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00:00:15 First of all, a man who is noted for his unique accomplishments in developing new technologies

00:00:24 and applications with poor water residence, Mr. Frank M. Chapman.

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00:00:59 I happen to wonder, how in the world did I end up here?

00:01:05 My father sent me to college to become a doctor.

00:01:10 In particular, I want to say that plastics has been a love affair of mine, and particularly for college.

00:01:19 And I need to thank my wife, Helen, for putting up with this other love all these years.

00:01:25 And my family, my daughter Tammy's here, for the weekends that I spent with my other love, plastic.

00:01:32 And I thank the Cabinet very much for this again. Congratulations.

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00:01:54 Next, we have a true pioneer and innovator in injection molding,

00:02:00 beginning with some of the first injection molding machines that were used in this country and imported from Europe.

00:02:08 Dr. Thomas will present the award to Mr. Walter F. Grote, Sr.

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00:02:43 At this time, we're discussing your father, William, who had five patents on injection molding machines in 1923.

00:02:58 That's 75 years ago.

00:03:00 It's a great pleasure to give this to the revolutionary, Dr. Grote.

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00:03:15 Back in 1922, my father traveled over to Germany.

00:03:21 He was in the oxygen business at that time.

00:03:24 He had the oxygen plants in this country.

00:03:27 And also, he pursued a master's in company in Frankfurt, Germany.

00:03:33 In Berlin, he met Mr. Buckholz, who was the injection molding business at that time.

00:03:40 And he had patents pending in Germany.

00:03:43 My father bought the American Prankster process and brought 12 name machines to this country.

00:03:51 That was about the time that I had finished college.

00:03:55 Shortly after that, Mr. Camille Prank, who was in the settlement corporation, contacted us

00:04:03 and asked us to mold some material he was wanting in his laboratory.

00:04:09 At that time, the radios were coming into production.

00:04:14 We were molding bottles with glass fingers.

00:04:19 After molding several batches in the laboratory trail, which was approximately a pound each,

00:04:26 we were successful in molding a bottle that resembled a trail.

00:04:33 The hand machines had a lever that you had to pull down and a pedal that you had to operate at the same time.

00:04:42 That led us to the design and manufacturing of the first electromagnetic molding machine.

00:04:48 We did that in our own tool room.

00:04:51 That was in 1928.

00:04:53 And later on, we produced the first hydraulic machine.

00:05:00 I've seen many of them.

00:05:02 With the growth of the plastic industry, and approximately the one pound laboratory samples,

00:05:09 I understand today that the price of materials for injection molding is approximately 42,300,000,000 pounds in New York.

00:05:19 I am pleased that our company has always been a part of the dynamic of the plastics industry.

00:05:26 I certainly value its support.

00:05:29 Thank you.

00:06:00 Next, we have a man who is being recognized for his diligent and dynamic leadership of the Society of the Plastics Industry

00:06:11 during its most turbulent and difficult period. Bill Cruz will present the trophy to Mr. Ralph L. Hardy.

00:07:44 Next, we have a man who, in addition to his own family,

00:07:49 has fathered the development of new materials based on silane chemistry,

00:07:56 which was instrumental in improving the strength and durability of reinforced plastics,

00:08:04 Dr. Edwin Plueddemann.

00:08:19 Thank you.

00:08:41 Reinforcement, intervening reinforcement of plastics, they're incompatible.

00:08:46 This is what we were trying to do, develop compatibility between organic and mineral.

00:08:52 Well, I find I was wrong at first when I said the Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians that love is the bond of perfectness.

00:09:01 Now, many of you understand this.

00:09:03 We're truly incompatible people.

00:09:05 With love, you've got a company agent that makes them.

00:09:17 Another thing I appreciate is that Lord didn't tell us everything, but he said,

00:09:21 I'll give you a blind and you go in the lab and find out for yourself and have all the fun.

00:09:26 So I've been having a lot of fun.

00:09:28 We're still looking.

00:09:29 My hope is that soon we can eliminate moisture-induced failure in all of these metals and other types of components

00:09:40 as one of the variables that will just eliminate moisture-induced failure.

00:09:45 Thank you.

00:09:59 I think I'm going to get in the way of the plastics industry also, I think.

00:10:06 Our fifth recipient of this evening is a pioneer and an entrepreneur in the true sense of the word.

00:10:15 He's an entrepreneur in the field of auxiliary equipment for the plastics processing industry,

00:10:21 and my personal comment is it's always good to see an old mold maker make it to the top.

00:10:27 I'm pleased to honor Mr. John C. Reib.

00:10:51 John, 30 years ago, you were hard-working mold makers, supporting the injection of new people.

00:11:00 And in just what he said, if it were not for the ingenuity and the creative ability of us mold makers,

00:11:06 most of our visiting audience today would have been working on the farm, selling apples and taking pictures.

00:11:13 Thank you.

00:11:23 It gives me great pleasure to present this to a most experienced gentleman and an ex-mold maker.

00:11:29 Thank you.

00:11:33 Thank you very much.

00:11:35 Thank you officers and Director of the Plastics Academy.

00:11:43 When I think back, I can't believe there's any other country in the world or any other industry

00:11:51 that a country boy mold maker could grow to this status in 35 years.

00:11:57 I would like to honor and reveal to the members of the plastics industry,

00:12:03 and particularly to all the people that have gone there, everywhere,

00:12:10 and particularly those present here, the company that did this work,

00:12:16 that allowed me to receive this honor tonight.

