Wilson Overall

Mr. Wilson Overall is a graduate of the class of 1955. He attended Flat River Junior College and graduated from Missouri School of Mines in 1959 with a BS in Electrical Engineering. He graduated from St. Louis University in 1968 with a Master's Degree in business Administration. Mr. Overall has worked for Century Electric and Monsanto. In 1972, Mr. Overall founded Surface Systems, Inc in St. Louis, a company that develops and manufactures patented paving sensing equipment, specialized weather forecasting stations, and weather forecasting software for transportation agencies in North America. The company focuses on weather-related monitoring and forecasting needs for roadways, airports, and various other industries. Its systems are used to collect pavement and weather information that enhances the ability of government agencies and airports to make critical decisions to plow and salt roads and open or close runways, thus making travel safer for all of us. Mr. Overall began his work at Monsanto in 1971, researching chemicals that de-ice roads and runways. He actually built the first sensor at his home, which Monsanto patented but did not commercialize. So Mr. Overall quit Monsanto and developed a similar sensor. The Indianapolis Airport was the first to use Mr. Overall's Scan 7000 which saved the airport $50,000 in the first year of chemicals. Mr. Overall's customers included many US cities and states, plus Italy and Germany. In 1985, Mr. Overall was named Inventor of the year.