John Burnside

John Lyon Burnside III (November 2, 1916 – September 14, 2008) was an American inventor and gay rights activist, known for inventing the teleidoscope, darkfield kaleidoscope, and the Symmetricon. Because he rediscovered the math behind kaleidoscope optics, makers of optically correct kaleidoscopes sold in the United States paid him royalties for decades. Burnside was the life partner of Harry Hay from 1962 until Hay's death in 2002. Burnside was living in San Francisco, at the time of his death on September 14, 2008, from complications of brain cancer.

Early life and education Burnside was born on November 2, 1916, in Seattle. He was an only child, raised by his mother after his father abandoned the family. Being poor, she periodically placed her son in the care of orphanages. Burnside made designs to secure four-foot-tall boxes to the tops of the cars, and Hay sketched the designs for distribution, with both of them performing most of the planning and recruiting for the event. Burnside was still married to Sinclair when he met Hay, and he struggled to reconcile his marriage with his new relationship. Burnside initially invited Hay to stay with him and Sinclair at their house, but moved in with Hay after two months. After Burnside and Hay took an extended vacation together, Sinclair blocked him from returning to California Kaleidoscopes or accessing their shared assets. Burnside and Hay remained poor throughout 1965 until Hay and Burnside took the company back over the next year.

In 1999, the couple moved to San Francisco. During the 1990s and 2000s, the Circle of Loving Companions took care of Burnside and Hay.

Burnside died Sunday, September 14, 2008, at the age of 91. His ashes, mixed with Hay's, were scattered in Nomenus Faerie Sanctuary in Wolf Creek, Oregon.