Gordon E. Hines

Inventor of hard-bearing balancing machines and other balancing technologies and an entrepreneur.
Gordon Eugene Hines was born on October 30, 1929 in Chicago, Illinois to Mabel (McMillan) and Rufus Hines. He lost his mother and sister Ruth when he was four, and his father later married Margaret (Morrison) who helped raise him and was grandmother to his children. His parents were originally from Nova Scotia, Canada and predeceased him along with his brother Edwin.
Following graduation from Taft High School in 1948, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He continued serving in the Army Reserve while attending the University of Illinois, where he completed a B.S. in Liberal Arts & Sciences in 1956. While in Chicago he was secretary of the Wilson YMCA, bike raced in Chicago’s Kenosha Park, sang professionally with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Chorus, and was active in Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. He married Mavis Louise (Offner) on November 15, 1958 and had his first daughter, Robin Louise on December 6, 1959.
Gordon began his career working for Al Bagge and Ralph T. Buscarello at Electronic Dynamic Balancing Company (EDBCO), selling Stewart-Warner driveshaft balancing machines to the automotive industry. Based on feedback from customers, Gordon made requests to Stewart-Warner for modifications to the machine design, but the company did not respond quickly enough so Gordon started modifying the machines on his own before selling them. In November, 1965 Gordon and Al Bagge were co-awarded a patent for automatic centering of parts.
In 1964, Gordon moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan with his family that now included two more daughters, Dawn Helene Hines and Christine G. Hines, so that he could have his own Stewart-Warner sales territory. In 1968 he incorporated Balance Technology, Inc. While with Balance Technology, Gordon was awarded 4 more patents. His first and only son, Scott Gordon Hines was born in Ann Arbor, MI, on August 23, 1967.
In 1979, Gordon left Balance Technologies and started his second company, Hines Industries. His first office space at Hines Industries was a work area he built in his garage. During the next 17 years, Gordon was awarded or co-awarded 17 more patents by the U.S. Patent and Trade Organization. The first two of which relate to new ideas for hard-bearing balancing machines. Hines Industries is still owned by the Hines family and headquarters are located at 793 Airport Blvd. in Ann Arbor.
Gordon was an avid private pilot, a member of Measure For Measure Men’s Chorus, Cantata Singers, and Barbershop Quartet and played volleyball and ice hockey regularly until he was 70. Gordon passed away, November 18, 2007. He is survived by his wife, four children, and four grand-children.