Murray McCory, 80, credited with launching what became Jansport has died after a fascinating life.
The Lowdown
According to the New York Times, McCory actually died about a month ago but the news is only now making headlines. His story is nothing short of fascinating considering it all may have happened by sheer chance.
As his life went, McCory entered a contest sponsored by Alcoa at the University of Washington. The contest was fairly simple — creators were tasked with creating something unique using only the framework (aluminimum) provided.
The creation of course led to what is now known as the modern backpack, more specifically the Jansport brand of backpacks launched by McCory and named after his then girlfriend Jan.