By early 1965, Schmoll was professionally associated with an entity called Para-Systems.
The exact contemporary wording is important. Lyle Cameron’s account identifies the harness maker as:
Harry Schmoll of Para-Systems.2
That establishes the relationship. It does not establish the corporate structure or Schmoll’s status within it.
No located corporate history, advertisement, business filing, product catalog, or other primary source establishes whether Schmoll:
- founded Para-Systems;
- owned it;
- was a partner;
- was an employee;
- used the name as a trade name; or
- worked with it in some other capacity.
Accordingly, “founder of Para-Systems” and “owner of Para-Systems” should not be stated as facts unless additional evidence is found.
What is demonstrated by the Rod Pack project is that Schmoll possessed substantial practical expertise in parachute-harness fabrication and unusual load-management problems.
References
- 2 Lyle Cameron Jr., contemporary account of Rod Pack’s “chuteless” jump, later reproduced in historical skydiving collections. Cameron explicitly identifies “Harry Schmoll of Para-Systems” as the harness maker and describes the bilateral-load capability, prominent D-rings, and additional riser snap. A surviving reproduction is available through Star Crest Skydiving Awards / Crazy Skydiver Stories: www.starcrestskydivingawards.com/crazy-skydiver-stories ↩