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American Plastics History Association Collection

An inventory of its collection at Syracuse University

Overview of the Collection

Title: American Plastics History Association Collection
Inclusive Dates: 1990-2007
Quantity: 2 folders (SC)
Abstract: Newsletters and miscellaneous material related to the American Plastics History Association
Language: English
Repository: Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
222 Waverly Avenue
Syracuse, NY 13244-2010
https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

The American Plastics History Association (APHA) was founded by George Marshall Naul and Keith Lauer in 1997 and operated until 2000.

George Marshall Naul was a chemical engineer who worked for General Electric, Celanese, Owens Corning, and a number of other organizations. Naul also authored and edited a couple of books on automobiles, especially related to their history.

Keith Lauer was a curator at the National Plastics Center and Museum in Leominster, MA. He also published a book on celluloid, served as Leominster's Ward 3 Counselor for 14 years, and was the president of the Leominster Historical Society for 6 years.

The two men recognized a need to document the history of the plastics industry pioneers and started the American Plastics History Association to collect member stories. The association was based off of the British Plastics Historical Society, of which both men were members. Though members were loyal to APHA, they could not be persuaded to submit their stories to the newsletter, APHA Notes, and without enough material to continue efforts, the association was subsequently disbanded in 2000.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The American Plastics History Association Collection consists of newsletters and miscellaneous.

Newsletters contains APHA Notes.

Miscellaneous contains biographical information, membership lists, etc.

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Arrangement of the Collection

Newsletters are arranged chronologically. Miscellaneous is in no particular order.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Lauer, Keith.
Naul, George Marshall, 1919-2015.

Corporate Bodies

American Plastics History Association.

Subjects

Plastics -- History.
Plastics -- Societies, etc.

Genres and Forms

Newsletters.
Obituaries.

Occupations

Chemical engineers.
Historians.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

American Plastics History Association Collection
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Glenn Beall, 2018.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: KD
Date: 14 Jan 2019
Revision history:

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Inventory

APHA Records
SC 837 Newsletters, APHA Notes Oct 1997-Oct 2000 (16 issues)
SC 837 Miscellaneous 1990-2007, undated - includes obituaries, membership lists, etc.

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