Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Title:	Plastics History Collection
Inclusive Dates:	1943-2018
Quantity:	5.5 linear ft. (including 5 films)
Abstract:	Miscellaneous items relating to the history of the plastics industry and notable figures in plastics research, development and manufacturing. Includes printed material, photographs, technical papers, interviews, and audiovisual material.
Language:	English, French
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

In 2008 the National Plastics Center & Museum in Leominster, Massachusetts transferred the majority of its holdings to Syracuse University's Special Collections Research Center (SCRC). The collections include more than 40 manuscript collections from organizations and individuals, as well as several thousand plastics artifacts. The Plastics History Collection includes miscellaneous materials not directly associated with those other collections but pertinent to the history of plastics.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Plastics History Collection is comprised of a range of materials relating to the history of the plastics industry and support organizations and notable individuals.

Documentaries and training films consists of recordings of varying length on Bakelite, polyethylene, and other plastics-related topics. Formats include film, VHS, and DVD.

Exhibitions contain materials related to the National Plastics Exposition, ranging from the 1960s to the 2000s, and several posters on the history of plastics.

Interviews and biographies consists of biographies of and interviews with members of the "Plastics Pioneers," notable figures in the industry. The Plastics Pioneers Interviews were originally recorded in 1952 on 1/4" reel tapes (now at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History), and were digitized onto ten CDs by the donor.

Photographs contain images of machinery and products related to Dupont and Star Manufacturer Co.

Professional organizations contain printed material from the Plastics Historical Society, the Society of Plastics Engineers, the Society of the Plastics Industry, and the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.

Technical papers contains professional papers written by engineers on plastics molding and materials.

Miscellaneous contains awards, bibliographies, and miscellaneous printed/produced items, including manufacturing calculators and material on Monsanto's "House of the Future."

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Arrangement of the Collection

Alphabetical by subject and chronologically within a folder.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Related Material

One issue of the SPI publication Plastics & You (spring 1989) has been transferred to Rare Books for cataloging with other issues. Please refer to Libraries Search to locate this item.

Other general plastics-related collections include the Plastics Artifact Collection and the Plastics Product Literature Collection. For a complete listing of all plastics-related collections held by Special Collections Research Center, please refer to the SCRC Subject Index .

Special Collections Research Center also maintains a comprehensive website which provides historical information on companies, products and individuals. The website serves as a portal for access to digital images of artifacts, print materials, company histories, finding aids for our manuscript collections, and more. Please visit the Plastics Collection website at http://plastics.syr.edu.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Genres and Forms

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Plastics History Collection,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Majority of collection, and unless otherwise noted below, gift of Glenn Beall, 2010-2019.

Other items, gifts of various donors as noted in the inventory below.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: MRC
Date: 9 Aug 2010
Revision history: 25 April 2011 - added material and updated the finding aid (CEG); 28 Oct 2011 - added Kline medal (MRC); 04 Sept 2012 - added material, removed misc printed material to Plastics Product Literature Coll. and updated finding aid (SDG); 9 Sep 2014 - additions (MRC); 2 Oct 2015 - Plastics Industries Technical Institute material added, M15-050 (MRC); 23 Mar 2016 - biographies, Glenn Beall paper (MRC); 4 Jan 2019 - films added (MRC); 11 Mar 2019 - phonodisc added (MRC); 10 Sep 2019 - 2-disc DVD set added (MRC); 19 Sep 2019 - issue of "Plastics & You" transferred to cataloging; photograph, posters, DVD, calculators added (MRC); 27 Sep 2022 - "Merry Christmas" recording 028 added (IRP); 21 Jun 2023 - URW, "Fiber 66" items added (MRC)

