Homer Stryker
Encyclopedia
Homer Hartmen Stryker, M.D., (November 4, 1894 — May 1980) was the founder of Stryker Corp.
, a medical supply corporation.
Dr. Stryker grew up in Athens, Michigan
, a small farming community in Southern Michigan
, before earning a teaching certificate from Western Michigan University
in 1916. He taught in local schools before serving as an infantryman in France
in World War I
. He returned to Michigan to study Medicine, and earned his medical doctorate from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1925.
In 1935, Dr. Stryker began tinkering in his workshop with medical devices, where he came up with the rubber heel for walking casts, as well as an innovative hospital bed that prevented bedsores for bed-ridden patients. In 1941 he founded a company to manufacture and sell his inventions.
In 1943 he created what was, perhaps, his most important invention: an oscillating (vibrating) electric saw to cut and remove casts, which would not cut skin. His invention has been the tool of choice for cast removal ever since. A later variant of Stryker's cast saw was the oscillating electric bone saw, which cuts bone but not soft tissue.
By 1959, Dr. Stryker had 12 patents on medical devices.
In 1970, he was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Western Michigan University Alumni Association.
Stryker Corporation has since grown into a global corporation, and went public on NASDAQ
in 1977. Since 1997, Stryker has been traded on the NYSE.
His three grandchildren Pat Stryker
, Jon Stryker
and Ronda Stryker (the only one to sit on the board) are all billionaires.
Stryker Corp.
Stryker Corporation , is a Kalamazoo, Michigan based medical technology firm which develops and produces medical implants, surgical and imaging technologies, as well as patient handling and emergency medical equipment...
, a medical supply corporation.
Dr. Stryker grew up in Athens, Michigan
Athens, Michigan
Athens is a village in Calhoun County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,111 at the 2000 census. The village is located in southern Athens Township, and is part of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was settled in 1831.-Geography:According to the United...
, a small farming community in Southern Michigan
Southern Michigan
Southern Michigan is a loosely defined geographic area of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Southern Michigan may be referred to as a sub-region or component area to the larger geographic regions of Central Michigan, West Michigan, and Southeast Michigan.Southern Michigan is a...
, before earning a teaching certificate from Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
in 1916. He taught in local schools before serving as an infantryman in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He returned to Michigan to study Medicine, and earned his medical doctorate from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1925.
In 1935, Dr. Stryker began tinkering in his workshop with medical devices, where he came up with the rubber heel for walking casts, as well as an innovative hospital bed that prevented bedsores for bed-ridden patients. In 1941 he founded a company to manufacture and sell his inventions.
In 1943 he created what was, perhaps, his most important invention: an oscillating (vibrating) electric saw to cut and remove casts, which would not cut skin. His invention has been the tool of choice for cast removal ever since. A later variant of Stryker's cast saw was the oscillating electric bone saw, which cuts bone but not soft tissue.
By 1959, Dr. Stryker had 12 patents on medical devices.
In 1970, he was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Western Michigan University Alumni Association.
Stryker Corporation has since grown into a global corporation, and went public on NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
in 1977. Since 1997, Stryker has been traded on the NYSE.
His three grandchildren Pat Stryker
Pat Stryker
Patricia A. Stryker is the granddaughter of Homer Stryker, surgeon and founder of Stryker Corporation, a medical technology company....
, Jon Stryker
Jon Stryker
Jon Lloyd Stryker is an American architect, philanthropist and activist for social and environmental causes. He is a billionaire stockholder and heir to the Stryker Corporation medical supply company fortunes of grandfather Homer Stryker alongside sisters Pat and Ronda...
and Ronda Stryker (the only one to sit on the board) are all billionaires.
External links
- Dr. Homer Stryker: Inventor, orthopedic surgeon, businessman, Kalamazoo Public Library, retrieved July 13, 2011
- Dr. Homer Stryker, 1970 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient
- Stryker Corporation: Company History