Thrill seekers who have visited Carowinds in North Carolina may remember Drop Tower: Scream Zone, an amusement ride that lifts passengers skyward before dropping them at high speeds.
What many may not realize is that the inventor who patented the ride’ in 1974, known as the “free fall,” lives in Greenville. Gerald “Jerry” Barber holds about 80 patents, making him South Carolina’s most prolific patent holder. He also founded the city’s Amusement Ride Inspector School and BarberWind Turbines, a company that develops technology for the mid-sized turbine market.
“He has a degree in physics and chemistry, and his dad owned a traveling carnival,” Tammy Barber said of her husband. “So you put those together as how you invent rides that almost kill you, but they don’t.”…