Search Results

Title: Interview with Jean Woods, 2020 October 30
Date(s): 2020-10-30
Contributor(s): Woods, Jean, 1944- (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: Interviewer Joe Plasky asks the interviewee to describe their early life, education, and career history.
Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20201030_Woods
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with Jim Manning, 2020 October 22
Date(s): 2020-10-22
Contributor(s): Manning, James, 1953- (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: In his interview, Jim Manning describes his role in the Industrial Engineering (IE) group at Seaford, which has a large group with broad responsibilities. He discusses the plant and how IE worked to serve the plant. He also details his labor manager responsibilities. He comments on his job as first line supervisor in the staple finishing area.

He also addresses the computerization of the site. After having taken computer training, he was later promoted to IE supervisor and became involved in...
Show moreIn his interview, Jim Manning describes his role in the Industrial Engineering (IE) group at Seaford, which has a large group with broad responsibilities. He discusses the plant and how IE worked to serve the plant. He also details his labor manager responsibilities. He comments on his job as first line supervisor in the staple finishing area.

He also addresses the computerization of the site. After having taken computer training, he was later promoted to IE supervisor and became involved in the IT development of the textile fibers site. He describes the issues involved with the startup of the regional office in Charlotte.
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Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20201022_Manning
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with William K. "Bill" Moles, 2009 April 22
Date(s): 2009-04-22
Contributor(s): Moles, William K. (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: Moles' interview chronicles his experience in the Navy, his health issues throughout his life, workplace sabotage, and DuPont's healthcare and workplace environment.
Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20090422_Moles
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with Alan Wright, 2008 December 05
Date(s): 2008-12-05
Contributor(s): Wright, Alan, 1929- (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: In his interview, Wright discusses work in process group and development of salt bath cleaning system, solving slow hole problems, and his work on MK-57 material. He also describes his work as a pack room consultant working on packs, windups and critical components.
Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20081205_Wright
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with Gene Anderson, 2010 January 08
Date(s): 2010-01-08
Contributor(s): Anderson, Gene (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: Interview primarily relates to Anderson's role with personnel at DuPont Co.
Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20100108_Anderson
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with Bill Forehand, 2007 December 10
Date(s): 2007-12-10
Contributor(s): Forehand, Bill, 1930- (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: Forehand's interview details time spent developing wind-ups as well as the segregated atmosphere between men and women and different races in the DuPont Company in the 1950s. He also details his experiences in manufacturing and changes in the yarn industry. He discusses time abroad working in Germany and his family's adjustment to the new situation. Forehand's time in Germany was very meaningful, and DuPont invited all of the families back for a 25-year anniversary after they had worked there...
Show moreForehand's interview details time spent developing wind-ups as well as the segregated atmosphere between men and women and different races in the DuPont Company in the 1950s. He also details his experiences in manufacturing and changes in the yarn industry. He discusses time abroad working in Germany and his family's adjustment to the new situation. Forehand's time in Germany was very meaningful, and DuPont invited all of the families back for a 25-year anniversary after they had worked there. He returned to manufacturing yarn at Cape Fear, ultimately moving to process engineering. He also discusses the change in the nature of supervising throughout the history of the company - from hands-on awareness of both home and work situations to a more generic hands-off approach beginning in the mid-1960s. Moreover, he discusses the impact of technology on company processes.
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Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20071210_Forehand
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with Bob Burns, 2009 January 27
Date(s): 2009-01-27
Contributor(s): Burns, Bob, 1927- (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: Burns' interview details mechanical development projects he worked on, including draw twister packages, the development of cleaning methods for spinnerets, and applying computer control to the polymer area. He also describes the Martinsville plant in detail as well as how early computers worked.
Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20090127_Burns
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with Joe Mazzeo, 2009 March 09
Date(s): 2009-03-09
Contributor(s): Mazzeo, Joe (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: Interview primarily relates to Mazzeo's role in management at DuPont Co.
Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20090309_Mazzeo
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with Nick A. Ferrante, 2009 October 21
Date(s): 2009-10-21
Contributor(s): Ferrante, Nick A. (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: Interview primarily relates to Ferrante's role in the DuPont Co.'s Nylon and Dacron business.
Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20091021_Ferrante
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with Edwin A. "Ed" Jirouch Jr., 2009 January 27
Date(s): 2009-01-27
Contributor(s): Jirouch, Edwin A., Jr. (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: Interview primarily relates to Jirouch's role in the DuPont Co.'s Nylon business.
Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20090127_Jirouch
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with Paul Pearlman, 2020 March 31
Date(s): 2020-03-31
Contributor(s): Pearlman, Paul, 1955- (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: Interviewer Joe Plasky asks the interviewee to describe their early life, education, and career history. During his interview, Paul Pearlman discusses the many technical efforts at Seaford that he and others undertook in prior to the introduction of Stainmaster. He also details how the carpet yarn business made a significant effort to produce and market a polypropylene-based yarn. He also discusses the DuPont attempt at recycling carpet yarns and a technological effort to produce carpet via a...
