Robert (Bob) Owen Fossett (26 Jan 1907-16 Feb 1984) was born in Falmouth, Kentucky, to Elmer Estey Fossett (06 Aug 1882-05 Nov 1982) and Anna (Annie) Margaret Haufler (5 Dec 1882-18 Mar 1980). He had two sisters, Evelyn L Fossett (1917 – 2010), Lola Mae Fossett (1914 – 1916)

When he was 11, his family moved to a farm near Morrow, Ohio, where he finished grade school. He attended high school for one year in Fort Thomas and finished his education in Morrow. Upon graduation, he returned to Fort Thomas and went to work at a hardware store owned by a relative. While employed at the hardware store, Bob attended Ohio Mechanics Institute to receive two years of commercial art education and another two years of business training at Miller’s Business College.

Bob went to work for Sherwin-Williams Co. in Cincinnati, Ohio, where much of his work was in display and showcard writing. Next he was transferred to Louisville, Henderson, Kentucky and Middletown, Ohio. Later he was transferred to Birmingham, Alabama, where he met his wife, Ruth Beason, whom he married 23 Dec 1931. He and Ruth had two sons, Lee Fossett and Lennie Fossett.

He was then sent to the administration offices in Cleveland to set up a chain of warehouses to handle display and art materials for Sherwin-Williams.

During World War II, Bob enlisted and served in the Naval Construction Department in the Pacific for 31 months. At the war’s end, he returned to Cleveland as an assistant manager of the Graphics Arts Division at Sherwin-Williams. He then moved to Switzer Brothers, a manufacturer of fluorescent materials.

Screen Process Magazine

While working at Switzer Brothers in 1953, Fossett began writing technical articles on screenprinting for Signs of the Times magazine. Dave Swormstedt, Sr. liked Fossett’s writing so well that he asked him to become the first editor of their newest publication, Screen Process Magazine, the first magazine dedicated entirely to screenprinting.

Fossett was the author of Techniques in Photography for the Screen Process Printer (ISBN-10-0911380302) published in 1959. This book became the bible for many screenprinters working with photographic stencils to improve the industry quality standards at the time.

Fossett is a 1973 inductee into the Academy of Screen and Digital Print Technologies (ASDPT).