LOS ANGELES (AP) — The man who is credited with turning WD-40 into a household name has died at 84.
His widow says John S. Barry died of pulmonary fibrosis on July 3 at a nursing facility in La Jolla (HOYE'-yuh).
Employees of what was then the Rocket Chemical Co. in San Diego were selling their rust-preventer out of car trunks when Barry joined the company in 1969 as president and CEO.
WD-40 was used to coat missiles but it also had a smaller following among consumers who used it to lubricate everything from bicycle chains to fishing reels.
Barry, who held a business degree from MIT, suggested renaming the firm after its product and went on to help build the company's place in the global market.
