Walter Frederick "Fred" Morrison (January 23, 1920 - February 9, 2010)
Walter Frederick Morrison, 90, inventor of the plastic version of the flying disc, passed away on February 9, 2010. He was 90 years old - or 19 in dog years. Every kid who has ever thrown a disc in a park owes a debt of gratitude to Mr. Morrison for his foresight.
But many dogs owe him much more. You see, the ubiquitous flying disc - known to many as the Frisbee - is much more than a toy to millions of eager canines. It is a profound source of joy, an object of desire, and the glue that has cemented the bond between canine and human for decades.
Morrison may not have realized, as he hawked his plastic discs on California beaches, that canines would come to revere the plastic flying disc even more than humans. Today, no person of reasonable intelligence would deny this truism.
Morrison lead an unusual life that is not well known to most enthusiasts of the flying disc. His interest in flying objects was likely accelerated by his experiences as a pilot during World War II. At one point, Morrison was even shot down and held as a prisoner of war for eight weeks.
Although Morrison is often credited with the invention of the flying disc, that credit more properly belongs to students at Yale University who adapted metal pie tins from the Frisbie Pie Company for campus throwing games. Morrison plasticized and popularized the flying disc and initiated the fad that would introduce the world to the plastic flying toy that would soon become known as the "Frisbee."
Morrison's 1957 sale of the rights to his plastic disc invention to the Wham-O Toy Company put the toy in the hands of a company with the means to promote the toy worldwide. Thus, the trademarked term "Frisbee" became primed to enter our lexicon and the hearts and mouths of our canines.
In our house the frisbee is without a doubt the favorite toy. We use a soft variety to save on tooth injuries.
Samba loves her frisbee so much that she taught her puppies how to play with it.
She instilled a respect for the toy in each of her pups.
Not all dogs fly thru the air to play frisbee. Some fly thru the water. This is Noah retrieving his disc from the lake.
Competition for the frisbee is alive and well in our household. Thank you Mr. Morrison. Rest in peace.
Thank you for that bio bit about Mr. Morrison. None of my dogs have ever gotten into flying discs. My childhood lab caught them well enough, but as with most of my dogs, tennis balls were her favorites.
ReplyDeleteHow crazy that his invention has had such a huge impact on the dog world. I'm sure he never would have guessed.
ReplyDeleteVERY Interesting! Thank you for sharing it. Our dogs have always enjoyed frisbees. Not to the extent of competition except with each other.
ReplyDeleteWags
Ernie, Sasha, Chica & Mom