The Rubber Mirror: Reflections of the Rubber Division's First 100 Years

In 1909, a courageous group of twenty-eight rubber chemists, members of the American Chemical Society took a bold move and formed a subsection of the society -- the India Rubber Chemistry Section -- to discuss issues more pertinent to the industries for which they worked. The impetus for their almost rebel-like decision was not self-aggrandizement but a simple desire to share information about the properties of rubber. They reasoned that collective minds working in harmony would help solve the problems of their industry. They also wanted a forum that offered them the opportunity to exchange data and thoughts without fear of reprisal.  In retrospect, they were right: Collective minds could indeed help their causes. One hundred years later, their success and the legacy they passed to those who followed can be seen in virtually every rubber or plastic product today.  Great people often come from simple backgrounds, and it is in understanding this that we can better appreciate their individual and collective achievements. Through this book, as it reveals a little of their identities--often not at all related to rubber--the reader can come to know those members of the Rubber Division and their contributions to the industry.