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Inventory

	Documentaries and training films
		Dates given are, as well as can be determined, the original recording dates of the productions. Some items were transferred to DVD in 2010 by Special Collections Research Center. Items without a box number are individually barcoded and should be requested by ID number.
Box 1		All Things Bakelite - documentary about Leo Baekeland, discoverer of Bakelite in 1907 (DVD) (ID#: phc_012)
Box 1		All Things Bakelite: The Age of Plastic [disc 1 of 2] (DVD; running time 80:00) (ID#: phc_025)
			Commercially-produced historical dramatization of Baekeland's life and work. Contains both the full film (59 min.) and an "educational/industrial" condensed version (21 min.)
Box 1		All Things Bakelite: The Age of Plastic [disc 2 of 2] - extra content (DVD; running time 31:00) (ID#: phc_026)
			Contains official movie trailer; lecture by Katarina Posch, interviews with Nancy Byck Welsh, whose father worked for Baekeland; interview with Loretta Gardner, a Bakelite Co. employee; a short feature on the Embed Art Co. who created the first Bakelite jewelry
Box 1		The Brush Shop 2017 - documentary by Stan Sherer, about the Pro-phy-lac-tic Brush Company; includes interviews, archival footage (DVD; running time 66:00) (ID#: phc_027)
Box 1		Discovery of Polyethylene circa 1950 - recreation of events; features many employees of Imperial Chemical Industries, ltd. who were involved in the discovery and subsequent production and development (ID#: phc_013)
		Film No. 1: The Occupational Safety and Health Act (New) 1972 - part of the 8-Component "OSHA Compliance Program," an OSHA AID; includes photo copy of old label (Film: 16mm) (ID#: phc_019)
		Focus on Foam - features styrofoam produced by the DOW Chemical Company (Film: 16mm) (ID#: phc_020)
		Giant Step (Film: 16mm) (ID#: phc_021)
			Featuring Brown Machine Company. Credits: Blondheim, Lennie, director; Thornbury, Will, narrator; Free, David, producer; producer assistants: Levy, Lampert; Curtis, Craig; Pasquariello, Vince; Calderon, Kevin. Post-it note reads: "1960's Thermoform tape. 2004.54". Includes photocopy of old label, post-it note.
		Injection Molding 1966 (Film: 16mm; running time 28:00) (ID#: phc_023)
			Du Pont training tape. Includes old shipping label from Fellows Gear Shaper Company, Springfield, Vermont, to [?] A. Orroth, Jr. Assistant Professor, Department of Plastics, Lowell Technological Institute, Lowell, Massachusetts; old can label; post-it note that reads: "Old Du Pont training tape, 2004.55". Du Pont slogan: "Better Things for Better Living ... Through Chemistry"
		Inside Polypropylene 1991 - includes photocopy of old label, partially cross out and illegible text; note on old reel reads: "New York Management Center"; additional note attached to old can reads: "Inside Polypropylene JCM NPCM, Kosy Collection??" (Film: 16mm) (ID#: phc_022)
		Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year from the Society of the Plastic Industry Incorporated 1948 (Grooved analog disc) (ID#: phc_028)
Box 1		Modern Marvels: Plastics (A&E/History Channel) circa 1994 - includes cameo by plastics expert Jeff Meikle and some comments on plastics' impact on the environment (ID#: phc_014)
Box 1		To Shape Tomorrow / The Fourth Kingdom 1930s (ID#: phc_015)
			"To Shape Tomorrow" follows "befuddled Mr. Bagshot" throughout his day, highlighting how different his life would be without plastics. Produced sometime in the 1930s, the film promotes the wonderful things that could be made by the then-new processes of shell molding, thermoforming, laminated Formica, extrusion of PVC pipe and sheets, and the molding of phonograph records.
			"The Fourth Kingdom" is billed as "the birth of the age of plastics."
Box 1		Understanding Plastics 2012 (ID#: phc_016)
			Teachers' guide (29.5 minutes), to provide a clear understanding of the basic process used to convert molding materials into finished products. Prepared by the University of Wisconsin-Stout and also distributed by the Milwaukee SPE. In addition to plastics processes, it considers the history and growth of the plastics industry, problems relate to the disposal of discarded plastics, and some of the advantages of using plastics in the manufacture of many consumer products.

	Exhibitions
		National Plastics Exposition
Box 1			Directories 2003 - official exposition and conference directory
Box 1			Photographs 1985 - photo of opening of NPE 85
Box 1			"Plastic" 1966 - A Side: “Plastic” by The Serendipity Singers; B Side: “When Peaches Grow on Lilac Trees” by The Serendipity Singers (VinylDisc; running time 2:28) (ID#: phc_001)
Box 1			Programs and promotional materials 1948, 1985, 1988, 1997, 2000 2012
Box 1			Souvenirs 1961
				Notepad featuring on cover the Marlex exhibit at the 9th National Plastics Exposition. The exhibit was prepared by Garnder displays for the plastics sales division of Phillips Chemical Company.
Map-Case		Posters, miscellaneous - British Plastics Federation timeline; "125 Years of Plastics"

	Interviews and biographies
		Biographies
Box 1			Gigliotti, Michael
Box 1			Heckman, Jerome H.
Box 1			Kretzschmar, John
Box 1			Nissel, Frank
Box 1			Schwab, Fred E.
Box 1			Sherman, Robert W.
Box 1			Spaak, Albert
Box 1			Wayrick, Isobel
Box 1			Winfield, Armand G.
		Interviews
Box 4			Bob Howe, Sr. interviewed by Bill [?] 11-3-2000 - Bob Howe, Sr., President of E. B. Kingman Co. Plastic Manufacturer. Notes on the box: "Freddie Martin's Orchestra, Lawrence Welk (American); Bought tape at Fred's Auction House in Leominster". (1/4 inch audio tape) (ID#: phc_018)
Box 1			Plastics Pioneers Interviews, disc 1 9/1/1952 - .cda format (CD) (ID#: phc_002)
				Stuart Landas, Celanese Corporation of America; Sandy Brown, Condensite Company; Allen Brown, Bakelite Company; Frank Shaw, transfer molding; Allen Cole, Bresslin Publishing (Modern Plastics); Walter Rom, Bolton Molding Company; J.J. Greeby, Dow Chemical
Box 1			Plastics Pioneers Interviews, disc 2 9/1/1952 - .cda format (CD) (ID#: phc_003)
				Garson Meyer, Eastman Kodak; Fred C. Meechum, Northern Industrial Chemical of Boston; Herb Spencer, Durex Plastics and Chemicals; Hans W. Wandas, Northern Industrial Chemical of Boston; M.M. McKiver, Megalot Corporation; Charles A. Norris Jr, Bakelite Company; V. Victor Sammett, Northern Industrial Chemical of Boston.
Box 1			Plastics Pioneers Interviews, disc 3 9/1/1952 - .cda format (CD) (ID#: phc_004)
				Ronald "Chick" Kamea, Albany Billiard Ball Company and Niagara Insulbake Company; C.W. Vaunt, Bakelite Company, division of Union Carbide and Carbon Corp.; George Scribner, Bolton Molding Company; R.E. Brannum, Bakelite Corporation; Gordon Brown, Bakelite Corporation; Sandy Brown, Condensite Company; Lionel Canenoff [Canenauve?], Standard Tool Company; James S. Wilson, Bestway Products Company; J.G. Swanson, independent consultant; [unidentified speaker, reading notes by Gordon Brown]; Donald S. Frederick, Roman-Hawes Company.
Box 1			Plastics Pioneers Interviews, disc 4 9/1/1952 - .cda format (CD) (ID#: phc_005)
				Ronald "Chick" Kamea, Albany Billiard Ball Company and Niagara Insulbake Company; C.W. Vaunt, Bakelite Company, division of Union Carbide and Carbon Corp.; George Scribner, Bolton Molding Company; R.E. Brannum, Bakelite Corporation; Gordon Brown, Bakelite Corporation; Sandy Brown, Condensite Company; Lionel Canenoff [Canenauve?], Standard Tool Company; James S. Wilson, Bestway Products Company; J.G. Swanson, independent consultant; [unidentified speaker, reading notes by Gordon Brown]; Donald S. Frederick, Roman-Hawes Company.
Box 1			Plastics Pioneers Interviews, disc 5 9/1/1952 - .cda format (CD) (ID#: phc_006)
				William T. Cruise, Society of the Plastics Industry; Luis Francisco, American Cyanide; D.J. O'Conner, Formica Company; J. Harry DuBois, General Electric; Willard Crane, Cincinnati Milling Machine Company; Al Manoville, Apollo Manufacturing Company; Charles Lichtenberg, Resinox Corporation and Monsanto; N.A. Backscheider, Recto Molded Products; B. Frank Hantz, American Insulator Corporation; Oscar Gold, manufacturer; Fred Behr, Pacific Novelty Company; Allen F. Randolf, Arlington Company (later Dupont); Emery Cleaves, New Jersey Button Works; J. Frank, Albian Realty Corporation.
Box 1			Plastics Pioneers Interviews, disc 6 9/1/1952 - .cda format (CD) (ID#: phc_007)
				William T. Cruise, Society of the Plastics Industry; Luis Francisco, American Cyanide; D.J. O'Conner, Formica Company; J. Harry DuBois, General Electric; Willard Crane, Cincinnati Milling Machine Company; Al Manoville, Apollo Manufacturing Company; Charles Lichtenberg, Resinox Corporation and Monsanto; N.A. Backscheider, Recto Molded Products; B. Frank Hantz, American Insulator Corporation; Oscar Gold, manufacturer; Fred Behr, Pacific Novelty Company; Allen F. Randolf, Arlington Company (later Dupont); Emery Cleaves, New Jersey Button Works; J. Frank, Albian Realty Corporation.
Box 1			Plastics Pioneers Interviews, disc 7 9/1/1952 - .cda format (CD) (ID#: phc_008)
				Plastics Pioneers Association written histories and interviews, read by J. Harry DuBois. John J. Kevel,Plastics Technology; John G. Slater, Tennessee Eastman Plastic; W.T. LaRose, W.T. LaRose and Associates, Inc.; Sven Moxness, Honeywell; Lloyd G. Schenck, Bootin Rubber Company; Sam Moore, Interchemical Corporation; Siegfried Higgins, Williamson and Company, Caldwell, NJ; F. Reed Estabrook, Brook Molding Corporation; Elmer E. Mills, manufacturers' representative; George H. Bowmer; Ruth Rossitor, wife of plastics leader John G. Rossitor; William Morris Lester, Pyro Plastics; Edwin L. Hobson; C. William Cluworth, Plastics World; E.O. Wokeck, Bangor Plastics; Walter F. Grote, Grote Manufacturing Company (Grotlite); Arthur R. Tennom.
Box 1			Plastics Pioneers Interviews, disc 8 9/1/1952 - .cda format (CD) (ID#: phc_009)
				Plastics Pioneers Association written histories and interviews, read by J. Harry DuBois. John J. Kevel,Plastics Technology; John G. Slater, Tennessee Eastman Plastic; W.T. LaRose, W.T. LaRose and Associates, Inc.; Sven Moxness, Honeywell; Lloyd G. Schenck, Bootin Rubber Company; Sam Moore, Interchemical Corporation; Siegfried Higgins, Williamson and Company, Caldwell, NJ; F. Reed Estabrook, Brook Molding Corporation; Elmer E. Mills, manufacturers' representative; George H. Bowmer; Ruth Rossitor, wife of plastics leader John G. Rossitor; William Morris Lester, Pyro Plastics; Edwin L. Hobson; C. William Cluworth, Plastics World; E.O. Wokeck, Bangor Plastics; Walter F. Grote, Grote Manufacturing Company (Grotlite); Arthur R. Tennom.
Box 1			Plastics Pioneers Interviews, disc 9 9/1/1952 - .cda format (CD) (ID#: phc_010)
				Arthur Tennom, continued.
Box 1			Plastics Pioneers Interviews, disc 10 9/1/1968 - .cda format (CD) (ID#: phc_011)
				Meeting of the Pioneers of Plastics Association at Bald Peak Country Club, Sep 1968; Bill Cullom, manufacturers' representative.