Show moreInterviewer Joe Plasky asks the interviewee to describe their early life, education, and career history. During his interview, Paul Pearlman discusses the many technical efforts at Seaford that he and others undertook in prior to the introduction of Stainmaster. He also details how the carpet yarn business made a significant effort to produce and market a polypropylene-based yarn. He also discusses the DuPont attempt at recycling carpet yarns and a technological effort to produce carpet via a new process which was codenamed "LUCY." He provides his perspective as to why this project eventually failed. He identifies the production facilities for carpet yarn. He also describes his involvement with the "Nylon Enterprise," DuPont’s effort to move all nylon business efforts under one management.
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Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20200331_Pearlman
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with O'Neal Burton, 2020 August 24
Date(s): 2020-08-24
Contributor(s): Burton, O'Neil B., 1938- (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: Interviewer Joe Plasky asks the interviewee to describe their early life, education, and career history.
Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20200824_Burton
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with Carl Lathon, 2020 October 28
Date(s): 2020-10-28
Contributor(s): Lathon, Carl, 1958- (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: During his interview, Carl Lathon describes his service in the U.S. Navy before detailing his career at the DuPont Seaford plant. He describes his adjustment from the navy to his various roles at Seaford. He describes his management techniques and the results such techniques brought. He also addresses the impact of significant cost reductions on the Seaford plant.
Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20201028_Lathon
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with Ken Takvorian, 2020 March 16
Date(s): 2020-03-16
Contributor(s): Takvorian, Ken, 1944?- (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: Interviewer Joe Plasky asks the interviewee to describe their early life, education, and career history. During his interview, Ken Takvorian describes his work in nylon end use research, relating details about multiple technical fabrics, including Qiana, and their development. He comments on the business objectives surrounding this work, particularly surrounding the resources required to sustain Qiana development efforts. He also details his successful efforts to turn around the industrial...
Show moreInterviewer Joe Plasky asks the interviewee to describe their early life, education, and career history. During his interview, Ken Takvorian describes his work in nylon end use research, relating details about multiple technical fabrics, including Qiana, and their development. He comments on the business objectives surrounding this work, particularly surrounding the resources required to sustain Qiana development efforts. He also details his successful efforts to turn around the industrial nylon and Cordura businesses. He relates his work with the Seaman Corporation. He details the failed efforts to develop "Next Generation Industrial Yarn" (NGI). He also relates the development of industrial nylon staple.
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Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20200316_Takvorian
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with Louis Miner, 2020 November 2
Date(s): 2020-11-02
Contributor(s): Miner, Louis Henry (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: In his interview, Louis (Lou) describes his career with DuPont, particularly his experience in the Kevlar special products business as an engineer. He goes into detail about his work on Kevlar ballistic protective garments.
Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20201102_Miner
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with Dave Rea, 2020 November 20
Date(s): 2020-11-20
Contributor(s): Rea, David, 1940- (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: In his interview, David Rea discusses his career with DuPont, providing insight into the nylon supply chain and the business unit of DuPont’s nylon business. He also discusses corporate planning and organizational effectiveness efforts within DuPont.
Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20201120_Rea
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with Roger Siemionko, 2020 October 26
Date(s): 2020-10-26
Contributor(s): Siemionkoa, Roger, 1952- (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: In his interview, Roger Siemionko described his career with DuPont in research and development. He details joining the Experimental Station on a project to replace Kelvar with a lower cost polymer and fiber. He then describes his work on Nomex and Teflon and his transfer to the Old Hickory site, where he worked to improve spun-bonded fiber processes. He then details his work on commercial flooring systems and his role at the Richmond site as an R&D manager for Tyvek.
Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20201026_Siemionko
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with Carl Milligan, 2021 February 19
Date(s): 2021-02-19
Contributor(s): Milligan, Carl, 1934?- (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: Interviewer Joe Plasky asks the interviewee to describe their early life, education, and career history. In his interview, Carl Milligan details the following development projects with which he was involved: methods for determination of ratio of lubricant to antistatic on Dacron staple; equilibrium-no ditch process for staple fibers; beaming process for applying tints to industrial tire yarns; analytical methods for industrial evaluation of epoxy adhesive-activated tire yarns; unreactive...
Show moreInterviewer Joe Plasky asks the interviewee to describe their early life, education, and career history. In his interview, Carl Milligan details the following development projects with which he was involved: methods for determination of ratio of lubricant to antistatic on Dacron staple; equilibrium-no ditch process for staple fibers; beaming process for applying tints to industrial tire yarns; analytical methods for industrial evaluation of epoxy adhesive-activated tire yarns; unreactive epoxies for use in industrial spinning; Kevlar staple process; and improved staple finish in conjunction with Goulston, Inc.
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Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20210219_Milligan
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with Jack Shah, 2020 September 3
Date(s): 2020-09-03
Contributor(s): Shah, Jack (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: Born in India, Jack Shah began his career as a process engineer in the Martinsville plant spinning area. His interview provides insight into the complexity of the spinning areas, particularly dye uniformity and capacity increases. After discussing his time at Martinsville, he describes an assignment in the nylon industrial group in end use marketing working on baghouse filter development. He also describes his technical service on spunbonded products and Reemay roofing development.

