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ROBERT C.
1900-1991
SPRAGUE
BY ROBERT C. DUNCAN
ROBERT C SPRAGUE engineerandentrepreneurwho founded
the Sprague Electric Company and developed it into a thriving
company of eight thousand employees, died on September 27,
1991, at his home in Williamstown, Massachusetts. He was
ninety-one years old.
Bob Sprague was born in New York City on August 3,1900. He
graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy (B.S.) in 1920, the U.S.
Naval Postgraduate School (B.S.) in 1922, and the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (S.M.) in 1924. He continued his career
as a naval architect and was a member of the staff that superin-
tended the design and construction of the aircraft carrier USS
Lexington. He resigned from the U.S. Navy in 1928.
As a twenty-six-year-old lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, Bob
developed an adjustable "tone control" device to improve the
sound quality of his radio. The heart of this device was a fixed-
paper condenser, which he patented. This was the first of a
lifetime total of nineteen patent awards. This first patent led to
the birth of the Sprague Specialties Company, which he and his
wife, Florence, operated out of their Quincy, Massachusetts,
home, using $25,000 in capital raised through limited personal
savings and the sale of stock to a few friends and relatives.
Sales of those earlier capacitors were slow until Bob designed
them to be smaller, lighter? en c! cheaper. His new company did
$54,000 worth of business in 1927. By 1929 the company had
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218
MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
grown to 525 people with sales of $500,000. He moved his
company from Quincy to North Adams, Massachusetts, in 1930.
He bought a new plant in North Adams three weeks before the
stock market crash on "Black Friday" in October 1929.
The depression years were difficult for the Sprague Specialty
Company; however, World War II provided a financial shot in the
arm. Production, employment, and profitabilityboomed during
the war years, largely because of many military applications for
capacitors. Under Bob's leadership the company continued to
grow in the postwar years to a peak of eight thousand employees
in six U.S. facilities, and one each in Europe and the Far East.
The company changed its name to Sprague Electric Company in
1943, and Bob retired as chairman in 1971.
Bob had a long history of service to his country and his
community. He served from 1942 to 1945 as a member of the War
Production Board's advisory committee on capacitors. In 1954
he was appointed by President Eisenhower as a consultant on
continental defense to the National Security Council and a
consultant to the Technological Capabilities Pane} of the Sci-
ence Advisory Committee to the Office of Defense Mobilization
(Killian Committee). In 1957 he was appointed by the president
to be director of the Security Resources Panel (Gaither Commit-
tee) of the Science Advisory Committee of the Of fire of Defense
Mobilization.
Elected to the National Academy of Engineering in February
1985, Bob was a dedicated professional known for his technical
expertise and his willingness to contribute his time and energy
to many worthwhile causes. He was recognized by many awards
and honorary degrees. He received honorary doctorates from
Northeastern University, Williams College, Tufts University,
Lowell Technological Institute, University of New Hampshire,
North Adams State College, and University of Massachusetts. He
was twice awarded the Medal of Honor by the Electronic Indus-
tries Association. He received the "Man of the Year" awards from
the New England Council and the Hotchkiss Alumni Associa-
tion. He was a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He
was a member of the corporations of the Massachusetts Institute
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ROBERT C. SPRAGUE
219
of Technology and Northeastern University. He served on the
board of directors for the First National Bank of Boston, Charles
Stark Draper Laboratory, MITRE Corporation, Micro-Bit Cor-
poration, Electrostatic Research Corporation, Federal Reserve
Bank of Boston, and Associated Industries of Massachusetts. He
was a trustee of Hudson Institute.
An avid skier until leg problems took him off the slopes at age
eighty-three, Bob was the author of two books on skiing. Perhaps
his greatest love outside his family and his office was the
Williamstown Theatre Festival. Bob is widely considered to have
been the person most responsible for the success of this summer
theatre activity, which is considered by many to be the most
outstanding program of its kind in America. The program was
started more than thirty years ago and has a worldwide reputa-
tion for excellence. The list of performers in this summer
theatre festival is a "Who's Who" of the stars of today's stage and
screen, all of whom came to know and admire Bob Sprague as a
patron and friend.
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