Search Results | Hagley Digital Archives

Title: Interview with Helen Duncan [transcript]
Date(s): 1978
Contributor(s): Strange, Adeline Bassett Cook, 1917-2004 (Interviewer), Duncan, Helen (Interviewee)
Description: Transcript of a conversation about Wallace Carothers between Helen Duncan and Cookie Strange. Duncan served as the Experimental Station Librarian, and she recalls Carothers's visits to the library, the chemists' interest in bird watching, and Helen Sweetman's affection for Carothers.
Collection ID: Carothers Oral History Project (Accession 1985)
Hagley ID: MSS_1985_01_01_08
Collection: Oral history interviews on Wallace Carothers

Title: Interview with Gerard Bérchet, 1 August 1978 [audio]
Date(s): 1978-08-01
Description: Gerard Bérchet talks about Wallace Carothers with Cookie Strange. He discusses Nylon and its various versions, including 66 and 6, 10, as well as other projects that he and Carothers were involved with at DuPont's Experimental Station.
Collection ID: Oral history interviews on Wallace Carothers (Accession 1994.311)
Hagley ID: AUD_1994311_B01_ID05
Collection: Oral history interviews on Wallace Carothers

Title: Interview with Crawford Greenewalt [transcript]
Date(s): 1978
Description: Transcript of a conversation about Wallace Carothers between Crawford Greenewalt and Cookie Strange. Greenewalt discusses Carothers's personality, professional successes, depression, and marriage to Helen Sweetman. He also mentions Carother's affair with "The Dame" Silvia Moore.
Collection ID: Carothers Oral History Project (Accession 1985)
Hagley ID: MSS_1985_01_01_06
Collection: Oral history interviews on Wallace Carothers

Title: Interview with Martin E. Cupery and Harry B. Dykstra, 2 August 1978 [audio] (part 2)
Date(s): 1978-08-02
Contributor(s): Strange, Adeline Bassett Cook, 1917-2004 (Interviewer), Cupery, Martin E. (Martin Eli), 1901-1996 (Interviewee), Dykstra, Harold Ben, 1902-1986 (Interviewee)
Description: Martin E. Cupery and Harry B. Dykstra have a conversation with Cookie Strange. They primarily discuss their research with synthetic polymers, the discovery of Nylon, and "Purity Hall" at the DuPont Experimental Station. They also talk about Wallace Carothers's overall demeanor and how his gentleness and kindness made him easy to be around. Part 2.
Collection ID: Oral history interviews on Wallace Carothers (Accession 1994.311)
Hagley ID: AUD_1994311_B01_ID04
Collection: Oral history interviews on Wallace Carothers

Title: Interview with Martin E. Cupery and Harry B. Dykstra, 2 August 1978 [audio] (part 1)
Date(s): 1978-08-02
Contributor(s): Strange, Adeline Bassett Cook, 1917-2004 (Interviewer), Cupery, Martin E. (Martin Eli), 1901-1996 (Interviewee), Dykstra, Harold Ben, 1902-1986 (Interviewee)
Description: Martin E. Cupery and Harry B. Dykstra have a conversation with Cookie Strange. They primarily discuss their research with synthetic polymers, the discovery of Nylon, and "Purity Hall" at the DuPont Experimental Station. They also talk about Wallace Carothers's overall demeanor and how his gentleness and kindness made him easy to be around. Part 1.
Collection ID: Oral history interviews on Wallace Carothers (Accession 1994.311)
Hagley ID: AUD_1994311_B01_ID03
Collection: Oral history interviews on Wallace Carothers

Title: Interview with Martin E. Cupery and Harry B. Dykstra, 2 August 1978 [transcript]
Date(s): 1978-08-02
Description: Martin E. Cupery and Harry B. Dykstra have a conversation with Cookie Strange. They discuss their research with super polymers, the discovery of Nylon, and the DuPont Experimental Station. They also talk about Wallace Carothers's overall demeanor and how his gentleness and kindness made him easy to be around.
Collection ID: Carothers Oral History Project (Accession 1985)
Hagley ID: MSS_1985_01_01_03
Collection: Oral history interviews on Wallace Carothers

