Vintage 1947 KEUFFEL & ESSER CO (K&E) 4181-1 SLIDE RULE 7" Leather Case Decitrig

Description

Genuine Authentic Antique
1947 K&E Keuffel & Esser Co
KE Log Duplex Decitrig
7" 4181-1 Slide Rule Pocket
In Original Black Leather Case
The Keuffel and Esser Co., also known as K & E, was a drafting instrument and supplies company founded in 1867 by two German immigrants, William J. D. Keuffel and Herman Esser. It was the first American company to specialize in these products.
In 1891, K & E started manufacturing slide rules. The company produced the 4139 Cooke Radio Slide Rule, designed in the mid-1930s by Nelson M. Cooke, of the Navy's Radio Materiel School, thousands of which were made. The K & E 4081-3 Log-Log Duplex Decitrig was a mainstay for engineering students and practicing engineers in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. During World War II, the company made fire-control instruments for the US government and won seven Army-Navy "E" Awards for Excellence in Production.
ABOUT THE PREVIOUS OWNER:
The name inside the case is R. T. Clark (Tom), who passed away at age 90 in 2020.  Tom attended North Georgia College, the University of Georgia, and The Georgia Institute of Technology, where he earned his Mechanical Engineering degree in 1959.  Tom worked for Mobil Oil Company as a lubrication engineer from 1959 until 1986 while living in Ft. Worth and Dallas, Texas and Oklahoma City, Okla.  Tom's son said he had this slide rule since the 1950's when he went to Georgia Tech. (Note: I have one other slide rule and some drafting tools from the same estate - listed separately.)
A50.102821.3.51