The inventive legacy of Ben Franklin lived on in one of his descendants, William Pepper, who passed away last week with many patents and innovations of his own.
The Kennett Square electrical engineer pioneered optical character recognition for scanning printed words into computerized text, the design of satellite parts and touchscreen panel technology, according to a Philly.com obituary by Kathy Boccella.
Pepper was also born into a family shaped by an elder William Pepper, the man who chartered what’s now the Free Library of Philadelphia in 1891.
“He was humble,” son David Pepper said of that legacy in the article. “He didn’t like to advertise it. But it was something that the family was proud of and shared.”
Pepper also enjoyed photography immensely — often sharing his work at local exhibits.
He died of cancer at the age of 86.
Read more about Pepper’s life and family on Philly.com here.
