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Legends of Diving Articles |
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Robert Olson
The True Origins of Dacor Corporation
An underwater demolition diver in World War II stationed
in the Pacific Theater, Robert Olson returned home to Evanston,
Illinois at the
conclusion of the war and reconnected with his old
neighbor Sam
Davison who had also returned from military service. Olson's fascination with the water never left him, and
he spent many a day at the shores of Lake Michigan dreaming
of once again swimming deep underwater. He and Davison
experimented with inverted buckets on their heads and hoses
pumping in fresh air, but that did not allow them to venture
very deep.
Not until Olson received his July 1953 issue of Popular
Science, which featured a cover story about "How to build
your own Diving Lung," did the friends |
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realize how to fulfill their dreams. Davison, funded by
his father, followed the directions and built a workable air
tank and demand regulator. A buyer at Montgomery Wards
department store saw the unit and ordered ten, quickly followed
by 300. By 1955, Dacor, short for "Davison Corporation" was born
when the company introduced "Dial-A-Breath," a double-hose,
double-diaphragm regulator that touched off a competitive
manufacturing frenzy. Bob Olson will share the story of Sam
Davison's successful quest to become a manufacturing giant.
Robert Olsen passed away on Friday, April 22, 2011.

This is the cover of the July 1953
Popular Science edition that can be
traced to the origins of Dacor.
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