[3] In 1899, Spicer enrolled in mechanical and electrical engineering courses at Cornell University, where he undertook the design of a motor car as a class assignment.

With the encouragement of his instructor, Dean Robert H. Thurston, Spicer applied for and received a patent for a practical automotive universal joint on May 19, 1903.

[4] Spicer began manufacturing his invention through an arrangement with the Potter Printing Press Company in Plainfield, New Jersey, on April 1, 1904.

Nearly a century later, Spicer's company is now Dana Incorporated, with headquarters in Toledo, Ohio, and worldwide automotive parts sales approaching US$10 billion per year.

Spicer served as a member of the Alfred University Board of Trustees from 1917 until his death in November 1939.