Howard Clayton Eberline


Howard Clayton Eberline pioneer in the field of instrumentation for detecting ionizing radiation, inventor and entrepreneur. Eberline started his career at Los Alamos National Laboratory and began a long career of designing and developing radiation detection instrumentation that lead to the formation of a company that would bear his name and become a key player in the industry.

Life and times

Eberline was born on 15 October 1917 in Soap Creek, Davis County, Iowa. His parents were Alva Rollo and Perl Alvira Hawkins Eberline from Iowa. In 1920 the family moved to Grand River, Wayne County, Iowa. In 1940, according to the U.S. Census, Eberline moved to Ward 4, Manhattan, Manhattan City, Riley, Kansas and was listed as a 'lodger'. He married Gladys Johnson on 12 April 1941. Eberline died on 26 May 1981 and was buried in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at Memorial Park Cemetery.

Los Alamos and Eberline Instruments

In 1953, Eberline left the steady employment he had at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and started his company Eberline Instruments, established to develop, produce and market radiation detection devices and instruments.
Eberline formed the Eberline Instrument Division in 1953 as a subsidiary of Reynolds Electrical and Engineering Company. He had been with the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory as a group leader in the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Division where he developed the alpha radiation "poppy" detector. The Eberline Instrument Company was established in 1958. In 1979, Eberline Instrument Company was bought by Thermo Electron Corporation that became Thermo Fisher Scientific.
The Eberline Instrument Company was the first company to have their laboratory certified under the Health Physics Society Laboratory Accreditation Program.

Legacy

Selected works