R.L. Pelland

Raymond Louis Pelland (1893-1977) was a draftsman and design engineer at Vandercook from at least 1935 to 1947. His name appears on many assembly drawings and on four U.S. Patents including the large 4-color 604. (His first was a tie stitching machine for a previous employer). During World War I, Pelland was a private in […]

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Burt Roozee

James Burton Roozee (1918-1998) joined Vandercook & Sons in 1940 and eventually became its last Director of Engineering. Self taught and interested in all things mechanical and electronic, his name appears on several U.S. Patents including the “quick change” form rollers, ink monitor and automatic wash up unit for the Universal and SP series presses. […]

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Vand Men

This photograph shows former Vandercook Vice President Bill Critchlow (4th from left) and his sales team. Vandercook had become a division of Illinois Tool Works in 1968. Several of these names appear on the serial number/model cards held by NA Graphics. Critchlow is married to E.O. Vandercook’s daughter Lynn. Joe Koyak (3rd from left) was […]

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Arizona Rising

Recently, I spent six fun, but exhausting Vandercook-filled days in Tuscon. While there I tuned up a 215 at Chax press (at left) and a non-motorized SP15 at Heather Greene’s private studio. I then taught three workshops, gave an evening lecture at the University of Arizona and worked on four Vandercooks in the new book […]

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Louis Flader

Today’s Vandercook operators may know that most models were designed to meet the needs of the bygone photoengraving industry. A central figure of that industry was the German-born American Louis Flader (1877-1963): technician, labor leader, executive and author. As editor of Photo-Engravers Bulletin he wrote the articles “Story of a Visit to the New Vandercook […]

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F.R. Vandercook

This day in 1903 saw the birth of Frederick Robert Vandercook. The youngest son of company founder R.O. Vandercook, he was CFO when it was sold to Illinois Tool Works in 1968. Little is known about F.R. Vandercook, his name appears on nine U.S. patents, but he seems to have not written for publication. Longtime […]

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Edward J. Nolan

Edward J. Nolan (1907-1983) was an RIT-trained engineer who founded both the Nolan Corporation, maker of Nolan proof presses, and later the United States Forge and Foundry Co., the maker of Reprex proof presses. The Nolan Corp., based in Rome, NY, made composing room and bindery equipment for the newspaper industry. They also built food […]

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R.O. Vandercook

Robert Oatman Vandercook, (1866–1951), was the founder of the pre-press equipment company that bore his name. His interest in printing began when he was ten years old. It was claimed that in high school he built his first press on which he printed the school paper.* While a student at Northwestern University (class of 1888), […]

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