Carrier 100th Anniversary: Dedication of the Willis H. Carrier Academy

On July 17, 2002, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the invention of air conditioning, Carrier Corp. dedicated the Willis H. Carrier Academy at W.E. Grady High School in Brooklyn, New York. It was a perfect day for such a dedication: the sun blazed in a cloudless blue sky with temperatures hovering in the mid-nineties. And the humidity — well it was sticky outside to say the least — a perfect air conditioning day. It was on such a day 100 years ago that a gifted young engineer named Willis H. Carrier invented modern air conditioning and interestingly enough, the first application of his invention was at a Brooklyn printing plant. Today, the company that bears his name helped establish a working acadamy to teach the tenets of heating and refrigeration to high school students in an effort to attract more young people into the HVAC industry. The acadamy is the result of a $100,000 grant from Carrier Corp. According to Carrier spokespeople, the academy will offer students a three-year program in heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration technology. Prior to the dedication, comments were delivered by the school principal, Ivor Neuschotz, as well as by Reyes Irizarry, superintendent of all Brooklyn and Staten Island high schools, Harold O. Levy, chancellor of the New York City Board of Education, and Marty Markowitz, president of the borough of Brooklyn. The dedication itself was delivered by Geraud Darnis, president of Carrier Corp. “As a company, we have embraced Dr. Carrier’s lifelong appreciation and commitment to education,” Darnis said. “Creating the Willis H. Carrier Academy is the ideal way to honor his belief that education and understanding are the keys to solving challenges of all kinds, as well as help the Academy’s students become valued contributors to a growing industry that has a crucial need for technical talent.” Also attending the ceremony was Edna Littlehales, Dr. Carrier’s adopted daughter. Littlehales is the last living relative of Carrier and she and her husband received special recognition during the dedication ceremony.