When speaking of Dr. George Speri Sperti, many simply think of his work as a scientist and inventor which, while important, tends to fail at characterizing him, creating a person with little personality in comparison to all of his achievements. He invented the kVA power meter, Preparation-H, Aspercreme, the UV lamp, and many more. Due to the mass amount of inventions he patented and the major impact they had, it is important to share stories and information highlighting his playful and approachable personality.
George Sperti, a doctor through title only, was an inventor and teacher of the sciences. He and his sister, Mildred, were the children of two Italian immigrant parents, George Sperti Sr. and Carolina Sperti. Neither sibling ever married, leaving their parents without any grandchildren and focusing their lives on their work. Throughout this article, I will be speaking on their relationship as siblings and how Mildred in particular would always help her brother.
Growing up, George had a difficult time at school. It sounds shocking considering what he decided to do his whole life, but school was something that did not come easy for him. He specifically struggled with English, leading to his sister lending a huge helping hand by reading his books and relaying the information back to him in a way he could understand. This helped him get through his studies in order to graduate. His sister does state in an article, however, that while he may have failed at many of his classes, mathematics was the one thing no one could beat him at. Due to his dislike of school, George never went through the process of actually getting his doctorate, the title being gifted to him by multiple different universities for his contributions to the sciences.
As the siblings began to grow older, George was beginning to unlock his love for inventing and the sciences. His mother forced him to go to college, sending him to the University of Cincinnati and leading to his first invention. This essentially sprung him forward into the world of inventors, making him a great choice for his first job as the head of the research laboratory at UC. While he stayed there for many years helping teach the masses, he eventually decided to create his own institute for teaching, specifically focusing on Cancer research named the Institutum Divi Thomae. During this time, George was well known for his approachability. He and his students would all have lunch together at the same time every day, spending time chatting and even doing trivia. He was also known around the institute for his short naps during the day, always having the possibility of walking into his attic workspace to find him sleeping amongst his work. When asked about his smaller institute, he would say that the mind is where the greatest ingenuity comes from. You can have all of the materials and fancy equipment but without the right mindset, you could still get no work done.
George’s sister, Mildred, was always a major part of his life. They lived together on their farm in Boone County, always welcoming the company of many scientists and inventors that were working with George. Mildred was known among this group as a great cook, always being the one they’d go to when hungry so she could make them one of her many recipes, many of which were traditional Italian dishes. While Mildred was such a large part of George’s life, she actually typically wouldn’t travel with him for his work. George would frequently travel to many different major cities and states, travelling often to Florida for his cancer research work, but Mildred would almost always stay home except for when he went to Rome. Mildred mentions in an article that while she didn’t travel with him much, she did go to Rome when he went to meet the pope and said that it was an amazing experience.
In order to get a better understanding of George’s personality, I feel we also need to focus on some of the stories he himself has shared, getting a better grasp of what he finds interesting or funny. One story that I feel really shows the petty aspect of his personality is the story of why he chose the farm that he lived on for the majority of his life. George mentions in an article from the Cincinnati Enquirer that when he was younger, he and his father had gone fishing in Gunpowder Creek as it was a hobby they enjoyed. However, while fishing, the owner of the property came and chased them off the premises, leading to George buying the property many years later to spite the original owner. Another story George tells is in a letter to his niece, Patsy. He tells Patsy about the time he was helping pitch hay with a man named Jack Caldwell, mentioning how well he could pitch hay despite being a blind man. At times, he forgot Jack was blind due to how well he could navigate. So, when another man says that it’s starting to get too dark to work, Jack jokingly says that he finally has the upper hand on the men, making George take a liking to the boy. In another letter to Patsy, George mentions her sister Gloria taking a liking to fishing, mentioning that she has a friend named Charlie who is a skilled fisherman and teasing that there may be a connection between the two.
All of these stories come together to showcase how George Sperti was more than just an inventor, he was a man with a great sense of humor and would typically joke with those he was close to. He was incredibly approachable and always kind to those that knew him, making him a very admirable person before even including his life’s work. It is important to look further into the lives of the individuals who have majorly impacted today’s world and understand the kind of people they were, making them even more personable and characterizing them in a way that can make them more interesting for the common person.
Hornbaker, Alice.“The Sperti Spirit” The Cincinnati Enquirer,
(1984, November 10), Pages B-1 and B-12. www.newspapers.com/image/ 101413993/?match=1&terms=Mildred%20Sperti
“Scientific World Turns Eyes To Garret Of University’s Basic
Science Laboratory, Whence Came Astounding Food Discovery” The Cincinnati Enquirer, (1931, January 16), Page 8. Www. newspapers.com/image/99656545/?terms=George%20Sperti%20
Morris, Don. “‘Haywire Cells’ May Help Conquer Cancer” The Sacramento Union, (1942, December 6), Page 46. www.newspapers.com/image/ 998684549/?terms=George%20Sperti%20
Sperti, George. A letter to Patsy, a niece of George. (1952, June 5), Page 4. bcp.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/ search/asset/32589/0
Sperti, George. Another letter to Patsy, a niece of George. (1952, August 4), Page 5. Bcp.ent.sirsi.net/client/ en_US/search/asset/32589/0
DeBrosse, Jim. “Scientist thinks big in small lab” The Cincinnati Post, (1981, April 25), Pages 1A and 10A. www.newspapers.com/image/764190134/
