Dead Designer Will Become Frisbee
 
SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug 15, 2002 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- Frisbee designer Ed
Headrick has died and his family will honor his wish that his ashes be molded
into memorial flying discs for family members.
 
Headrick, father of the modern Frisbee and designer of Wham-O's first
"professional model" flying disc, died age 78.
 
Headrick died at home in his sleep Monday, according to his eldest son, Ken. He
had been partially paralyzed after suffering two strokes last month at a disc
golf tournament in Miami.
 
Headrick patented toy maker Wham-O's first designs for the modern Frisbee after
improving the aerodynamics of the company's initial models. After joining the
company in the early 1960s, Headrick incorporated concentric grooved lines into
the top of the curved disc to create the first "professional model" for
Emeryville-based Wham-O.
 
The added ridges created better lift, straighter flight and improved stability
by increasing "interference with the smooth airflow pattern," according to U.S.
Patent No. 3,359,678, filed by Headrick on Nov. 1, 1965, for a "Flying Saucer."
 
The patent was officially issued in 1967, but Wham-O began selling its version
in 1964, according to the company's Web site. The patent number is stamped onto
Frisbees around the world and has been rubbed by the hands of millions who toss
the discs across park lawns and beaches, into the grasp of fellow players or the
mouths of waiting dogs.
 
"I felt the Frisbee had some kind of a spirit involved," Headrick told the Santa
Cruz Sentinel last October. "It's not just like playing catch with a ball. It's
the beautiful flight."
 
Headrick founded the International Frisbee Association and Disc Golf Association
to oversee the sport of disc golf.
 
The family will honor Headrick's wish that his ashes be molded into memorial
flying discs to be given to a select few family and friends and others who make
donations in his memory, Ken Headrick said.
 
He is survived by his wife, a daughter, three sons and 11 grandchildren.
 
 
By RON HARRIS
Associated Press Writer
 
 Copyright 2002 Associated Press, All rights reserved
 
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APO Priority=r
APO Category=1110
 
 KEYWORD:          SAN JOSE, Calif.
 SUBJECT CODE:     1110
 
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