He then...
Show moreBorn in India, Jack Shah began his career as a process engineer in the Martinsville plant spinning area. His interview provides insight into the complexity of the spinning areas, particularly dye uniformity and capacity increases. After discussing his time at Martinsville, he describes an assignment in the nylon industrial group in end use marketing working on baghouse filter development. He also describes his technical service on spunbonded products and Reemay roofing development.

He then details his transfer to Luxembourg for the startup of a new spunbonded plant in before transferring back to Richmond and marketing. He describes his work with Taslan jets, during which time he participated in the business being sold. He also describes his roles in the Technology Sales group, Dacron process training, and sales group troubleshooting.
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Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20200903_Shah
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with Bill McMahon, 2020 October 6
Date(s): 2020-10-06
Contributor(s): McMahon, William, 1940- (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: In his interview, Bill McMahon describes his first assignments in the construction division of the Engineering Departments at the following sites: Richmond, Virginia; Kinston, North Carolina; Maydown, Northern Ireland; and Dordrecht, Netherlands. His comments provide insights into how Textile Fibers managed very large construction budgets.

He then describes his move back to Kinston, his transfer to the plant roll, where he supervised the Central Maintenance group, followed by his move to...
Show moreIn his interview, Bill McMahon describes his first assignments in the construction division of the Engineering Departments at the following sites: Richmond, Virginia; Kinston, North Carolina; Maydown, Northern Ireland; and Dordrecht, Netherlands. His comments provide insights into how Textile Fibers managed very large construction budgets.

He then describes his move back to Kinston, his transfer to the plant roll, where he supervised the Central Maintenance group, followed by his move to Industrial. He then describes how, having built up a reputation for employee relations, he was transferred to Chattanooga to assist them in a union campaign and how he concluded he did not wish to continue with the assignment due to lack of supervisory support. He details his transfer back to Kinston and his role in rejecting the steelworkers’ efforts there.

McMahon details his effort to change the progression system late in the 1980s to a new system called P+P+1. He finally describes his transfer to become site manager for Kinston in the Engineering Department, a role that coordinated the work of the contractors on the plant (Munley, Floru, and others).
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Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20201006_McMahon
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with Ernie Lareau, 2020 May 22
Date(s): 2020-05-22
Contributor(s): Lareau, Ernie (Ernest Marcel), 1951- (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: Interviewer Joe Plasky asks the interviewee to describe their early life, education, and career history. During his interview, Ernie Lareau emphasizes the impact his career with DuPont had on his life. In addition to describing his varied work experience, he mentions some projects, such as Nylon Enterprise, which were attempted by Corporate Plans.
Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20200522_Lareau
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with Robert "Bob" George, 2020 January 22
Date(s): 2020-01-22
Contributor(s): George, Robert Thornton, 1946- (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: During his interview, Bob George first details his father’s career. His father was a DuPont employee in the Textile Fibers Department during the 1940s through the 1960s. He then describes his own career, which started in the Industrial Engineering (IE) section at Martinsville, and he details the IE organization within plant’s operations. He comments that the 30 engineers in the section were responsible for cost savings, cost analysis, and labor. IE held significant manufacturing control at...
Show moreDuring his interview, Bob George first details his father’s career. His father was a DuPont employee in the Textile Fibers Department during the 1940s through the 1960s. He then describes his own career, which started in the Industrial Engineering (IE) section at Martinsville, and he details the IE organization within plant’s operations. He comments that the 30 engineers in the section were responsible for cost savings, cost analysis, and labor. IE held significant manufacturing control at the plant. He then describes the spinning operations in type 8B and the people he encountered in the late 1970s after he transferred to manufacturing.

