RIP: Goggle Visionary Dr. Bob Smith

by The Editors on April 30, 2012

Bob SmithBob Smith, an orthodontist who just couldn’t stand goggles that fogged and went on to revolutionize the action eyewear industry with his double lens Smith goggles, died of complications from heart surgery on April 18, 2012 at his home in La Quinta, California, according to an obituary in the Washington Post. He was 78.

Using dental tools, foam and glue, Dr. Smith began building his first prototypes on his kitchen table. He traded his new goggles for lift tickets to ski mountains in Idaho or sold them to ski patrollers, who provided him with feedback to tweak his designs. . . As demand for his goggles spread, Dr. Smith formed his own company in Ketchum, Idaho. By the late 1970s, the company was selling 200,000 goggles a year. The firm also tinkered with goggles that included electrically heated lenses and small fans to cool the face.

Brands like Spy, Dragon, and Oakley would not exist without Dr. Smith’s game-changing product design and we will forever be grateful for the way Smith goggles allowed us to love riding on snowy days. Thanks, Bob. Our thoughts are with Smith’s family, friends, and everyone who has ever worn a pair of his goggles on a socked in white out day.

[Link: Washington Post]

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