Dr. Rudolph D. Deanin
University of Massachuets Lowell
Inducted 2000
“Rudy” Deanin (1921 – 2011) developed and taught courses to over 4,000 plastics and engineering students at the University of Massachusetts Lowell (formerly Lowell Technological Institute). While Lowell has had a B.S. Plastics program since 1954, Rudy Deanin established the Master of Science in Plastics Engineering at UMass Lowell in 1969 and was director of the graduate program for over 30 years. Many alumni and students of the Plastics program recall his prowess on his World War II vintage typewriter, on which he was truly a virtuoso.
Dr. Deanin has authored a pioneering text on the relationship between polymer structure, properties, and practical applications. In his career, he published over 300 scientific papers, 13 books and was the inventor or holder of 36 U.S. and International patents. Dr. Deanin was named Educator of the Year by the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) and was a Fellow of the Society. He served as a Director on the Eastern New England SPE Section Board for decades.
Deanin worked in industry for two decades before being hired as a professor by Russell W. Ehlers, the school’s founder of the Department of Plastics Engineering. Deanin graduated from Cornell University in 1941 with a degree in chemistry and then earned an advanced degree from the University of Illinois, where, during World War II, he was involved in the urgent national program to develop synthetic rubber.
In 1947, he began working at Allied Chemical Corporation before leaving in 1960. From there, Deanin became the director of chemical research and development at DeBell & Richardson Corporation, a major contract research and development firm.
Areas of Expertise:
Plastic materials, Plastic management
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