Although his invention of an ice machine was born out of a response to a pandemic, it was decades after his death before Dr. Gorrie’s “Mechanical Refrigeration Machine” gained acceptance.

Dennis Ross, a lawyer in Lakeland, Florida, was elected as a Republican to the US House of Represented in 2010, and served Florida’s 15th Congressional District for eight years. He is now a Distinguished Professor and Director of the American Center for Political Leadership at Southeastern University, and a Board Member of the Former Members of Congress Organization. He may be reached at daross@seu.edu