Stevens, Brooks

▪ 1996

      U.S. industrial designer (b. June 7, 1911, Milwaukee, Wis.—d. Jan. 4, 1995, Milwaukee), was the creative genius behind the design of the immensely popular 1949 Harley-Davidson motorcycle, a lavishly appointed, chrome-laden, rugged machine that became an American classic and served as the prototype for the company's modern-day Heritage Classic series. Stevens first began drawing while suffering from childhood polio. He studied architecture at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., but decided to pursue a career in design when the stock market crash of 1929 and the following Great Depression put a halt to most construction projects. Some of his most notable designs included the Lawn Boy, the world's first rotary mower; a Hamilton tumble dryer (notable for a porthole viewing window positioned in the appliance's front door); and the 1958 Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles, vehicles that were fashioned in the shape of hot dogs. Stevens was also one of 10 pioneering designers who founded (1944) the Society of Industrial Designers to gain status for industrial design as a profession. Among Stevens' other innovations were the 1948 Willys Jeepster, a jazzed-up civilian version of the army Jeep; the 1964 Excalibur two-seat sports car; and Studebaker's 1962 Hawk GT and 1963 Lark.

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