Plaque from American Society for Metals awarded to James A. Parsons Jr.
date: label: Date
content: 1971
name: label: Issued by
content: ASM International, American, founded 1913
label: Received by
content: James A. Parsons Jr., American, 1900 - 1989
label: Signed by
content: Allan Ray Putnam, American, 1920 - 2009
label: Signed by
content: Adolph Jay Lena, American, 1925 - 1997
label: Signed by
content: Thomas Ernest Leontis, American, 1917 - 1995
notes: 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 plaque from the American Society for Metals (ASM International) awarded to James Albert Parsons in 1971. The plaque has a wood base with a central, cream-colored field with black printed text, the first letter of Parsons’ name in red text, and the seal of the association in the front, lower left corner. The plaque awards Parson the honor of "Life Member" status. It was signed by the association’s managing director, Alan Ray Putnam, the secretary Adolph J. Lena, and the president Thomas E. Leontis.
place: label: Place depicted
content: Geauga County, Ohio, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Engineering
label: Topic
content: Professional organizations
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: 2015.246.3
objectType: label: Type
content: commemorative plaques
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No Known Copyright Restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: ink and wood
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 11 × 14 in. (27.9 × 35.6 cm)