Diploma from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute awarded to James A. Parsons Jr.
date: label: Date
content: June 16, 1922
name: label: Issued by
content: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, American, founded 1824
label: Received by
content: James A. Parsons Jr., American, 1900 - 1989
label: Signed by
content: Palmer C. Ricketts, American, 1856 - 1934
notes: label: Caption
content: James A. Parsons Jr. was the second African American to receive a degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute since its founding in 1824. Garnet Douglass Baltimore was first, earning his degree in 1881, 41 years before Parsons.
label: Caption
content: James A. Parsons Jr. was the second African American to receive a degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute since its founding in 1824. Garnet Douglass Baltimore was first, earning his degree in 1881, 41 years before Parsons.
label: Caption
content: James A. Parsons Jr. was a scientist, inventor, and university professor, whose research with rust resistant metals and iron alloys is credited with leading to the development of stainless steel. He developed Durimet 20, a corrosion-resistant stainless steel alloy also known as Alloy 20, which is still widely used today in a diverse range of industries including petrochemical, textile, nuclear, aerospace, automotive, pharmaceutical, textile and chemical and food processing.
label: Caption
content: Born in 1900, Parsons grew up in Dayton, OH, where his father worked as a butler for Pierce Schenk, the founder of metal manufacturer Duriron Co. Schenk covered Parsons’ tuition at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in exchange for Parsons’ work over summer breaks. Parsons graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in 1922 with a degree in Electrical Engineering and returned to working at Duriron Co., where he eventually established what was likely the first all-Black industrial research laboratory. Over the course of his career, Parsons received eight patents, won the Harmon Medal in 1928 for his scientific achievements, and had a distinguished teaching career at Tennessee Agriculture and Industrial State College (now Tennessee State University) and Ohio State University.
label: Description
content: A diploma from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute awarded to James Albert Parsons on June 16, 1922. The diploma is printed in black text on off-white paper and has a large header reading [Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute / Founded / In The Year Eighteen Hundred Twenty Four / in the City of Troy and the State of New York] in multiple fonts and decorative flourishes. The names have been completed by hand in black ink and the diploma states "said James Albert Parsons has been admitted to the degree of Electrical Engineer." There is a red seal near the bottom right corner and the signatures of the institute's president and secretary at the bottom.
place: label: Place depicted
content: Troy, Rensselaer County, New York, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Education
label: Topic
content: Engineering
label: Topic
content: Science
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Awards, Medals, and Insignia
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Grant Shipp
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2015.246.1
objectType: label: Type
content: diplomas
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Public domain
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: ink on paper on cardboard
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 17 11/16 × 13 13/16 in. (44.9 × 35.1 cm)