Frederick McKinley Jones — Mobile Refrigeration

HE DIDN’T JUST CHANGE HOW FOOD TRAVELED. HE CHANGED HOW FAR FRESHNESS COULD GO.

Frederick McKinley Jones was a self-taught engineer whose mechanical skill transformed transportation.

Before reliable mobile refrigeration, perishable food was commonly transported using ice and salt—a limited system that restricted how far fresh products could travel. Jones developed a compact, durable, shock-resistant refrigeration unit capable of operating aboard moving vehicles.

The technology allowed trucks and other carriers to maintain controlled temperatures while traveling long distances. During World War II, refrigerated trucks equipped with this technology transported food for American service members. After the war, mobile refrigeration helped reshape the distribution of produce, meat, dairy products, and other perishables.

Jones’s work became part of the foundation of the modern refrigerated supply chain—the system that keeps temperature-sensitive goods moving across cities, states, and countries.

The machine stayed cold. His legacy kept moving.

THE VERIFIED RECORD

• Born May 17, 1893
• Died February 21, 1961
• Inventor, engineer, and U.S. Army veteran
• U.S. Patent No. 2,303,857
• Patent title: Air Conditioner for Vehicles
• Filed November 16, 1939
• Granted December 1, 1942
• Patent co-inventors: Frederick M. Jones and Joseph A. Numero
• Earned more than 60 patents during his career
• First Black member of the American Society of Refrigeration Engineers
• Posthumously awarded the National Medal of Technology in 1991

THE PIECE

• Historical portrait and mobile-refrigeration tribute
• Front, back, and sleeve artwork
• Design centered on Jones’s engineering legacy and verified patent record

PRODUCT DETAILS

• Garment-dyed heavyweight cotton tee
• Comfort Colors 1717
• Black garment
• Pre-shrunk with a relaxed fit
• Designed by Ryland Works

BUILT TO ENDURE.