  arnold orville beckman (april 10, 1900 â may 18, 2004) was an american chemist, inventor, investor, and philanthropist. while a professor at caltech, he founded beckman instruments based on his 1934 invention of the ph meter, a device for measuring acidity, later considered to have "revolutionized the study of chemistry and biology". he also developed the du spectrophotometer, "probably the most important instrument ever developed towards the advancement of bioscience". beckman funded the first transistor company, thus giving rise to silicon valley. after retirement, he and his wife mabel were numbered among the top philanthropists in the united states. ==early life== thumb|140px|right|fourteen weeks in chemistry, page 27. arnold orville beckman was born in cullom, illinois, a village of about 500 people in a farming community. he was the youngest son of george beckman, a blacksmith, and his second wife elizabeth ellen jewkes. he was curious about the world from an early age. when he was 
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