Sherman Robert Poppen (March 25, 1930 – July 31, 2019), also known as Sherm Poppen and Sherman Poppen, was an American

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

and inventor. He was known for inventing snowboarding in 1965.

Life and career

Poppen was born in

Muskegon, Michigan Muskegon ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Muskegon County, Michigan, United States. Situated around a harbor of Lake Michigan, Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, and boating. It is the most populous city along Lake Michigan' ...

. He attended

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

, earning a bachelor's degree in business. He was a supply officer in the navy. Poppen was an industrial gases

. In 1965, Poppen invented a toy for his daughters by lashing a pair of 36-inch wooden snow skis side by side. The toy was named the

snurfer The Snurfer was the predecessor of the snowboard. It was a monoski, ridden like a snowboard, but like a skateboard or surfboard, it had no binding. According to the 1966 patent by inventor Sherman Poppen, it was wider and shorter than a pai ...

. It gained popularity and the rights was given to

Brunswick Corporation Brunswick Corporation, formerly known as the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, is an American corporation that has been developing, manufacturing and marketing a wide variety of products since 1845. Brunswick has more than 13,000 employees in ...

, a manufacturing company. Poppen died on July 31, 2019, at his home in Griffin, Georgia, at the age of 89.

References

1930 births 2019 deaths People from Muskegon, Michigan Engineers from Michigan American industrial engineers 20th-century American engineers American inventors Inventors from Michigan 20th-century American inventors Northwestern University alumni Snowboarding {{US-engineer-stub