Document text
Local inventor joins ‘luminaries’ By Kevin Opsahl Jan 03, 2023 12:45 AM A A Daniel Henderson, holder of more than 30 patents, honored by National Academy of Inventors Daniel Henderson, who invented wireless image sharing used in cellphones today and holds several other patents, was recently honored by National Academy of Inventors. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune] Three decades ago, Rogue Valley native Daniel Henderson was a bright-eyed inventor, who, even in his late 20s, was trying to make pitches for American Airlines and shipping giant Maersk Line to use his creations. But more recently, others have been making a pitch regarding him — and officials with the National Academy of Inventors appear to be sold. Henderson was named a 2022 NAI fellow, considered “the highest professional distinction awarded to academic inventors,” according to the academy’s website. The fellows, which include two other Oregonians, will be inducted and presented medals June 27, 2023, in Washington, D.C. “I’ve always spent a lot of time with people that were wiser, more knowledgeable and smarter than me,” Henderson said. “But I think there’s a lot to be learned from each other, a lot that we can teach one another. So it really is an honor to be included in a group I wouldn’t consider peers, but luminaries in their own right.” Henderson has over 30 patents to his name, most centering around communications. These include Direct-Connect, an automatic phone dial system, as well as wireless picture and video messaging used today in every cellphone. The patents he received for those works are a long way from the 1949 Ford his father had the young Henderson put back together to stop him from sneaking out at night. “Unfortunately, the car that I bought had no wheels, tires or running engine,” he said. After attending Medford schools and earning a degree in business administration from Southern Oregon University in 1984, Henderson was an intern for IBM’s Medford office, selling typewriters and word processors. That opportunity was leveraged to get a “real job” in Texas, where he learned to sell the company’s entire line of products. “It occurred to me during that time ... I had a desire to be creative,” Henderson said this week. So he waited tables at IHOP while getting the support he needed to start his own business that would springboard Direct-Connect. “I wanted to either do it or die,” Henderson said. That was just the beginning of all the patents that would come. NAI President Paul Sanberg praised Henderson and the others in the latest fellows class as “a truly outstanding caliber of inventors.” “The breadth and scope of their inventions is truly staggering,” Sanberg said in a prepared statement. “I am excited to see their creativity continue to define a new era of science and technology in the global innovation ecosystem.” Referring to the patents he is most known for, Henderson joked, “I would have preferred a picture or video message” notification from the academy informing him that he became a fellow. But the email he received from Sanberg instead would suffice. Henderson notes being an academy fellow is reserved for inventors in academia. His work in that arena has mainly involved New Jersey Institute of Technology and SOU, both of which nominated him for the NAI honor. At both institutions, Henderson is not a faculty member, but he does serve on numerous boards and speaks when invited. At SOU, he has been an emeritus member on the foundation board as well as a trusted adviser to university administrators. Henderson also was named “Outstanding Alumnus” by SOU in 1999 and was a commencement speaker in 2003. He’s also an artist, and his work can be seen on the Ashland campus. Along the lines of providing for higher education, a video the National Academy of Inventor’s website said that being a fellow is more than an honorary title — it is about being a “thought leader” and a mentor. Henderson hopes to use his title as fellow to provide outreach to students in both higher education and K-12. “This distinction is really not an award for me, but it’s really an award all Oregonians should take pride in,” he said. “I’m one of all of us. I came from here. I still have this place in my heart.” With that in mind, Henderson believes the state still faces some of the same economic and educational challenges when he was growing up and attending schools in Medford School District. “Education is key, but also, what do we teach the future?” Henderson said. “I want to use this (fellow position) as a platform that shows we can create big ideas from Oregonians.” To put it another way, Henderson hopes as a fellow he will help “focus a spotlight on the importance of innovation, and the ability for (various stakeholders), including K-12 educators, to seek new ways to collaborate.” Though his initiatives as a fellow have yet to take root, Henderson knows he will speak to students at SOU in the spring at the invitation of Hala Schepmann, an SOU bi-organic chemistry professor who also has a patent for an invention. When Henderson was a member of the SOU Foundation board, he began talking with Schepmann, then head of the Chemistry Department, about ways they could collaborate on STEM initiatives. “He was interested in reconnecting with the university and had some ideas for the STEM disciplines,” Schepmann said. “He just wanted to meet and learn more about our program and see if we had any interest in pursuing projects.” Whatever projects come to fruition, Schepmann believes much will come for SOU as a result of Henderson’s fellow appointment. “Being inducted into the National Academy of Inventors gives him points of contacts and allows him to then advocate on our behalf,” Scheppman said, “Also, to collaborate with us on projects that other inventors are involved in. It’s so early; we have yet to talk about what the opportunities are.” Both Schepmann and Henderson are interested in the use of learning materials from the Inventors Hall of Fame. Though the SOU professor is not sure if it will work in higher education, Henderson sees those materials as a vehicle to keep young people in the area once they eventually graduate with a college degree. “They have a tremendous wealth of programs available,” said Henderson, referring to the Inventors Hall of Fame. “We want to prevent students from going elsewhere, from having ‘brain drain.’ We do that by engaging them early on with the idea of innovation, critical thinking and discovery.“ Reach reporter Kevin Opsahl at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @KevJourno. Daniel Henderson shows off a few pieces of technology from the late ‘60s, along with patents. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune]