Waldo L. Semon
B. F. Goodrich Company
Inducted 1982
Waldo Lonsbury Semon (1898 – 1999) was an American chemist who discovered how to plasticize polyvinyl chloride (PVC). This practical development led to the widespread use of PVC in consumer and industrial applications. Semon is also known for developing widely used plastisol technology and many other innovations in plastic and rubber materials.
Born in Demopolis, Alabama, Semon graduated from the University of Washington with a B.S. in chemistry and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering. He was initially hired as a faculty member at the university but found it difficult to live on an instructor’s salary and left academia for an industry position.
He worked at B. F. Goodrich Company from 1926 until 1963 as a chemist and eventually as director of research and development. These leading teams invented many types of plastic and rubber materials. Semon developed a method of plasticizing PVC, converting it from a hard, unworkable substance into a pliable one that could be melted and was useful for hundreds of everyday products and cost-effective.
Semon also worked on material additives and processes for improving the performance of natural rubber and eventually developed a synthetic substitute for natural rubber. Before World War II, Semon developed a form of synthetic rubber known as Ameripol™ (a name derived from American and Polymer). He was also an active researcher for the government’s synthetic rubber development program during World War II, which was essential to the Allied war effort. Semon held 116 U.S. patents and many international patents.
After his long and productive career at B.F., Goodrich, Semon returned to higher education as a research professor at Kent State University. He was the recipient of many honors and awards, including the Charles Goodyear Medal in 1944, the Elliott Cresson Medal from the Franklin Institute in 1964, and he was named to the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1995.
Areas of Expertise:
Plastic and rubber materials