Earl E. Berry, a quiet mechanical genius, was born in Montpelier, Vermont, on October 29, 1891. He graduated with a mechanical engineering degree from Tri-State at Angola, Indiana, in 1912. He married Miss Wilma Ellis there on August 2, 1914. The Berry’s had one daughter, who pre-deceased Mr. Berry.

Starting as an engineer at the Beloit Iron Works in 1921, he soon became a well-known name in the U.S. paper industry. Although he excelled in football and basketball in college, his devotion to improving the speed and size of the machinery for the paper industry took over his full attention.

He was known as a “hands-on” engineer, who could not only visualize a new concept, but insisted on following through on an idea in all phases of development, including manufacturing of the specific machinery and testing the actual performance under regular paper production conditions. In short, he “loved” all things mechanical and constantly sought better ways to make things work.

His continuous flow of new developments for the paper industry was a significant reason for the success of the Beloit Iron Works, especially during his years as Vice President in charge of engineering from 1930 until his death.

His interest in things mechanical and his constant desire to be helpful led him into other equipment development, including the first economical “Flakall” machine; it was used in corn-based snack foods and helped create a whole new industry.

He was quietly very patriotic and immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor he was given a leave of absence from his work to serve on the World War II War Production Board. Here his genius for developing new and unique manufacturing processes resulted in substantial savings of time and money in production of war goods, greatly expediting the prosecution of the war.

Earl Berry’s entire life was one of using his skills tirelessly to help improve life through improving equipment for the production of many different products. Mr. Berry was affiliated with the Technical Association of Pulp and Paper Industries and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He was a member of the First Congregational Church.

His life was one of helpfulness, as his many friends and business associates will readily testify. His loss was keenly felt by all the men and women throughout the Beloit Iron Works organization.

Mr. Berry died at his home on Terrace Lane in Beloit on November 9, 1943.