00:12:20 I would like to recognize tonight the one person without whose helpful support and understanding

00:12:28 during all these years, through turbulent times, and who made me who I am, my wife, Lily.

00:12:47 Thank you all from my heart.

00:13:02 I guess if you agree, they say a mold maker never dies.

00:13:05 They just do their scruples.

00:13:12 Or ejector pins.

00:13:15 Next we have a true giant in the development of materials, processes, and education in the field of polymer chemistry.

00:13:29 As a matter of fact, his credits were so long that he really had a tough job deciding what we would trim down

00:13:38 to get it all on one page.

00:13:40 It's my pleasure to introduce Dr. Raymond B. Seymour.

00:14:16 Thank you, Mr. Cruz.

00:14:20 It's certainly a pleasure to be numbered among the other six tonight,

00:14:24 and I was quite surprised about, oh, about two months ago when Dr. Merriman called me,

00:14:34 and he said that I had ripples in that industry.

00:14:39 And he said that we were able to reduce the number 40 to 80 of the possible inductees in Europe from 80.

00:14:49 And he said, the bad news is that we think we ought to wait until the next induction to bring up your name.

00:15:00 And I said, what is that induction?

00:15:02 He said, that's the post-mortem awards.

00:15:05 And I said, well, that must mean a lot to Chicago in 1988 and then wake up in the morning.

00:15:17 It's been my pleasure to know Bill Cruz for over 40 years now.

00:15:24 That's older than a lot of people in the audience.

00:15:27 But when I was on the board of directors, I saw Bill Cruz in action.

00:15:33 And he was able to sail the ship of plastics through some very turbulent waters.

00:15:40 And I'm sure if he hadn't been successful that we wouldn't be here tonight.

00:15:46 And also those were his successors who have to keep fighting the battle of plastics

00:15:53 against those who don't understand what it's all about.

00:15:59 As you all know, there are many models of fame among athletes and entertainers.

00:16:07 But very few of those creative people who have made possible these tremendous salaries

00:16:14 at the entertainers and the enthusiasts.

00:16:19 And so it's very fitting, the syndromes of the idea of forming this Plastics Hall of Fame

00:16:27 added and continued through the Plastics Academy, of which Bill Cruz is the chairman.

00:16:37 I would be remiss tonight if I didn't introduce my lived in for over 50 years

00:16:45 who is a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

00:16:48 And Francis, would you stand?

00:17:02 I also have my older son, Dr. David Seymour, who is also with us.

00:17:10 And now that they have been, could you stand too?

00:17:15 Now that they have been recognized, I will be recognized to sit down.

00:17:46 And now we come to our last but absolutely impossibility.

00:17:50 Not the least is a dear friend and former Navy leader,

00:17:54 but more importantly, a thoroughly pioneer in the introduction of new engineering materials

00:18:01 into the automotive industry and other major markets.

00:18:05 Dr. Thomas will present the award to our dear friend,

00:18:09 Doctor, I'm sorry, Mr. John C. Slater.

00:18:15 Thank you.

00:18:38 Here we are John, back in 1932.

00:18:42 You taught me how to compression mold seven-dose acetate material, blocks,

00:18:48 which you called tenon squares.

00:18:51 At the time we were molding indoor knobs for Plexer Corporation.

00:18:57 And if we had not solved that problem with your help,

00:19:01 I would not have been working on the farm today.

00:19:21 Thank you.

00:19:24 It is with much appreciation that I say thank you

00:19:28 to the members of the Plastics Company and the Plastics Academy for their presence here this evening.

00:19:35 I very much appreciate this very much.

00:19:39 And I compliment you on your vision and foresight of establishing the Plastics Academy

00:19:45 and contributing to the Plastics Hall of Fame.

00:19:48 It's a very great and outstanding contribution to the Plastics industry.

00:19:55 I also say thank you to the many people who had a part in my being here tonight.

00:20:00 They were designers and engineers, manufacturing and production people,

00:20:07 and executives of automotive, industrial, and plastic companies.

00:20:13 In 1932, I accepted a job offer by Spencer Palmer and the Tennessee Eastman Company

00:20:21 to introduce a new cellulose acetate material in midwestern Canada.

00:20:30 It was a good decision on my part.

00:20:32 I'm very appreciative of the opportunity that I had to be a part of the early introduction of the plastic material

00:20:41 and for the great support which I received from Eastman Management and people in the Plastic Division.

00:20:48 We had a very productive team.

00:20:51 In 19—it was a major challenge to introduce a thermoplastic material.

00:20:59 In the world, it was metal-oriented, in which you only compression-molded material and not compression moldable.

00:21:09 It required much pioneering before we were able to gain our first approval.

00:21:17 The big break came when the automobile company specified our cellulose acetate material for interior appointments.

00:21:26 It was a happy time, a great moment, and a golden opportunity for us.

00:21:34 The growth and development of the Plastics industry during my 22 career years was absolutely fantastic.

00:21:42 It has continued, and as has been said here tonight, we now have an over $100 million a year industry

00:21:50 which creates jobs for over 1.5 million people.

00:21:55 The National Plastics Exhibition here in Chicago is a dramatic illustration of the progress which the industry has made.

00:22:05 The early dreams I once had for plastics have been crossed the fence by the growth and achievements of some 56 years.

00:22:14 I say I was very fortunate to have an opportunity to be a part of this.

00:22:20 Again, I say thanks to the Eastman people and to many friends who have along the way,

00:22:26 and for the loving, helpful, loyal support of my wife, Harris, and my family, and for the Lord whose presence was with me.

00:22:36 Thank you very much.