George Nelson, born 1908 in Hartford, Connecticut was an American industrial designer and one of the founders of American Modernism. He did not originally set out to become an architect but fate lead him to the path when one rainy day he happened upon the architecture school at Yale, when he ducked into a building and as he walks his way through the building, he immediately found where he belonged. Entering the profession in the depths of the Great Depression, Nelson competed for and was awarded a Rome Prize, which provided a two-year stipend to study at the American Academy in Rome. George Nelson shaped the course of design in America for over four decades. Many of his designs were known worldwide including the Coconut Chair, Marshmallow Sofa, and Ball Clock to name a few.