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Frank Parkinson (7 February 1887 – 28 January 1946)〔J. A. Chartres, 'Parkinson, Frank (1887–1946)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, online edn, Oxford University Press, October 2005 (accessed 23 January 2010 )〕 was a British electrical engineer, most notable for early electric lighting installations, such as light bulbs and electric motors. He was a major benefactor to the University of Leeds with the landmark tower (appearing on the university logo) named in his honour. == Life == The son of a stonemason, originally from Guiseley, he began his studies in electrical engineering in 1908 at Leeds University. He first worked for local firm Rhodes Motors, before setting up F & A. Parkinson and Company in partnership with his brother Albert. The firm continued to grow making Frank 'Yorkshire's quietest millionaire'. In 1927 he took over Crompton Lighting to form Crompton Parkinson. Crompton Lighting was one of the oldest lighting companies in the world, founded in 1878 by Colonel REB Crompton, a multi-talented entrepreneur who designed and installed some of the earliest recorded electric lighting installations at buildings such as Windsor Castle and Holyrood Palace. Established as an industry leader, Crompton Parkinson was taken over by the Hawker Siddeley aerospace group in 1968 and the Crompton range continued to be further diversified to incorporate cable, fuses, batteries and metering instruments in addition to lamps and luminaires. On 17 May 2002, the factory in his home town closed down.〔(Once great lights firm that lost its power )〕 After seeing plans for the new Leeds University buildings in 1936, Parkinson, by then one of West Yorkshire's most successful businessmen, offered to pay for the entrance hall and tower. The Parkinson Building and Tower has been a major landmark in Leeds and a defining feature of the University since its opening on 9 November 1951.〔http://www.leeds.ac.uk/media/current/parkinson.htm〕 He lived at Charters near Ascot, in an art deco home which has since been converted into flats. After Parkinson's death, the house was loaned to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor when they returned to England in 1947 and two years later it was bought by Sir Montague Burton, boss of the Leeds tailoring empire. Since 1959 it has been owned by Vickers Research and the DeBeers diamond mining company.〔http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/The-other-Parkinson-building.1059414.jp〕 There is a picture of him at the National Portrait Gallery 〔http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person.php?LinkID=mp72304〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Frank Parkinson」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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