Title: Interview with Gerard Bérchet, 1 August 1978 [transcript]
Date(s): 1978-08-01
Contributor(s): Strange, Adeline Bassett Cook, 1917-2004 (Interviewer), Berchet, Gerard J., 1902-1990 (Interviewee)
Description: Gerard Bérchet talks about Wallace Carothers with Cookie Strange. He discusses life in Paris, meeting Carothers, and his trip across the Atlantic to the United States. He also mentions Nylon and its various versions, including 66 and 6, 10, as well as other research projects that he was involved with at DuPont's Experimental Station.
Collection ID: Carothers Oral History Project (Accession 1985)
Hagley ID: MSS_1985_01_01_04
Collection: Oral history interviews on Wallace Carothers

Title: Interview with Robert "Bob" Shellenbarger, 2019 April 26
Date(s): 2019-04-26
Contributor(s): Shellenbarger, Robert, 1936- (interviewee), Plasky, Joseph G. (interviewer)
Description: In his interview, Robert Shellenbarger discusses his career as an industrial chemist with DuPont's textile fibers division, notably his contributions to the Tyvek and STAINMASTER manufacturing processes. Shellenbarger begins his interview discussing his early life and education in California. He worked his way through the College of the Pacific by milking cows for a dairy and was encouraged to study physical chemistry at the University of North Carolina by the chairman of the chemistry...
Show moreIn his interview, Robert Shellenbarger discusses his career as an industrial chemist with DuPont's textile fibers division, notably his contributions to the Tyvek and STAINMASTER manufacturing processes. Shellenbarger begins his interview discussing his early life and education in California. He worked his way through the College of the Pacific by milking cows for a dairy and was encouraged to study physical chemistry at the University of North Carolina by the chairman of the chemistry department at the College of the Pacific. He mentions taking a summer job with the Army in Washington, D.C., before starting his PhD studies.

After describing his first role at DuPont as a chemist assigned to Reemay, Shellenbarger goes into great detail about his work with Tyvek in Richmond. He describes how he made improvements to the manufacturing process after observing that the plant produced better product on rainy days. He also describes the lifetime test he developed for Tyvek and how he fixed the problems which were observed during the test. He details making further improvements to the Tyvek spinning process by solving the issue of the target plate regularly becoming dirty and shorting out.

Shellenbarger then describes conducting flammability tests for the Dacron End Use research group, in which he improved the high speed weaving process by changing the modulus point to be closer to the breaking point of cotton. He then relates his perspective on STAINMASTER's development in the 1980s, describing the various ways in which the team addressed issues such as UV stability and continuous dyeing. He also comments on marketing and patent-filing efforts.

He ends the interview by describing his later career. He includes an anecdote about being a speaker at a seminar in Africa, and he mentions his final role working with DuPont's joint venture with Turkish conglomerate, Sabanci Holding Co.
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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_20190426_Shellenbarger
Collection: Oral history interviews with former employees of DuPont Company's Textile Fibers Department

Title: Memorandum on Teflon, 1946-04-10
Date(s): 1946-04-10
Contributor(s): E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company (originator), Raskob, John J. (John Jakob), 1879-1950 (former owner)
Description: Memo describing chemical and electrical properties, uses, and production.
Collection ID: John J. Raskob papers (Accession 0473)
Hagley ID: m473_20100709_027
Collection: John J. Raskob papers

Title: Products meeting government specifications, Rust preventatives, lubricants, metalworking aids, cutting oils, hydraulic fluids packings
Date(s): 1965
Creator: E.F. Houghton & Co.
Collection ID: Trade Cat .H835 1965
Hagley ID: 08161049_Products_meeting
Collection: Trade catalogs and pamphlets