Evansville, Ind. — Roger Chapman, the CEO of Evansville-based customer compounder Nova Polymers Inc., died Aug. 4. He was 82.
Chapman was born in Smiths Grove, Ky., and moved to Richland, Wash., in 1944, where his father worked on the Manhattan Project, which produced plutonium for the first atomic bomb. Chapman served in the U.S. Navy from 1953-1957, and he met his wife Georgia DuVall while they were both stationed in San Francisco.
After discharge from the Navy, Chapman graduated from Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio. He started his plastics career with Marbon Chemical in Parkersburg, W.Va., in 1959.
That was followed by stints at Uniroyal Chemical in Northfield, Minn.; USS Chemical in Baton Rouge, La., and Ferro Corp. in Evansville, Ind.
In Evansville, Chapman met Tom Lee, and together they started Nova Polymers in 1984. The company compounds flame retardant, UV resistant and reinforced resins, including custom colors.
Chapman died from an aggressive form of lymphoma. Survivors include Georgia, his wife of 61 years, and the following family members who work at Nova Polymers: daughter Kathy Hirsch, human resources; daughter Denise Bartholomew, purchasing and sales; son Jim, vice president; and daughter-in-law Jenny, customer service.
Chapman was a member of the Society of Plastics Engineers and the American Society of Electroplated Plastics. Services were held Aug. 10 in Evansville.