About this collection

Ralph S. Yourison (1898-1988) worked as the Power Consultant at E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company's Spruance Plant in Richmond, Virginia, from the 1940s through the early 1960s.

The Spruance Plant had been in operation since 1927, when it was established to produce rayon. In 1935, it was renamed the Spruance Plant in honor of rayon pioneer and Dupont executive, William C. Spruance. Over the decades, it continued to expand. By the 1950s and 1960s, it was producing cellophane as well as new products such as Tyvek, Nomex, and Teflon.

During this time, Yourison was named the Spruance Plant's Power Consultant, largely spearheading an effort to reduce energy use through the evaluation of coal by utilization cost. His efforts led to the modernization of the plant's power facilities, resulting in an eventual savings of a half a million dollars a year. Yourison retired from the Dupont Company on March 31, 1963.

To view the catalog record for this collection, click here.

Image: Spruance Plant exterior, ca. 1963. Click here to view this item in the collection.