DACOR Corporation was a former American manufacturer of scuba diving equipment which was founded in 1954 by Sam Davison Jr. in Evanston, Illinois as "The Davison Corporation". Its name is derived from the first two letters of his surname, "Davison," and the first three letters of "corporation". Since it's foundation. DACOR was one of the five early American diving equipment manufacturers.
Jr Samuel M Davison - Founder and President of DACOR
Sam Davison's time in Guam profoundly influenced both him and his well-known company, DACOR. His significant contributions to the sport are immeasurable. Serving as a US Marine during World War II, Sam Davison Jr. spent considerable time in the South Pacific, where his experiences on Guam left an unforgettable mark on his life. Those images left him with memories that he would never forget.
The story of DACOR begins with its founder, Sam Davison Jr. He and his fellow Marines stumbled upon a new discovery during their service on the island of Guam: Japanese underwater goggles. This discovery ignited a desire within him to capture and share the images he encountered. It became a moment that would shape the trajectory of his life. During post-World War II, Sam began experimenting with different ways of breathing under water. Sam soon became aware of WWII surplus Diluter O2 regulators that were modified for use as scuba regulators from instructions published in Do It Yourself magazines. Also, the French Cousteau – Gagnan CG45 Scaphandre Autonome regulators were being imported into America and receiving publicity in newspaper articles and other media. Inspired by the success of these products, Sam began sketching his own ideas for constructing a scuba regulator. Upon returning home from the war, he sold vacuum cleaners from 1945 to 1947. Subsequently, in 1948, he enrolled at the University of Miami to pursue engineering, yet his underwater adventures off the shores of Guam continued to exert a profound influence on him. Reconnecting with his childhood friend, Bob Olson, at Lake Michigan further fueled their shared passion for underwater exploration. Using makeshift methods like inverted buckets with air hoses, they improvised until 1950, when Davison learned of the invention of SCUBA equipment in France. Eager to adopt this safer and more efficient gear, he swiftly abandoned the makeshift apparatus. Their dreams of diving were fully realized upon discovering an article in the July 1953 edition of SCIENCE POPULAR magazine featuring "How to construct your own Diving Lung." In those early days, Sam Davison explored depths of up to 170 feet with little knowledge of decompression sickness. To fund his venture into manufacturing diving equipment, he borrowed $10,000 from his mother. Over two years, he meticulously crafted a double-hose regulator. Its innovative design caught the attention of a buyer from Montgomery Ward, who purchased ten units initially, followed by an order of 300 more. Convinced of its superiority, Davison resolved to establish his own company for its production. Thus, the Davison Corporation of Evanston, Illinois, was founded in 1954.
That same year, Sam met with his longtime acquaintance Wallace (Wally) Mitchell, who was a design engineer by profession and also very wealthy. Wally agreed to help Sam with his scuba regulator ideas. They would meet at The Superior Tea and Coffeehouse in Arlington Heights, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. As they sipped their morning coffee, they would study scraps of paper with pencil drawings of regulators that Sam had drawn. When they were satisfied with the drawings, they would sign them and would also have the waitress add her signature. They were always brainstorming over new styles of regulators. They had regulators in tank valves, a full-face mask with a built-in regulator, and many other versions they developed. There were over 176 blueprints found with their designs during this time period. They had the prototype and production designs for the first generation of regulators, which were referred to as the Lung Model R-1, sparking a surge in manufacturing activity. This regulator featured two diaphragms as well as the others that came later in the future. This strategy was adopted to avoid a Spirotechnique patent. Wallace Mitchell filed for patent #3,028,859 for an underwater breathing device in September 1955, with DACOR as an assignee, and production for the first generation series 2500 regulator began in the spring of 1955. In selecting a name for his regulator, Sam had to avoid “Aqua Lung” which was protected by the French manufacturer La Spirotechnique, and later by René Bussoz, who imported Aqua Lungs for his US Divers brand. The Northill Garrett Corporation had also entered the regulator manufacturing market and called their model the “Air Lung” but Sam kept the “Lung” connection going by calling his model the “Diving Lung,” and so it began -
The Future of Sam Davison (Resumed)
Sam worked with Wally Mitchell on the R4 and the C3 regulators, the two hose regulators that replaced the model 2500 Dial-a-Breath. He also worked with Vern Pedersen, one of the early, experienced divers and fabricators of the day. They experimented with various spring and lever combinations. He later worked with another engineer, Lenny Dwarkins, on the first single hose regulator, called the “Dart.” By all indications, he was four years ahead of Sportsways on the invention of the single hose. His drawings featured advanced downstream second stages and work on piston first stages. But for some unknown reasons, they had to wait four years to introduce them to "SCUBA” That is a question that remains unanswered, but it is possible that Sam lacked funding. however, deserves to be recognized as a forerunner in regulator design. DACOR’s first in-house engineer was Doug O’Neil, who later helped to design the "Olympic" single hose regulators. Sam came up with the original idea for the “Glo-Top” snorkel with the neon orange decal around the top of the snorkel tube. He was the originator of the larger barrel snorkel, as well. DACOR called it the “Big Barrel,” a wrap-around snorkel. Davison came home one night with one of those see-through plastic life-sized models of a human head. He played around with shapes and lengths to find a snorkel that felt just right. This was done in the kitchen, of course. He brought some clear straight tubing and bent it to various shapes with a heater. He made a few prototypes and went to Racine Quarry in Wisconsin to test them out. There was a lot of detail work, burnt hands, and a lot of rejection, but Sam wanted them to be perfect.
