College remembers Robert W. Kearns, 1927-2005

He is widely remembered as the inventor of the intermittent automobile windshield wiper who won multi-million dollar judgments against Ford Motor and Chrysler for using his idea. But to students who took his Engineering Mechanics classes at Wayne State 40 years ago, he is remembered as an excellent instructor.

Kearns, who lived in suburban Baltimore, died on February 9 after succumbing to cancer and suffering from Alzheimer's. He was 77.

"I feel very fortunate our paths crossed back in 1966," said William Ramroth, BSME'69, who took Kearns' Engineering Dynamics course. After being scheduled with a difficult instructor, Ramroth sat in on Mr. Kearns morning class. "What a difference. The classroom was completely full with students and fortunately I found an empty chair," Ramroth said. "Mr. Kearns conveyance of the subject was very precise, directly to the point, and somewhat easy to follow."

He was born in Gary, Ind. in 1927, and grew up in River Rouge where in high school he ran track. During World War II he served with the Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner to the CIA. Afterwards he earned a bachelor's in engineering from the University of Detroit, a master's from the Wayne State College of Engineering, and doctorate in engineering from Case Western Reserve University in 1963.

He joined the WSU Engineering Mechanics faculty in 1957 as assistant professor, earned tenure in 1960, was appointed associated professor in 1963, and left in 1967 to become building commmissioner for the city of Detroit.

Besides his teaching skills, students and colleagues remember him as an amiable member of the faculty who wore a coat and tie. If he appeared aloof to some, it was most likely due to his rapid-fire thought process. "He was constantly thinking," said Maureen Kearns of Detroit, youngest of his six children.

"He was very affable, a very nice person. He always seemed to be quite busy," said Carl DeSilva, who joined the faculty in 1966 before Kearns departure to work as building commissioner for the city of Detroit.

"I thought he was a good teacher," said Frank Plonka, professor of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. As an undergraduate, Plonka took Kearn's statics class in the late 1950s. "I remember that he reviewed basic trig identities like the law of sines that proved useful in solving statics problems."

Kearns received numerous patents in 1967 for his wipers that pause between swipes for use in light rain or mist. He tried to interest various automakers in his invention, but failed to reach a licensing deal. When the carmakers began producing cars with the special wipers, Kearns sued Ford in 1978 and Chrysler in 1982. Ford eventually settled and paid Kearns $10.2 million. Chrysler was ordered to pay Kearns $18.7 million and interest, an order upheld by the Supreme Court in 1995 on an appeal by Chrysler. Much of the money went to legal expenses, although he was his own lawyer during parts of his battle.

In the end, Kearns was disappointed because the courts did not bar the companies from continuing to manufacture his device. "He really wanted to get into manufacturing them himself," said Maureen Kearns.

Because he fought the goliaths that stole his idea, he is both known as the inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper and for that fight. Otherwise, his name would be forgotten, along with those of thousands of other inventors of everyday devices.

In addition to Maureen Kearns, he is survived by another daughter, Kathleen Corsetty; sons Dennis, Timothy, Patrick and Bob; a brother; and seven grandchildren.