Charles J. Strosacker

Charles J. Strosacker (November 15, 1882 – March 27, 1963) was a chemical engineer, Dow Chemical Company pioneer, executive and board member who is best known for the work of the charitable foundation he established six years before his death. In over six decades of existence, it has made donations exceeding $126 million.[2]

Early years

Charles J. Strosacker was born in 1882 in Valley City, Ohio. He was the third of four children of William George Strosacker, a farmer and blacksmith, and his wife, Caroline Fredricka Frank. His parents were both first generation citizens of German immigrant parents.[3] His youth was spent working at his grandfather's store, working on the family farm, and attending a single room school.[4] Strosacker studied at Baldwin University from 1902 to 1903 then attended Case School of Applied Science, now known as Case School of Engineering at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He studied chemical engineering, was a member of the science and engineering honor society Sigma Xi and graduated in 1906 with a Bachelor of Science degree.[4] He was a lifetime member of the American Chemical Society. While employed at Dow, he pursued graduate studies at the University of Michigan, where he earned a chemistry doctorate in 1912.

Business

His first job was with the Ontario Nickel Company, but the company went bankrupt in the Panic of 1907. He joined Dow Chemical in 1907 at the invitation of Herbert Henry Dow, another Case alumni. That same financial crisis effected Dow Chemical as well with the company unable to pay their employees for months. Many quit for other jobs; those who stayed were compensated with Dow stock certificates worth nothing. Strosacker was one of those. Having no family and savings from his first job, he waited for the company to come back.[5]

When H.H. Dow died in 1930, Strosacker was appointed to the board of directors.[4] Dow trademarked "Saran" in 1940,[6] but the company did not initially develop the product commercially. In 1941, Strosacker received a promotion to vice president.

After the war ended, two Dow employees began a side business by cutting the film into 12" wide, 25' lengths and marketing it as "cling wrap" in 1947. Strosacker convinced them to sell their venture to Dow in 1948 and the following year, Dow marketed a commercial version of the product.[7]

Strosacker remained a vice president until his retirement after 54 years of service[8] and 34 patents.

Family

Strosacker never married but was social with membership in the Midland Country Club and the Midland Supper Club. He was dedicated to his sister and family. His father died in 1917; his brother married but died in 1922 with no children. His oldest sister Anna married and had two children, James and Ethel, but Anna died in 1939, two years after their mother. Charles was less under 60 years old.

In November, 1942, Strosacker's sister Bertha died of breast cancer; in response, he funded the construction of a Presbyterian church. "The Bertha E. R. Strosacker Memorial Presbyterian Church", as he wished to name it, was completed in 1953.[4]

Civic involvement

In addition to his contributions to the church, he assisted widows and others who were in need, paying bills and house payments.[4] Strosacker was a Freemason, a founding member of the Midland Rotary Club[10] and designated a noteworthy chemical engineer by Marquis Who's Who.

External links

• Charles J. Strosacker bio
• Charles J. Strosacker Foundation