Eli Whitney-Smith PhD

Eli Whitney-Smith: - Theorist, Archaeologist, Academic, Consultant,  and Unsung Hero of the Eli Whitney namesake
Eli Whitney-Smith was a great American. Her first job was blazing trails (and highways) as the only female interstate bus driver in the NY/NJ/CT region. Later she studied archeology at UMaine-Orono before transferring to San Jose State University and was matriculated into the prestigious Cybernetic Systems Program. There she formulated the I- and M- adaptation theory:
"people in groups use two basic survival strategies:

1. 
   Hunter/gatherers are Information- or I-adapted. For them, survival depends on information, i.e. knowing where plants and animals are. They perceive a world of plenty, sharing material goods in order tocreate networks of relationships and information.
2. People since the invention of agriculture are Material goods- or M-adapted. For them, survival depends on possession and manipulation of material goods. They perceive a world of scarcity, using information to gain increasing amounts of material goods."

How cool is that. Eli subsequently pursued two degrees related to her theory. Currently she is a high profile consultant in IT and organizational change.

Read more about her at her homepage 

Eli Whitney band

Check out the Eli Whitney band: 

This band from San Jose, California has some weird but cool tracks that you should check out(Myspace). It seems like they aren't touring anymore due to the tragic suicide of one of their members. Their disortion-laden tracks are reminiscent of the also short-live Chicago based legends Cap'n Jazz. Worth downloading Eli Whitney if you want something obscure to impress your hipster friends.

Dr. Edwin (Eli) Whitney

There seem to be a plethora of doctors who share the Eli Whitney namesake. What good fortune for lucky patients. This Dr. Eli Whitney is a cardiologist at N.E. Baptist hospital in San Antonio Texas. One happy patient described Eli Whitney as "A good cardiologist with compassion, and a sense of humor. Always has a joke for you. Besides knowing his medicine he is very good about recommending vitamins, minerals, and life style changes to help you get better. I have mediocre insurance now= with past employer it was good insurance, but he still spends time with me on my visits. Just do not waste his time with lots of chit chat - a little is OK. I like him a lot."

It seems Whitney is always happy to talk with patients, despite insurance problems, what a stand-up guy!. 

For more (universally positive reviews) check out his page on ratemds.com

Eli Whitney - Private Investigator

Eli Whitney of Brookline, MA just outside of Boston is the executive administrator of American Investigative services.

According to Eli's company Bio: "Eli Whitney has been a valued member of the AIS team since 1996, after over twenty years' experience as a legal administrator. Whether analyzing documentary evidence in criminal defense matters or conducting exhaustive due diligence for corporate investigations, Eli's strong work ethic leaves no stone unturned. Extremely organized and analytical, her unique perspective has been instrumental in developing investigative strategies for a wide variety of clients and presenting our findings in a manner tailored to the client's specific needs. Also adept at undercover assignments, Eli has successfully obtained critical evidence in a number of challenging cases. "

Pretty Impressive. 

Eli Whitney - The really famous one

From Wikipedia:
"Eli Whitney (December 8, 1765 – January 8, 1825) was an American inventor best known as the inventor of the cotton gin. This was one of the key inventions of the industrial revolution and shaped the economy of the antebellum South.[1] Whitney's invention made short staple cotton into a profitable crop, which strengthened the economic foundation of slavery. Despite the social and economic impact of his invention, Whitney lost his profits in legal battles over patent infringement, closed his business, and nearly filed bankruptcy."
Poor Eli Whitney, the man who brought us guns with interchangeable parts, and made cotton into a cash crop was plagued by misfortune throughout his life (his lab was broken into and people copied his gin design, and one of his factories burnt down putting him in serious financial trouble). Then again, the whole facilitating large-scale commercial cotton kind of lead to slavery being viable. He also had shifty sweetheart weapons  contracts thanks to his Yale connections.  There is even evidence that his attempts to build a cotton gin were unsuccessful, and that his design flaws were solved by a woman named Katherine Green (source).

The Eli Whitney Project

Recently I came across a post on Reddit.com where someone named KarmaAunt (not to be confused with Karmanaut) wrote how he or she was excited by the fact that the person who replaced Paul Wolfowitz at the World Bank was a person named Eli Whitney Debevoise II, due to the fact that Eli Whitney was such a common answer so exams during his or her youth. After posting a comment pretending to be the person in question, I realized that discovering novel people named Eli Whitney is an endeavor one can be proud of. Thus the Eli Whitney Project was born.  Every so often I will bring to your awareness a notable person who shares the Eli Whitney namesake. Surely there are other great people living in the shadow of the Cotton Gin King who deserve recognition for their own exciting accomplishments.