Johnson, Marshall, 1938- , collector.

Marshall B. Johnson was born on December 5, 1938 in Mineola, Long Island, New York. Graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1960 he went to work for seven years at Black and Decker. In 1967, Johnson moved to Pittsburgh to join Alcoa. He was transferred to the Wear-Ever cookware division in Chillicothe, Ohio, in 1971. While there he designed small electrical appliances. He also designed cutlery for the Alcas/Cutco division in Olean, New York. Johnson learned about the human hand working with Tom Lamb on handle projects. Johnson designed kitchen electrics, product graphics, and provided custom product models for over forty-five house-wares industry shows before his retirement in 2001. He is a past chair of the Industrial Designers Society of America Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic chapters.

In 1888, Charles Martin Hall and Alfred Hunt founded the Pittsburg Reduction Company based on Hall's electro-chemical reduction process for the extraction of aluminum from bauxite ore. They built a new plant at New Kensington, Pennsylvania, in 1891. The company changed its name to the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) in 1907.

The company had great success in the field of aluminum cookware. In 1901 they created a subsidiary company called The Aluminum Cooking Utensil Company, Inc. (TACU), as a sales and marketing organization for the products being produced by the Pittsburgh Reduction Company. The products were sold door to door primarily by college students. The Aluminum Cooking Utensil Company, Inc. adopted the name Wear-Ever Aluminum, Inc. in 1903.

Alcoa wanted to expand from utilitarian cookware and utensils to a decorative line of giftware. They hired designer, Lurelle Guild, and Kensington Ware was introduced in the fall of 1934. The line featured items in five categories; Table and Service, Decorative Pieces, Drinking Appurtenances, Smoker's Articles, and Desk Accessories. The Art Deco style giftware became popular items and new additions were made to the line through out the 1930s and into the 1940s. In 1947, Alcoa reintroduced aluminum furniture after an unsuccessful attempt in 1924. They sold over 400,000 Guild designed chairs before discontinuing them in 1952.

On January 1, 1966, Wear-Ever Aluminum, Inc. was reorganized into an integrated marketing/manufacturing subsidiary of Alcoa. The consumer cookware manufacturing, as well as the company headquarters, were moved from New Kensington to Chillicothe, Ohio in 1967.

From the description of Marshall Johnson collection of cookware and appliance design drawings, 1922-1989. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 123429810

Marshall Johnson was born in Mineola, Long Island, New York on December 5, 1938. He became interested in Industrial Design in 1952 after reading a U.S. government career pamphlet. He graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 1960 with a BFA in Industrial Design, and a minor in art education.

Following graduation, Johnson became the first staff designer hired by Black and Decker working seven years in Towson, MD as their package engineer/product designer. In 1967 he moved to Pittsburgh to join the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA) corporate design staff where he designed an oceanographic ship, the Alcoa Seaprobe, furniture, and numerous products using aluminum. In 1971 he was transferred to ALCOA's cookware subsidiary Wear-Ever Industries, Inc., in Chillicothe, Ohio, where he designed small appliances such as the first hot air corn popper, electric food gun (Super Shooter), kabob cooker (Kabob-It and Kabob 2) to name a few. He also designed cutlery for ALCOA's Alcas/Cutco Division in Olean, New York.

ALCOA sold Wear-Ever to Wesray Products, Inc., in 1982. A year later, Wesray acquired the Proctor-Silex Division of SCM Corporation, a manufacturer of kitchen appliances, and changed its name to Proctor-Silex, Inc. In 1986 it became WearEver-ProctorSilex, Inc. In 1988 the company was in turn acquired by NACCO Industries, Inc., a conglomerate, and moved to Glenn Allen, Virginia. The cookware division and Wear-Ever brand were sold to Mirro/Newell in January 1989. NACCO Industries, Inc., purchased Hamilton Beach, Inc., from Glen Dimplex of Ireland in 1990 and consolidated as Hamilton Beach/Proctor-Silex, Inc. Johnson stayed with Proctor-Silex through these various mergers until his retirement in 2001.

Johnson's professional interests led him to serve on the boards of Goodwill Industries, Southern Ohio Speech and Hearing Center, and the IDSA (Industrial Designers Society of America), in addition to teaching Project Business to eighth & ninth graders for 10 years. He designed kitchen electrics and product graphics, and provided custom product models for over 45 Housewares Industry shows before retiring.

From the description of Marshall Johnson collection of trade literature and ephemera, 1922-2003 (bulk, 1972-2000). (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 649708215