Section history
The Palisades-MidAtlantic section of SPE has a long legacy of involvement in New Jersey and the surrounding regions. The geographic section was formed in June 2021 by the merger of the Palisades-New Jersey section with the Lehigh Valley (PA) section. The Lehigh section itself was formed in November 1986. The Palisades-New Jersey section was formed in October 2008 by a merger of the Newark Section (founded in February 1944) and the Palisades Section (founded in January 1964).
Notable members
Our scholarships are named in honor of some of our section members. You can read about them here.
One of these is Salvatore J. Monte, President of Kenrich Petrochemicals, who has a long list of accolades, most recently being named to the Plastics Hall of Fame in 2021. You can read all about Sal and his company in the SPE Plastics Engineering 80th anniversary issue from July 2022 article “Champion for Change.”
Another scholarship is named in memory of Al Whitney, who was awarded the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the Vinyl Division and the Society of Plastics Engineers.
Al Whitney made many contributions to the plastics industry and to our section in particular. He was instrumental in founding our section in 1964 and the Vinyl Division in 1970. Al suggested starting a journal to contain vinyl research, and the Journal of Vinyl Technology was founded in 1978; it became the Journal of Vinyl & Additive Technology in 1995, noted the new editor of JVAT, Jim Summers, in a presentation at last year’s VinylTech.
August 8, 1914 - November 27, 2014
Another scholarship is named in memory of Al Whitney, who was awarded the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the Vinyl Division and the Society of Plastics Engineers.
August 8, 1914 - November 27, 2014
Al Whitney made many contributions to the plastics industry and to our section in particular. He was instrumental in founding our section in 1964 and the Vinyl Division in 1970. Al suggested starting a journal to contain vinyl research, and the Journal of Vinyl Technology was founded in 1978; it became the Journal of Vinyl & Additive Technology in 1995, noted the new editor of JVAT, Jim Summers, in a presentation at last year’s VinylTech.
Al was the editor of the Spec Sheet for many years, and worked to make it an award-winning publication, as shown in this picture from 1994, when he accepted an award for the Grand Prize Winner of SPE Section Newsletters. Al spent many hours editing and publishing. He gave his time generously and graciously helped me get started following his footsteps as editor in 2011, while he continued finding sponsors to support the newsletter. He was committed to the success of the newsletter and SPE and has left that legacy to our section.
— Jennifer Markarian
In November 2013, Al Whitney was awarded the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the Vinyl Division and the Society of Plastics Engineers. Although Al was not able to be present at the VinylTech meeting, Mark Lavach gave a speech, excerpted here, detailing some of Al’s work so that all present would be able to appreciate Al’s contributions to our industry.
Al (Alva) Whitney traces his family lineage back to Eli Whitney (the famous inventor of the cotton gin). Al’s grandfather was a lab assistant to Thomas Alva Edison, and Al was named in Edison’s honor. Al graduated from the Newark College of Engineering (now NJIT) in 1936. He worked as a salesman, and the bulk of his career was spent with the Goodyear Corporation in vinyl and related products. During World War II, Al was instrumental in making sure the US government had a supply of the newly developed synthetic polymer called “vinyl” for its experimental work. Al recognized the need for improved vinyl properties, which led to his association with the young chemist Elliot Weinberg of M&T Chemicals (Arkema). This association initiated the development of modern mercaptide stabilizers and the landmark patent in 1953; these stabilizers are still used today.
Al believes in SPE and the SPE objective and mission. Our section wouldn’t be where we are today without contributions of members like Al Whitney. If not for Al, we might not have our Section at all. In 1962, the New York section of the Society of Plastics Engineers refused to give PVC proper time at its meetings, and so Al started a petition to form the Palisades Section, which was chartered and launched in 1964. Al served as President of the Section four times, and organized many of the committees that would form the basis of the Palisades Section. For example, along with Mel Gerson, he formed the Educational Endowment Committee and Fund, which plays a significant role in what our section is able to do today to support students.
Al was instrumental during the VCM crisis at the landmark Vinyltec conference that had over 1000 attendees. He also worked on many other conferences hosted by the Palisades Section, which was known as the locus of PVC within SPE. For many years, Al, Elliot, and Dave Reilly were critical parts of the operational excellence of the Palisades Section and the development of SPE. In 2008, Al worked on the committee that resulted in the formation of the current Palisades-New Jersey Section, and he continues to be active today, serving as an emeritus member of our BOD and Sponsorship Chair.
For 99 years, Al has defined excellence, and we salute his accomplishments today! Within the Palisades-New Jersey Section, we will be renaming our High School Scholarships in his honor. From humble beginnings, Al built a legacy of excellence. He loves our Section and the SPE, and it means a lot to him that it continues to grow and prosper. If you are not already a member, consider joining today. Congratulations Al, and thank you!
*Al passed away in November 2014 at 100 years old.
