Overview
William Hale Charch (1898-1958) made one of DuPont’s most critical cellulose chemistry innovations and helped guide the company’s development of synthetic fibers. Charch earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from Ohio State University before joining DuPont in 1925. One of his first assignments was to develop a means of moistureproofing cellophane so that the attractive wrap could be used for food packaging. Moistureproof cellophane, marketed by DuPont, quickly transformed food packaging and marketing worldwide.
After this early success Charch was promoted rapidly. He became associate director of the Rayon Chemical Division in 1929 and director of the Rayon Pioneering Research Section in 1935. In 1947 Charch came to Wilmington, Delaware, where he established the Textile Fibers Department’s Pioneering Research Lab at the Experimental Station. Charch spent the rest of his career directing the development of Teflon® , Orlon® , Dacron® , and Lycra® , and garnered numerous awards for his work.
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