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Donald R. Hull photograph collection

Creation: 1934-1978
 Collection
Accession: 1996-307

Abstract

Donald Robert Hull (1911-1995) was a longtime employee at the DuPont Company mainly working with nylon and textile fibers. The collection consists of four scrapbook albums of material from Donald Hull's career with the Du Pont Company.

Dates

  • Creation: 1934-1978

Creator

Extent

4.5 Linear Feet

General Physical Description

4 albums (358 photographic prints, 88 items, 1 negative) ; 38 x 33 cm. or smaller. 1 photographic print : b&w ; 4 x 5 in.

Biographical Note

Donald Robert Hull (1911-1995) was a longtime employee at the DuPont Company mainly working with nylon and textile fibers. Hull was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 31, 1911 and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering in 1934. He joined E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company in the same year and worked at the Old Hickory Rayon Plant in Tennessee before being transferred to the Experimental Station near Wilmington. From 1951 to 1957 he was Technical Superintendent of the Seaford Nylon Plant, after which he returned to Wilmington as Engineering Development Manager for all new fiber products. In 1969 he invented conductive fibers for static control in nylon carpet.

Hull retired from Du Pont in 1976 and in 1980 formed Fiber Concepts, Inc., a consulting firm, through which he continued his work in nylon and textile fibers. In 1988 he was among the first recipients of the Nylon Technology Awards. He died at his home in Wilmington on October 15, 1995.

Scope and Content

The collection consists of four scrapbook albums of material from Donald Hull's career with the DuPont Company. One album contains photographs documenting the history of Nylon from the years 1935 to 1940, including a portrait of Wallace Carothers and numerous views of equipment, machinery, manufacture, etc. A second album documents Hull's career at the Old Hickory Rayon Plant, the Experimental Station, and the Seaford Nylon Plant during the years 1934 to 1957, including the original offer letter of employment from the DuPont Company to Hull, photographs of the plants and employees, organization charts, and other memorabilia. Another album is dedicated solely to the Carothers Research Laboratory at the Experimental Station. The inscription on the first page of the album states: "These pages were assembled and presented to those leaving Carothers Research Laboratory. I received this copy when transferred to Seaford as Technical Superintendent on July 1, 1951." The album includes photographs of the Experimental Station and the Carothers Lab, employees at work, and equipment. The fourth album contains photographs and other items related to Hull's career at the Chestnut Run Laboratories and Experimental Station in Wilmington, during the years 1957 to 1976, including photographs of employees, organization charts, notes about Hull's retirement, and patents issued to Hull.

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Custodial History

Items transferred from MSS ACC 2137, Donald Hull papers.

Separated Materials

Donald R. Hull papers (Accession 2137), Manuscripts and Archives Department, Hagley Museum and Library

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title:
Donald R. Hull photograph collection
Author:
Laura Dietrich and encoded by Laurie Rizzo
Date:
2013
Description rules:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description:
English
Script of description:
Latin

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Audiovisual Collections Repository

Contact:
PO Box 3630
Wilmington Delaware 19807 USA
302-658-2400