Never Say Impossible: The Life and Times of an American Entrepreneur

By John H. Perry

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1565660994
• ISBN13: 9781565660991
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Legacywords Pub
• Weight: 1.28 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A glimpse at how technology develops

John H. Perry starts experimenting with submarines in one chapter of the book. He had been chased by a shark while spearfishing and felt that "there ought to be a way for a man to safely hunt sharks." Because of that notion a submarine and later a fuel-cell company was launched. The submarine company was ultimately sold to Lockheed Martin and which still exists today in Riviera Beach Florida, developing advanced underwater vehicles. The fuel cell company was sold to a large aerospace contractor who supplied powerplants to NASA and numerous other government and private agencies. The book is no Pulizter winner, but it does give some appreciation of the simple outlook of the time Perry belonged to and some interesting insight into how a simple notion can spawn amazing developments. I give it 4-stars because I am tied directly to the Perry legacy. It was fascinating to understand how the seemingly simple (and yes sometimes disconserting) outlook of John H. Perry had influenced my own carreer and life. I've met John Perry but only after he was very advanced in age. I understand that perhaps his family relationships weren't enviable. The man kept a lot of people working for a lot of years though. A couple dozen scientists, engineers and technicians owe a lot to him. Many of my colleagues once worked hand in hand with him in Florida and at his research facility in the Bahamas. Professionals working at oil, alternative energy, and other high-tech companies got their start because of him. The book is a glimpse at how technology may develop in unexpected ways, for unexpected reasons. It also does show bitterness and family infighting with unabashed and surprising candor. I think that the book provides inspiration; despite Perry's difficulty with relationships he had a profound positive effect on the world.