Dr. Harold A. McMaster

Born in Deshler Ohio, Dr. Harold A. McMaster is a two-time physics graduate of Ohio State (B.A. in 1938 and M.S. in 1939). He also holds several honorary Doctor of Science degrees, and an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.

He began his noteworthy career as a research physicist with Libbey-Owens-Ford in Toledo. The founder of four companies, he holds nearly 100 patents ranging from technology in the glass and auto industries to solar cell energy. He is recognized as the world's leading authority on glass tempering. He has also developed the "McMaster Motor," a new engine that utilizes a new fuel source (ammonia and nitrous oxide), still in the research and development phase.

Currently, Dr. McMaster is the Chief Executive Officer of First Solar, LLC, which uses a breakthrough production process capable of manufacturing photovoltaic solar modules in high volume. These modules were first piloted through Dr. McMaster's research and development firm, Solar Cells, Inc. The company received the Ohio Department of Development's Emerging Technology Award in 1998, the same year that Dr. McMaster won their Entrepreneur of the Year Award. He was inducted into the Ohio Science and Technology Hall of Fame in 1991 in the inaugural class that featured two other noteworthy inventors: Harvey Firestone and Thomas Edison.

Dr. McMaster won the Beta Gamma Sigma Medallion Award in 1990 and the Outstanding Community Service Award in 1989 from the National Glass Association. He has served as a trustee to the Bowling Green State University Foundation, Defiance College, Huntington National Bank, Toledo Symphony, Toledo Museum of Art and the University of Toledo Foundation. He is also a fellow in the American Ceramic Society, and member of the Rotary Club and Sigma Xi.

Dr. McMaster and his wife Helen have four children. They currently divide their time between homes in Perrysburg, Ohio and Sun City West, Arizona.