Plastics Hall of Fame to posthumously induct five new members

The Plastics Academy announced Feb. 10 that it is posthumously inducting five new members into the Plastics Hall of Fame, recognizing accomplishments ranging from developing the first open heart surgery coronary bypass pump to the founder of Placon Corp.

The Academy said the inductees will be honored in a May 4 ceremony at the 2017 Spring National Board meeting of the Plastics Industry Association, in Palm Beach, Fla.

The five are:

• L.D. Blackwell, a pioneer in the development of plastics molded products for health care, aerospace, and consumer products. At Houston-based Blackwell Plastics, he helped develop the first coronary by-pass pump used in open heart surgery.

• Saul Blitz, an innovator in injection molding, injection blow molding and plastics processing. Blitz founded Tico Plastics Inc. in New York. He was a well-known speaker at national conferences and one of the original members of the editorial advisory board of Plastics Technology magazine.

• Tom Mohs, founder of Madison, Wis.-based Placon Corp., a leading manufacturer of thermoformed and injection molded packaging, He was an early advocate of closed-loop and continuous production of food service products, as well as a champion for sustainability and use of recycled plastics.

• Leonard Steiner, the developer of the ceramic band heater, which was the standard for heating barrels on plastic processing equipment worldwide. Steiner founded Industrial Heater Corp. in 1921 in New York, and he later became the primary supplier to most equipment manufacturers.

• Lucien Yokana, a leading inventor and designer of extrusion machinery, was the founder of Sterling Extruder and co-founder of Merritt Davis. He was responsible for the design of unique barrier screws as well as gear-drive sheet stack and other new technologies.

“The Plastics Hall of Fame inductees recognize individuals who have a strong record of consistent dedication and extraordinary accomplishments, and who contributed to the stature and growth of the plastics industry," said Jay Gardiner of Gardiner Plastics, Inc., and president of the Plastics Academy.

“The Plastics Hall of Fame gives us an important opportunity to recognize the individuals that made this industry as vital, vibrant and innovative as it is today,” said Plastics Industry Association President & CEO Bill Carteaux, who said each of the inductees “expanded the world's idea of what plastics were capable of.”