer.
Blount and Mary Ellen Hustad married in 1943 which was followed by brief service in the army.
He got his start in inventing early. In seventh grade he reinvented the steam engine. "It was a crude sort of steam engine that he made from a tin can, an alcohol burner, and a paddle wheel." He honed his inventing talent while creating a steaming process to open clams under the employment of his brother's seafood company.
Blount started a ship building company in 1949. Out of the over 300 ships his company built during his lifetime over 100 were built in the first 15 years. The company, founded in 1949, was originally named Blount Marine Corporation and later renamed to Blount Boats, Inc. Seeing the potential of the consumer tours market Blount began to offer cruises. The ventured, founded in 1966, was called the American Canadian Caribbean Line.
$300,000 to help build an aquaculture
research lab in 2001.
to the cause.
Blount's contributions to restoring the Bay earned him an honorary doctorate degree in marine science from Roger Williams University
in addition to the University officially dedicating its "state-of-the-art" shellfish hatchery to him.
schools. The $6.5 million ship was built by Blount and was part of one of his cruise lines. The recipients of the donation were Wentworth Institute of Technology
, Rhode Island College
, and Roger Williams University
. All three had given Blount honorary doctorates.
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
. Blount was a shipbuilder and holds 22 patents; most of which are relating to his trade.
Biography
After graduating from Barrington High SchoolBarrington High School (Barrington, Rhode Island)
Barrington High School is located in Barrington, Rhode Island. Its Principal is Joseph Hurley, who assumed the office following the retirement of former principal John Gray...
Blount attended Wentworth Institute of Technology
Wentworth Institute of Technology
The Wentworth Institute of Technology is an independent, co-educational, technical design and engineering college located in Boston, Massachusetts...
where he obtained an associate degree (at the time, the highest degree offered at Wentworth) in 1937. He got his entrepreneurial start by carving duck jewelry pins that he sold out of his "Dippy Duck Widdle Shop." During those years Blount continued to design jewellery, worked for his grandfather's oyster company, and was also a mill machinist and plant engineer.
Blount and Mary Ellen Hustad married in 1943 which was followed by brief service in the army.
He got his start in inventing early. In seventh grade he reinvented the steam engine. "It was a crude sort of steam engine that he made from a tin can, an alcohol burner, and a paddle wheel." He honed his inventing talent while creating a steaming process to open clams under the employment of his brother's seafood company.
Blount started a ship building company in 1949. Out of the over 300 ships his company built during his lifetime over 100 were built in the first 15 years. The company, founded in 1949, was originally named Blount Marine Corporation and later renamed to Blount Boats, Inc. Seeing the potential of the consumer tours market Blount began to offer cruises. The ventured, founded in 1966, was called the American Canadian Caribbean Line.
Philanthropy
Blount donated millions in time and money to various causes throughout his life. Including giving the University of Rhode IslandUniversity of Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island is the principal public research university in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Its main campus is located in Kingston. Additional campuses include the Feinstein Campus in Providence, the Narragansett Bay Campus in Narragansett, and the W. Alton Jones Campus in West...
$300,000 to help build an aquaculture
Aquaculture
Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the...
research lab in 2001.
Oyster reintroduction
Blount was responsible for four million juvenile oysters that were later "planted by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management in various parts of Narragansett Bay" in an effort to grow the oyster population in the bay. In early 2003, Blount renewed his efforts with 4,000 adult oysters which, according to marine biologist Matt Jaglieski, produced "over 40 million" fertilized larvae. Two years later he donated 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) of his land to Roger Williams UniversityRoger Williams University
Roger Williams University, commonly abbreviated as RWU, is a private, coeducational American liberal arts university located on in Bristol, Rhode Island, above Mt. Hope Bay. Founded in 1956, it was named for theologian and Rhode Island cofounder Roger Williams...
to the cause.
Blount's contributions to restoring the Bay earned him an honorary doctorate degree in marine science from Roger Williams University
Roger Williams University
Roger Williams University, commonly abbreviated as RWU, is a private, coeducational American liberal arts university located on in Bristol, Rhode Island, above Mt. Hope Bay. Founded in 1956, it was named for theologian and Rhode Island cofounder Roger Williams...
in addition to the University officially dedicating its "state-of-the-art" shellfish hatchery to him.
Niagara Prince
In 2006 Blount donated the Niagara Prince to three New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
schools. The $6.5 million ship was built by Blount and was part of one of his cruise lines. The recipients of the donation were Wentworth Institute of Technology
Wentworth Institute of Technology
The Wentworth Institute of Technology is an independent, co-educational, technical design and engineering college located in Boston, Massachusetts...
, Rhode Island College
Rhode Island College
Rhode Island College is a nationally ranked, coeducational, state-supported comprehensive college founded in 1854, located in Providence, Rhode Island, USA...
, and Roger Williams University
Roger Williams University
Roger Williams University, commonly abbreviated as RWU, is a private, coeducational American liberal arts university located on in Bristol, Rhode Island, above Mt. Hope Bay. Founded in 1956, it was named for theologian and Rhode Island cofounder Roger Williams...
. All three had given Blount honorary doctorates.