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"Millions of men have lived to fight, build palaces and boundaries, shape destinies and societies; but the compelling force of all times has been the force of originality and creation profoundly affecting the roots of human spirit."
– Ansel Adams
 Frederick M. Jones:
A Portrait of Innovation and Creativity
It’s not very often that we seriously ponder the modern conveniences that we have in America. It’s even less often that we consider the ingenious men and women in American history who have paved the way for those conveniences. One of these examples is found every time we decide to go to a supermarket: refrigerated food. The storage and transportation of refrigerated food is a mainstay in American society. And who was one of the pioneers for this culture-developing innovation? None other than a self-taught African-American engineer and Minnesota resident named Frederick M. Jones.
Frederick Jones, a World War I veteran, began his climb towards greatness in the late 1920s. As a garage mechanic, he spent much time developing his inventing prowess and teaching himself about electronic devices. Some of the things he invented during his early career were a self-starting gas engine and a series of devices created specifically for movie projectors, which itself was a new technological advance at that time. Over Jones’ career he patented over 60 inventions, 40 of which were in the field of refrigeration.
Jones’ most well-known refrigeration invention was an automatic refrigeration system for long-haul trucks in 1935. The innovation was later adapted for other modes of transportation, like trains and ships. To say that this development reshaped our culture is an understatement! Not only did this virtually remove the problem of food spoilage over long shipping times, but it also influenced American consumer dynamics significantly because it was now feasible to buy any type of food at any time of the year.
As if this innovation wasn’t enough, Jones also:
- co-founded a Minneapolis-based company built upon food refrigeration called the U.S. Thermo Control Company (now called Thermo King Corporation)
- was elected to membership in the American Society of Refrigeration Engineers in 1944
- consulted both the Defense Department and the United States Bureau of Standards in issues about refrigeration
Some may find it surprising that such inventive achievements and culture-transforming devices could come from a self-taught, self-motivated African-American garage mechanic. Unexpected as it may be, this is true history. Whenever we go to our supermarkets and walk down the frozen foods section, let’s take time to ponder the man that made these things possible, a man named Frederick M. Jones.
For more information on Frederick M. Jones, please visit the Minnesota Historical Society website:
www.mnhs.org/library/tips/history_topics/63jones.html.
Visit the website of the company that Frederick Jones helped to found, Thermo King Corporation: www.thermoking.com. | 
