Everest and Jennings facts for kids
| Industry | Mobility equipment |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1930s |
| Headquarters | St. Louis, Missouri |
Everest & Jennings was a company that made special equipment to help people move around. They were famous for being the first company to make many wheelchairs at once. These wheelchairs helped people who had trouble walking.
How Everest & Jennings Started
Herbert A. Everest and Harry C. Jennings Sr. were good friends. Both of them were engineers. Herbert Everest had a physical disability because of a mining accident in 1918. In the early 1930s, he found that the wheelchairs available were very big and heavy.
In 1933, Herbert Everest talked to Harry Jennings about this problem. Together, they designed a new kind of wheelchair. It was lightweight and could fold up, making it much easier to use. They built this first model in Jennings' garage. They received a special patent for their design in October 1937.
Soon after, the two friends started a business to make their improved wheelchairs. In the 1940s, the company became well-known. They supplied wheelchairs to soldiers who were injured in World War II. The government bought many chairs from them, which helped the company grow.
The Everest family sold their part of the company in 1943. However, Harry Jennings Sr.'s son, Gerald Jennings, became the chief executive in 1952. He led the company until he retired in 1985. In 1956, Everest & Jennings was also the first company to make electric wheelchairs on a large scale.
Company Changes Over Time
By 1992, Everest & Jennings was facing some money problems. They had lost some of their market share to other companies. Because of this, they moved their main office from Camarillo, California to St. Louis, Missouri. In 1993, they bought another company called Medical Composite Technology. This company worked with a strong material called carbon fiber.
In 1996, Everest & Jennings was still having financial difficulties. They had a lot of debt and their sales were dropping. So, they announced that another company, Graham-Field Health Products, would buy them. Graham-Field soon closed the Everest & Jennings factory in Earth City, Missouri. However, Graham-Field still sells wheelchairs today using the well-known Everest & Jennings name.
Famous Wheelchair Users
Many famous people used Everest & Jennings wheelchairs. Some of the early users included Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was a president of the United States. Sergeant Alvin C. York, a hero from World War I, also used one. Even Winston Churchill, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, used an Everest & Jennings chair.
Later, Ed Roberts and other members of the Rolling Quads used Everest & Jennings power chairs. The Rolling Quads were a group of activists who worked for disability rights. Author Joni Eareckson Tada once wrote that if a statue were made of her, she would want her "300-pound Everest & Jennings power chair front and center." Actor Christopher Reeve also used an Everest & Jennings wheelchair. This was his first wheelchair after he became quadriplegic in 1995.
