How did you stay warm and cozy this winter season? A space heater? Weighted blanket? No matter your method, you can thank a Bison.  

Alice H. Parker (A. Cer 1910), a Howard University graduate, invented the gas heater, a model now used in modern, central heating techniques for buildings. Parker achieved this feat after her journey on Georgia Avenue before impacting the world. 

Not much is known about Parker’s personal life. She was born in 1895 in Morristown, New Jersey, a town 40 miles east of New York. She enrolled in Howard University Academy in the early 1900s and graduated with honors in 1910. Due to the advancement of her invention, Parker’s specialized fields of study are presumed to be STEM-related and engineering. 

Heat circulates from the primary burner into the secondary heating tools, eventually heating the intended, centralized area where the air and vent ducts are placed within the intended space.  

While living with her family in a small, Morristown home, the Parker family found difficulties in heating its entire home at the same time, a dangerous scenario during East Coast winters. Coal and wood, commonly used to fuel heating models in the 19th century, were not readily available. Parker allegedly chose gas since it was a safer, easily accessible alternative and did not require a fireplace.  

On July 8, 1918, Parker filed the application for the patent.

Heat circulates from the primary burner into the secondary heating tools, eventually heating the intended, centralized area where the air and vent ducts are placed within the intended space.  

The design permits cool air into the model. Natural gas is pumped into the furnace, creating a heat exchange that processes warm air into the ducts, pouring into individual rooms of a house. Parker’s patent was successfully approved on December 23, 1919. Parker's innovation is seen as a starting point for the advancements of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) models.  

Today, Parker’s legacy lives on through an arrangement of updated models and products of her invention, including the everyday AC building units. Multiple agencies celebrate Parker's cultural and historical significance through awards and grants. Crafted by the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, The Alice H. Parker Women Leaders in Innovation Award “recognizes and celebrates the contributions of women to the rich legacy of innovation in New Jersey.”