A Ballpoint Pen and Its Beginnings in Greensboro
By Karl Galloway
Despite our 30-year plunge into the digital age, pens remain a ubiquitous tool. Today is National Ballpoint Pen Day and to celebrate we‘re highlighting the Industries of the Blind (IOB) in Greensboro, NC, and one of their most famous products.
The History
The IOB was formed in 1933, under the name Guilford Association for the Blind, as a work program to provide opportunities to workers who are blind or visually impaired in an economy stricken by the Great Depression. It had humble beginnings and initially comprised only six people, who focused on making mops in a leased storefront in Greensboro, NC. In 1938 President Roosevelt signed the Wagner O’ Day Act, establishing the Committee on Purchases of Blind-Made Products. Effectively, this act directed the U.S. Government to buy products from non-profit organizations that employed people who are blind, creating a specialized market. As a direct result, The National Industries for the Blind (NIB) was created and incorporated as a nonprofit organization. In Greensboro, The Industries of the Blind (newly named) became one of the first agencies to be associated with the NIB. Their mission is to provide opportunities for employment and personal development for people who are blind or visually impaired to achieve greater independence. In 1952, the Committee on Purchases of Blind-Made Products decided the NIB could operate commercially and the name Skilcraft was born. Among the products assembled in Greensboro is the Skilcraft ballpoint pen, prized for its longevity and durability and beginning sale in 1968. Roughly 8 million a year are produced between Greensboro and a second plant in Milwaukee.
The Specs
Skilcraft pens are famed for their fine writing qualities and under a 72-year legislative mandate, these writing utensils have to meet some strict requirements, a few of which are below:
- They must be able to write continuously for a mile.
- Function in temperatures of up to 160 degrees and down to 40 degrees below zero.
- The length of the pen is said to equal 150 nautical miles on Navy maps, helping pilots navigate in tight spots.
- The metal tip has reportedly been cited as the maximum length for women’s fingernails in the military.
Cult Status and Local Pride
While the Skilcraft pen is not widely available outside of government and military operations (keep your eye out for one at yard sales!), it has developed a status, lying at the intersection of industry, government, and the lives of federal workers whose careers are rarely highlighted. It’s a dependable tool that has been present at monumental events and that has graced the desks of those rarely seen employees whose job it is to keep American bureaucracy and democracy rumbling. And it’s proudly assembled by the IOB, right here in Greensboro, NC.
