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Editor's Note: This article is part of the Utah Inventions series, which features inventors and inventions with Utah ties. Today's story about Philo T. Farnsworth is written by Aubrey Farnsworth, who is related to him. Tips for future articles can be sent to ncrofts@ksl.com.BEAVER — Philo Taylor Farnsworth is most well known for being the father of the television.
It seems when any member of the large and extended Farnsworth family meets one another, they are able to figure out how they are related to one another by their relation to Philo T. Farnsworth.
My experience in growing up as a Farnsworth meant that every report on a historic person or technology was on Philo, elementary school through college. It meant friends asking, “Why haven’t you invented the second internet yet?” and teachers asking for schematics and excitedly explaining everything they know about the famous inventor.
Information was gleaned from the internet, textbooks, storybooks, documentaries, and especially the family library. But what information doesn’t make it into the books? Some stories get pushed into the background, while others get forgotten completely. Family sees the worst of us as we learn and grow.
Who was the Philo his family knew? With a public figure representing the family, you would naturally want the best version of that person to be what’s passed from generation to generation. Thankfully, Philo isn’t long gone enough in the past to be only stories. He’s still alive in memory.
Beaver is the foothold of the Farnsworth family, and Philo is no exception. Born August 19, 1906, in a log cabin just a little north of Beaver, Philo Taylor Farnsworth was given a name shared by many in the family — so much so that it is vital to distinguish which Philo Taylor Farnsworth is being spoken about. The inventor is often referred to simply as Philo T. His family moved to Rigby, Idaho, at the age of 14 when, it is said, he found a box in the attic filled with science-fiction books.
He was a hard worker, becoming so diligently passionate about his ideas that all other aspects of life were discarded. During these times, he would not take very good care of his body, forgetting to eat and sleep. He worked on multiple projects at once, not just focusing on one at a time. From school notebooks and farm fields to laboratories and front lawns, everywhere was a testing ground for something new and exciting.
Philo did more than invent the television. In addition to its creation, Philo had to fight for the right to that invention, saved by an early scheme given to one of his teachers. He worked on well-known technologies such as radar and night vision, finishing his life while tackling the still unsolved puzzle of cold fusion. It is said he got his ideas from the science-fiction books he read, even into adulthood.
These days, sci-fi enthusiasts are sometimes called “nerds,” “geeks,” “socially awkward,” and the like. Would the same stereotype fit the farm boy turned genius? Surviving members of the family simply idolized him. For all his inventiveness, he could practically walk on water.
There is one chink in the armor, a rumor I heard when I was in college that Philo may have had issues with alcohol, debt, and died depressed and alone. No one I interviewed had anything to say concerning alcohol, but as to dying alone and depressed, I will refer to my grandpa’s words. They were shared in the best place for stories — the family kitchen.
The recording for our interview was turned off as my mom and grandma finished up their visit. My grandpa quietly said to me, “He didn’t always make the best choices, but when he died he was a volunteer at the Salt Lake City temple." He tapped his nose knowingly and said, “I think that’s what’s important.”
What legacy did he leave his family? I’ve thought about my grandpa’s last words on the matter. Does it matter the embarrassing stories his siblings might have had? The world remembers him as the inventor of television. His family remembers him as a good man, a human touched with genius.
In the end, he was still working hard and following his faith. He had vision and the passion to run with it. Maybe we’re not the sum of our parts, but the legacies we leave behind. What kind of guy was Philo Taylor Farnsworth really? He was a Utah-grown farm boy who moved away with his family and discovered a new love in sci-fi books.
He dreamed as many of us do while working — the idea for television transmission was sparked by the lines plowed for beets. He got a crazy idea, as many of us do. He was a son, a cousin, a husband, a father. The legacy he left behind might have been bigger than himself.
Below is part of the interview with Karl and Jackie Farnsworth in their Orem home. Karl Farnsworth is Philo T. Farnsworth’s cousin. The book referenced is "Distant Vision," a memoir. Unfortunately, the book is no longer in print.
Like many college students, Aubrey is trying to figure out what she is doing with her life. Her lifestyle can be likened to Nancy Drew, Anne Shirley, and a sloth. She is passionate about creating, from symphonies to doodles.
