b'Early Inventions in IndustryIT WAS IN 1915 that asphalt shingles first became accepted in their own right rather than as a substitute for wood shingles, at that time the most popular roofing material.Of the asphalt shingles, the Reynolds shingle, produced by George Reynolds, who pioneered with the first shingle in 1903, was the most in demand Many contractors think that steel siding is a modern innovation, but it was advertised as early as 1915, and was installed with an imitation rock or brick patterned facing.The advantages of Terne Plates and sheet metal were well known as a material for roofing. It was in 1915, that F.C. Overbury, vice-president of the Flintkote Company, invented and patented the first strip shingle.This consisted of 4 or 5 shingles in one continuous sheet, which as been cut into varying shapes and patterns.The larger size had the advantage of saving time and nails as well as labor, as only 90 strips were required to the square rather than 424 single shingles.Mechanization & New MaterialsCONTRACTORS IN the 20s had never heard of felt layers, pitch pumps, conveyors, roof scrapers, expansion joints, spray coatings, vapor barriers, roller mops nor any of the current plastic prene, hypalon, vinyls, polyesters, etc.They had never heard of insulations such as Styrofoam not Urethane, but instead used regular roofing felts for this purpose. Built-up roofs were small with none of the expansion and contraction problems encountered now in the acre-sized without the modernistic curves and shapes in vogue today. Modernization did not get a real start until the middle 40s when pitch pumps and felt layers were put on the market.The early kettles were heated with coal and wood until George Kittel invented the Kittel Kettle, which was kerosene fired.This immediately took the fancy of roofing contractors and a year after it was introduced, 1800 were being used.Aeroil bought out George Kittels interest in this invention and changed the name to the Aeroil Kerosene Fired Kettle.Association HistoryDuring the thirteen years that Jim McCawley was executive secretary, the association grew from 10 members to 711.The credit for this growth J:\\ASSOC\\MRCA\\Living History\\1969\\The Measure of A Life-McCawley Bio.doc'