	Photographs
Oversize 1		Plastics Pioneers Association group photo undated
Box 2		Dupont machinery and employees 1942, 1948, 1952, 1959, 1965, 1969 - toothbrush and comb production (2 folders)
Box 2		Miscellaneous I 1952-1953, undated - rattles and children's toys (Star Manufacturer Co. of Leominster, Mass.); loading pipe onto a horse-drawn carriage; workers outside of The Horn and Supply Company
Box 2		Miscellaneous II 1961, 1984, 1992, undated - Myron Petrakis; factory in Leominster; Walter Stenning; the cast of The Bandolero; Banner Mold, Tool & Die; slides from Plastics Museum

	Professional organizations
Box 2		National Plastics Center & Museum 2006-2007 - membership card
			Gift of David Harper, 2011.
		Plastics Historical Society
Box 3			Evolution of Plastics in America / Glenn L. Beall undated - CD-R containing a PDF of “THE EVOLUTION OF PLASTICS IN AMERICA As Seen Through the National Plastics Expositions” by Glenn Beall, published by Plastics Historical Society (CD) (ID#: phc_017)
Box 2			Miscellaneous 1989, 1993, 1996-1997, undated - newsletters, various membership documents
Box 2		Plastics Industries Technical Institute - several examinations and a curriculum brochure
		Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE)
Box 2			Annual Technical Conference (ANTEC) 1953, 1968, 1984, 1992, 1996 - general program for Ninth Annual National Technical Conference of the SPE; 100 Years Young by Armand Winfield for 26th annual technical conference; programs for ANTEC '92 and '96
Box 2			Printed material, miscellaneous 2011 - 2 booklets from "SPE Celebrates" Banquet; "Plastic is Fantastic" bumper sticker
				Bumper sticker, gift of John Kretzschmar, 2014.
Box 2			Publications 1987-1988 1992 - newsletters from 1987 and 1988, Plastics Ingenuity magazine, and the golden anniversary issue of Plastics Engineering
Box 2			Technical papers 1977 - Regional Technical Conference: Injection Molding of Engineering Thermoplastics, Boxborough, MA, and list of trademarks
		Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI)
Box 2			Correspondence 29 Sep 1955 - letter from SPI president Norman Anderson to Islyn Thomas
Box 2			Publications 1959, 1989, 1992-1993, 2012, undated - publication of the Society of the Plastics Industry
				Plastic film correct use and mis-use, helpful hints to parents (1959); SPI at your Service: Member Preference Guide 1992-1993; Plastics at your service every day in every way(n.d.); SPI: Celebrating 75 Years of Progress (2012)
Box 3		University of Massachusetts Lowell 2011-2012 - publications and promotional materials related to the plastics engineering department

	Technical papers
Box 3		Clippings from technical journals 1945, 1947
Box 3		A History of Plastics in St. Clair [Michigan], by Ernest T. Oskin
			Gift of Ernest T. Oskin, 2018.
Box 3		Reports and papers 1956, 1959, 2008, undated
			Society of Plastics Engineers, "Automatic High Speed Injection Molding"; Durez, "Advances in Thermoset Molding"; DOW Chemical,"The Importance of Rigidity in Injection Molding"; Monsanto, "Rules for Satisfactory Dielectric Preheating of Resinox Materials"; Brian Ralston and Tim Osswald, "The History of Tomorrow's Materials: Protein-Based Biopolymers"

	Miscellaneous
Box 5		Army-Navy production award, given to the employees of Doyle 1945, undated - includes blank complaint record and blank request for quotation for Consolidated Molded Products
Box 5		Bibliographies undated
Box 5		Calculators - slide-rule-style calculators for blow molding (based on bottles per hour) and polybags (based on bag dimensions) (3 items)
			Gift of Robert Lammie, 2019
		Christmas Message; Season's Greetings from the Society of the Plastics Industry 1949 - RCA Victor disc for the Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (VinylDisc) (ID#: phc_024)
			Side A: Christmas Message presented by Horace Gooch, Jr., President; Wm. T. Cruse, Vice-President; Side B: 1. "First Noel"; 2. "Silent Night"
Oversize 1		Dr. West advertisement 1943 - advertisement for Dr. West's "miracle-tuft" toothbrushes
Box 5		Fiber 66 [nylon] 1950 - script for episode of "Cavalcade of America" radio show, sponsored by Du Pont
Box 5		Modern Plastics Competition 1937 - presentation dinner program
			Gift of Ansi Vallens, 2014.
Box 5		Monsanto house of the future 1955, 1957, 2003 - articles and other writing related to Monsanto's use of plastics in building
Box 5		Museum of Design in Plastics (MoDiP), U.K. circa 2013 - research institute within the Arts University Bournemouth; brochure, postcard
			Gift of Glenn and Patsy Beall, 2014.
Box 5		The new frontiers: Science and technology at the 1964World's Fair circa 1988 - paper by Sheldon J. Reaven
Oversize 1		Plastics Hall of Fame medal, Gordon Kline 1973 - award given to Gordon Kline at his induction into the Plastics Hall of Fame
Oversize 1		Printed material, miscellaneous 1943, 1953 1959, 1973 1987, 2010-2011 - articles, magazines, journals, promotional material for "toothbrushes: past and present"
Box 5		Proverbs and adages from Plastics Bulletin 1986 - small printed book of saying collected from Plastics Bulletin
			Gift of John Kretzschmar, 2014.
Box 5		United Rubber, Cork, Linoleum and Platics Workers Union brochure 1969
Box 5		Miscellany - includes plastic "Nixon's the One" ribbon, business card "World Plastic Extruders," notes from Robinson Plastics about a switchplate and a small material sample, 2 items from the Plastics Museum

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