Bust of Percy L. Julian, PH.D. - Oak Park, IL
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adgorn
N 41° 53.363 W 087° 47.730
16T E 434004 N 4637800
Bust in Scoville Park was commissioned by the Institute for Science Education and Technology commemorating Dr. Percy L. Julian (1899-1975), chemist, researcher and civil rights activist.
Waymark Code: WM7FHJ
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 10/19/2009
Views: 2
Dedicated 10/25/2003. Sculptor Erik Blome.
Dr. Julian had many achievements and honors, including:
* Discovered a soy protein that was made into a fire-fighting foam that saved thousands of lives in World War II.
* Found a way to synthesize cortisone that made the medicine readily available.
* Held 119 chemical patents.
* Was the first African American to head a research lab at a major chemical company, Glidden Company Soya Division.
* Founded and owned his own very successful chemical research company, which he sold in 1961 for more than $2 million.
* Involved in civil rights causes; worked with the Legal Defense and Education Fund of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to raise funds to fight discrimination with lawsuits.
* Won the Spingarn Medal in 1947, the highest honor given by the NAACP, in recognition of his achievements as an African American. (Other recipients have included George Washington Carver, Thurgood Marshall, Bill Cosby, Oprah Winfrey, and Colin Powell.)
Learn more about Dr. Julian at (
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