BOISE―A 100-year-old engineer and athlete who helped invent modern ski gear and a former grocery executive turned Idaho investor were inducted into the Idaho Technology Council’s Hall of Fame on Oct. 29 at Boise Centre.
Charley French and Andrew J. Scoggin joined a line of Idaho leaders honored since 2010, according to a news release from the council. The annual gala, themed “Inspired Intelligence,” also honored winners of the Idavation Awards, the Sawtooth STEM Awards, the Policy Champion Award and the Chairman’s Award for Service Excellence.
French enlisted in the U.S. Navy at 17 during World War II and served as a machinist. He later studied aerospace electronics and mechanical engineering and worked across Europe before skiing drew him to Sun Valley. There, he helped bring to market the first dual-lens, vented thermal ski goggle, the first lightweight single-buckle ski boot and the first aerodynamic cycling handlebars…