University District in Columbus in Franklin County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Roy J. Plunkett

June 26, 1910 - May 12, 1994

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., March 15, 2009

1. Roy J. Plunkett Marker

Inscription. Roy J. Plunkett was born in New Carlisle, Ohio, and graduated from Newton Township High School in Pleasant Hill. He received his B.A. degree from Manchester College before enrolling as a graduate student in chemistry at The Ohio State University, receiving his Ph.D. in 1936 under the direction of William Lloyd Evans in the McPherson Chemical Laboratory. On April 6, 1938, while employed by the Du Pont Company to develop a nontoxic refrigerant, Plunkett discovered Teflon®, one of the most important polymers of the 20th century. On that day, Dr. Plunkett opened a tank of gaseous tetrafluoroethylene only to find that the gas was gone--its molecules had combined with another (“polymerized”) to form a solid material. Teflon has been used on cookware, the outer skin of space suits, nose cones of space vehicles, bone replacement, and much more.

Erected 2003 by The Ohio Bicentennial Commission, The International Paper Company Foundation, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 48-25.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Industry & Commerce • Science & Medicine. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 6, 1938.

Location.

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40° 0.139′ N, 83° 0.704′ W. Marker is in Columbus, Ohio, in Franklin County. It is in the University District. It is on 18th Avenue, on the left when traveling east. Marker is on The Ohio State University campus, in the courtyard south of the Celeste Laboratory of Chemistry, west of the Newman and Wolfram Laboratory of Chemistry, and east of McPherson Chemical Lab. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 120 W 18th Avenue, Columbus OH 43210, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Scioto Valley.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Chilled Water (about 800 feet away, measured in a direct line); Site of Ohio Field (about 800 feet away); Spirit (about 800 feet away); Leaders (about 800 feet away); World War II Memorial (about 800 feet away); Wilbur H. Siebert Collection (about 800 feet away); Venus (approx. 0.2 miles away); Tradition (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbus.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., March 15, 2009

2. Roy J. Plunkett Marker

The Celeste Laboratory of Chemistry is in background.

Paul J. Flory image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., March 15, 2009

3. Paul J. Flory

Nobel laureate in chemistry. OSU graduate 1931. Erected June 1985. Ohio Staters, Inc. Marker is located near the west facade of McPherson Chemical Lab.

Paul J. Flory Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr.

4. Paul J. Flory Marker

Marker to left of west entrance to McPherson Chemical Lab.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 31, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 28, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,630 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 28, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.