Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence North America hosted an exclusive celebratory event and book signing on 22 August 2017 to recognize the nearly 185-years of Rhode Island’s rich industrial history. The event showcased Gerald Carbone’s new book titled Brown & Sharpe and the Measure of American Industry, honoring the legacy of Henry D. Sharpe Jr.
Shortly after World War II, Henry D. Sharpe Jr. succeeded his father as president of Brown & Sharpe Manufacturing Company. He led its development as a modern company for almost 60 years. During the 1980s and 1990s, the company concentrated on developing coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) and advancing the firm’s line of micrometers. Henry Sharpe Jr. eventually sold Brown & Sharpe to Hexagon AB in 2001 – a milestone moment in the development of Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence as it is today.
Author Gerald Cabone
The speaker program for the celebratory event included Rhode Island Lt. Governor Dan McKee, Douglas Sharpe (son of Henry Sharpe Jr.), Angus Taylor – President of Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence North America, and emcee Bridget Benedetti – Director of Marketing and Customer Experience.
Keynote speaker and author Gerald Carbone engaged the audience with his story about how Brown & Sharpe changed the world and created the metrology industry. Carbone presented a captivating narrative of howProvidence, Rhode Island and a cast of inventors and bold businessmen nurtured Rhode Island’s unique location and skilled workforce into a global leader in advanced manufacturing. Gerald Carbone is a biographer and a former journalist for twenty-five years, mostly for the Providence Journal. He is the winner of two of American journalism’s most prestigious prizes: the American Society of Newspaper Editors Distinguished Writing Award and a John S. Knight Fellowship at Stanford University. The new title is Carbone’s third book with St. Martin’s Press.
Author Gerald Cabone with Rhode Island Lt. Governor Dan McKee and Bridget Benedetti
The Rhode Island Historical Society set up three display cases of Brown & Sharpe instrumentation from their extensive archives. Morgan Grefe, Executive Director, and Dana Munroe, Registrar, engaged the crowd with their knowledge of the artifacts and their historical significance. Other special guests included dignitaries from the Rhode Island Manufacturing Association, Polaris MEP, Bryant University, New England Institute of Technology, the Town of North Kingstown, the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce, the Rhode Island press, and more.
Watch this video tohear Angus Taylor’s thoughts on how Brown & Sharpe helped provide the springboard for the present success of Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence worldwide, before Hexagon employees who remember working for Henry Sharpe Jr. share their favourite memories of him.