His experimental team comprised his sons, Gary and Jeff. One evening, he filled the bathtub with water and had his boys try out regulators. Excitedly, he called his wife, exclaiming, "Look! They can breathe underwater!" In 1960, he developed a curved snorkel designed to conform to the head. DACOR gained a reputation as the most innovative dive equipment manufacturer in the 1960s. He would often take company divers to Lake Racine in Wisconsin to field-test new equipment. Despite never being certified as a diver himself, he had a distinctive style, always bringing an inner tube with a rope and a plastic twist-top bottle containing cigarettes and blue-tipped matches, which he'd strike off his mask to light a cigarette underwater. Success didn't come instantly for the company. His philosophy was to have someone sell the products and someone else make them, often taking on both roles himself. He believed that by making the best diving equipment, his company would ultimately surpass the competition. In the 1960s, key individuals joined the company, which he considered a family. He learned Spanish to communicate with Spanish-speaking workers and organized "taco days" to foster camaraderie. Mike Martin, who started in the repair department in 1973, eventually became head of regulator production and later transitioned to a sales role. By the mid-1970s, DACOR was a prominent name in SCUBA equipment worldwide, yet Sam Davison remained relatively unknown, preferring to let the products speak for themselves. He was a dedicated worker, often working late into the night and maintaining an open-door policy for employees and friends. Outside of work, he was a skilled pilot, glider pilot, licensed captain, and passionate photographer
Sam had a close friendship with Mel Fisher, the renowned treasure hunter who famously discovered the Atocha off the Florida Keys, unearthing one of the most valuable treasures ever found. Sam used to provide Mel with DACOR equipment for his dives, which served as effective advertising for the company. When Mel found the Atocha, he immediately contacted Sam, and they met at the site. Shortly after this encounter, DACOR's Shipping and Receiving Department received ballast stones from the Atocha, securely wired to pallets. Sam arranged for all the stones to be shipped to DACOR's home office, where he constructed a wall in the lobby using these historic stones. At Portage Quarry, a visiting diver from Chicago mentioned acquiring ballast stones from a contractor dismantling the DACOR building, illustrating the rich history behind them.
The Andrea Doria wreck has long been revered as the Mt. Everest of diving destinations worldwide. DACOR's hyperbaric chamber was utilized by divers at the wreck site and was made available to the wider dive community. Sam's passion for innovation was evident in his excitement for new equipment. He insisted that all key personnel at DACOR were experienced divers and that any item sold had to meet their rigorous standards for quality. Sam's family played integral roles in his business, reflecting his commitment to family values. His son, Gary, played a crucial role in sales, and Jeff, served as an engineer for the company, Throughout Sam''s entire career, his wife, Joan, and his sons Gary and Jeff, worked alongside him. Jeff laater became president of DACOR. -
In August 1987, Jr Samuel M Davison passed away from lung cancer.
In 1998, DACOR merged with Mares, altering its identity from the original company established prior to 1987. From 1999 onward, DACOR operated under Mares management until 2006, when DACOR vanished from the industry.
The Davison Corporation name still lurks on its way with collectors items and its regulators in use. This year (2024) marks its 70th Year Anniversary.
Everyone who cherished Sam and the DACOR family would undoubtedly wish for the company to return for its groundbreaking reputation and innovations in the scuba industry.
