Tree founder dies
James A Tree died in Racine, WI on Nov 11 at the age of 79. Mr Tree worked at the company (then called Tree Tool & Die Works) since he was a young man and became president in 1964. As a result of the Tree family work with small general-purpose milling machines, 17 US patents were amassed for improving the function and operation of such equipment.
The company was later sold to James Ellison, president of Ellison Machinery Co. Until 1995, Mr Tree continued working as an inventor and consultant. Tree Machine Tool Co is a 70-year-old manufacturer and marketer of metalworking machine tools, including CNC milling, drilling, turning, and related equipment.