Inventor of life vest dies at 89

Andrew Toti, a prolific inventor known for designing the Mae West inflatable vest, which kept many downed Allied pilots afloat in World War II, died on March 20 at home in Modesto, Calif. He was 89.

Toti invented his flotation device after acquiring a boat at the age of 16 and juicing up its power, causing his mother to worry because he could not swim. The prototype was filled with duck feathers, he said many years later. ‘‘That was too bulky, so I switched to air,’’ he said. —Reuters