Oliver M. Hayden
The information listed below is current as of the date the transcript was finalized.
Interview Details
Interview Sessions
Abstract of Interview
Hayden begins with his life in Windsor, Connecticut, his academic life at Clark College, and his first employment with insurance companies in Hartford. He served in clinical laboratories and other assignments in the US Army Sanitation Corps during World War I. He joined the Fisk Rubber Company, where he gained experience in rubber compounding and quality control. Hayden then moved to the Organic Chemicals Department of DuPont, where he worked in screening chemicals for use in the rubber industry, the development of neoprene, and became Manager of the Rubber Laboratory. He moved into Technical Sales management, Rubber Chemicals Division, and became Assistant Director of Sales in the Elastomer Chemicals Department. During the interview he talks about colleagues he knew and friends he made at Fisk, DuPont and in the rubber industry.
Education
Year | Institution | Degree | Discipline |
---|---|---|---|
1914 | Clark College | AB | Chemistry |
Professional Experience
Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company
Hartford Accident and Indemnity Company
US Army
Fisk Rubber Company
E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.
Honors
Year(s) | Award |
---|---|
1955 | DSc, Clark University |
1958 | Honorary Member, Committee D-11, American Society for Testing and Materials |
1979 | 50-year Member, American Chemical Society |
Table of Contents
Early life on a tobacco farm in Connecticut. Small country schoolroom. High school in Winsdor.
Clark College and Faculty. World War I service in US Sanitary Corps. Marriage.
Children and their careers.
Start of career. Quality control and compounding.
Move to DuPont Rubber Laboratory. Neoprene development. DuPont colleagues. Other synthetic rubber developments. German pre-war synthetic rubber progress. Experiences on visit there.
ASTM and ACS. Further reflections on DuPont colleagues.
About the Interviewer
Raymond C. Ferguson obtained his degrees in chemistry from Iowa State University (BS, MS) and Harvard University (PhD). He worked in research divisions of the Organic Chemicals, Elastomer Chemicals, and Central Research Departments of DuPont, principally in molecular spectroscopy, organic structure analysis, and polymer characterization. Currently he is affiliated with CONDUX, Inc., a consulting association of former DuPont professionals.