Sam B. Williams

Sam Barlow Williams (7 May 1921 in Seattle, Washington – 22 June 2009 in Indian Wells, California) was an American inventor and founder of Williams International. He was particularly known for his development of the small fan-jet engine. He received several prestigious awards for innovation in aviation: Williams was also an inductee into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and the National Aviation Hall of Fame 1998. Williams also promoted inventors and inventions in medical research for cancer and for degenerative eye disease, with which he was afflicted. Williams was a mechanical engineer for the Chrysler Corporation before starting his own company to develop and build small gas turbine engines. The first production contract was for an experimental gas turbine for a marine outboard.