Head, Howard

The founder of ski brand Head, born in 1914 in Philadelphia. An aircraft engineer by trade, Head learned to ski in Vermont in the forties on the then standard wooden equipment. He set out to make a better ski and, after much experimentation—early models were prone to snapping—developed superior planks with metal layers sandwiching a wood core. Most modern skis are still made this way. After retiring, Head took up tennis and continued introducing new materials into athletics. He joined Prince to develop the oversize graphite racquet that’s now common in the sport. He died in 1991.