DACOR, remembered with excellence in the diving industry, has ascended to legendary status alongside its visionary founder, Sam Davison. Renowned as "The Professional's Choice," DACOR was a company of "divers for divers." Embodying a commitment to unparalleled quality, expertise, and sophisticated innovation.
"DacorForever: Honoring Sam and his Team's Legacy
DACOR REGULATORS |Model's R & C|Dart| Olympic| Pacer|[edit]
In 1955, DACOR began the production of their first regulator, called "Diving Lung R-1," sparking a wave of manufacturing. This regulator had two diaphragms and a vane in the airflow to control how much air the diver got. Back then, people thought that making divers breathe harder would make them use less air, but later they found out that wasn't true. But interesting enough, this was the first "Adjustable" regulator ever made. DACOR would have three model versions of the series 2500 regulator during a seven-year production period from 1955 to the end of 1961. All three models used the same two-stage pressure block, the same case body, case cover, exhaust spacer, springs, levers, and diaphragms, which left the three models with very few differences. The R-1 is a two-stage pressure reduction system with two mechanical levers to activate flow. The unique design using two low-pressure diaphragms would become the trademark and strong sales feature for most of DACOR’s two hose regulators. During the design phase for the regulator, Sam had a problem with the exhausting air in the breathing cycle. Cousteau-Gagnan had a patent for their exhaust design, and Sam did not like the method used in the Northill "Air Lung" where the exhausting air mingled in the same chamber as the inhaling air before exhausting out through a mushroom valve, creating a potential problem for water contamination. Sam’s answer was to have the chambers separated via two diaphragms. The first diaphragm was to seal out water from the inhalation chamber and activate the levers on inhalation. The second was to sense increased water pressure and transfer that pressure to the first diaphragm. Additionally, a mushroom valve was placed in the center of the diaphragm for exhaling air from the diver. An afterthought was that the regulator now had a double protection feature and DACOR would use that as a major selling point. Air entering the regulator from the tank valve was filtered by two screens and a perforated brass metal disc. The exterior parts of the regulator were finished in brushed nickel chrome, and a black painted nameplate was riveted to the cover. The nameplate reads, “DIVING LUNG", 2 stage regulator, Dacor Corporation, Evanston, ILL.”. The main body case, diaphragms and cover were clamped together via six screws and nuts. The hoses were very soft and pliable, and only 17 inches long, with one inch and one and a quarter inch openings. Hoses were attached to the regulator and mouthpiece with tinnerman clamps. All DACOR model two hose regulators used tinnnerman clamps. The mouthpiece assembly had an off-center mouthpiece design, for which DACOR held patent rights.
DACOR Seeks NAVY Approval
With production underway, DACOR sought to expand its market by getting its regulator approved by the U.S. Navy. DACOR regulator serial number 588 was submitted to NEDU, but the official report stated that it failed. As the first report was not favorable, DACOR requested further evaluation of the apparatus, and in April 1956, after some adjustments, regulator 588 was re-submitted along with a second regulator serial number 923. This time, the NEDU report stated that “the DACOR "Diving Lung"" demand regulator meets EDU laboratory criteria of suitability for the use in the Naval service.” Some comments were made that the small check valves on either side of the mouthpiece were too small and restrictive, but were marginally acceptable. DACOR could now include “Navy Approved” to their credits and use the term in their advertisements. Verified serial numbers to date for the first generation series 2500 Model R-1 are numbers 588 to 1,646. This takes into consideration the two regulators verified in NEDU test report. These figures equate to 1,058 regulators, with a probable 1,500 regulators made by the end of 1955. Since no regulators have surfaced with a serial number below 1,000, one can’t help wondering where the low-serial-numbered regulators went. Since only serial numbers in the 1,000 bracket have been found, I will only consider those in the total count for the collector. Verified serial numbers range from 1,183 to 1,646, which equates to only 463 regulators, with a probable total of some 500 manufactured. This explains why we very seldom see an R-1 regulator come up for auction.
DACOR merged with Mares. A Dacor open-circuit scuba diving system named DaCor was patented by Dacor, e.g. see U.S. patent 3,128,481 (a safety float, in 1955 by Sam Jr, founder and president. His brother, Donald Davison, was vice president of worldwide sales. After their deaths in the late 1980s, Sam's wife Joan became CEO of the company, and later sold to Mares.