He then details the approach the plant took when a major sales downturn created a labor surplus in 1976 and 1977. This process became the "X-Y" system, and George credits the process as one of the primary factors in the plant’s survival. George names the people involved in the process and remarks that it was also implemented at the Waynesboro and Richmond plants in Virginia. He then discusses the progression and labor systems in place at DuPont’s largescale plants and nylon manufacturing processes.

He describes his later role as market manager, outlining the warp knit domestic market and the creation of a new market and joint venture in Japan. He also details his work in benchmarking and his experience as a Fellow in Residence as part of a DuPont partnership with Penn State University.
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Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20200122_George
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with Martin Coultas, 2020 May 18
Date(s): 2020-05-18
Contributor(s): Coultas, Martin Philip, 1943- (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: Interviewer Joe Plasky asks the interviewee to describe their early life, education, and career history. During his interview, Martin Coultas discusses the management of people and the markets within Europe and Africa during and after the acquisition of Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) by DuPont.
Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20200518_Coultas
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with Roger Hailstone, 2020 October 27
Date(s): 2020-10-27
Contributor(s): Hailstone, Roger, 1936- (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: In his interview, Roger Hailstone discusses his work within the framework of the Experimental Station and Wilmington Labs. He details the processes that were under investigation at that time, including his work relating to tires and belt fibers. He then describes his transfer to the Martinsville, Virginia, site as Technical Supervisor responsible for light denier nylon primarily hosiery yarns. He comments on the development of partially oriented yarn (POY). He then details his transfer back...
Show moreIn his interview, Roger Hailstone discusses his work within the framework of the Experimental Station and Wilmington Labs. He details the processes that were under investigation at that time, including his work relating to tires and belt fibers. He then describes his transfer to the Martinsville, Virginia, site as Technical Supervisor responsible for light denier nylon primarily hosiery yarns. He comments on the development of partially oriented yarn (POY). He then details his transfer back to Wilmington as Patent Liaison Group supervisor, commenting on how the group became Intellectual Property Management. He describes his efforts within this group to raise awareness of technical personnel in IPM by conducting departmental wide training courses.
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Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20201027_Hailstone
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Interview with Morris Cranor, 2020 August 26
Date(s): 2020-08-26
Contributor(s): Cranor, Morris, 1942- (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: In his interview, Morris Cranor describes the following roles he held at DuPont: student operator in Orlon Plant #1 at Camden, South Carolina; first line supervisor at Seaford, Delaware in the continuous polymerization (CP) area; nylon CP area at Camden with a role in their BCF (bulk continuous filament) plant startup; T29 NRD 402 extrusion area at Martinsville, Virginia; split process area at Chattanooga, Tennessee (includes comments on the Teamster challenge happening at the plant at the...
Show moreIn his interview, Morris Cranor describes the following roles he held at DuPont: student operator in Orlon Plant #1 at Camden, South Carolina; first line supervisor at Seaford, Delaware in the continuous polymerization (CP) area; nylon CP area at Camden with a role in their BCF (bulk continuous filament) plant startup; T29 NRD 402 extrusion area at Martinsville, Virginia; split process area at Chattanooga, Tennessee (includes comments on the Teamster challenge happening at the plant at the time); staff assistant to Ted Brinton in Wilmington, Delaware; area supervisor to start the new BCF plant up at Waynesboro, Virginia (includes comments on the design deficiencies of the T8 finisher concept which was part of the process design and comments on Lycra multi-ending projects); plant manager at Athens, Georgia (includes comments on his efforts to correct the cost and moral problems plaguing the plant); and a role in Lycra global operations with responsibility for the Spain plant. He also comments on the reorganization efforts that were happening prior to the purchase of the textiles business by Koch Industries.
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Collection ID: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department (Accession 2010.215)
Hagley ID: 2010215_20200826_Cranor
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

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