Patsy O’Connell Sherman (September 15, 1930– February 11, 2008) was an American

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...

and co-inventor of

Scotchgard Scotchgard is a 3M brand of stain repellent and durable water repellent applied to fabrics, upholstery, and carpets to protect them from stains. Scotchgard products typically are based on organofluorine chemicals dissolved in a petroleum d ...

, a 3M brand of products, a

stain A stain is a discoloration that can be clearly distinguished from the surface, material, or medium it is found upon. They are caused by the chemical or physical interaction of two dissimilar materials. Accidental staining may make materials app ...

repellent and

durable water repellent Durable water repellent, or DWR, is a coating added to fabrics at the factory to make them water-resistant (''hydrophobic''). Most factory-applied treatments are fluoropolymer based; these applications are quite thin and not always effective. Dur ...

Early life

Patsy O'Connell Sherman was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She grew up in an era where women were not permitted to higher levels of education, but despite this, her father encouraged her to pursue it. Her father was also very passionate about science his entire life, and that encouraged her even more. During this time, men were overseas fighting in the World War while women were expected to pick up the slack, giving them freedom and independence, which she heavily used. She attended Minneapolis North High School, where she did the men's aptitude test as the woman just told her housewife, and she wasn't happy with that. Shadowing her father, she chose to pursue a career in finance and graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College as a chemistry and math major - she was the first ever to do so. �

Career

At 3M

In 1952, Sherman started her career at 3M. With Samuel Smith, Sherman co-invented

, which soon become one of the most famous and widely used stain repellent and soil removal products in North America. The invention of Scotchgard was sparked by an accident. Sherman and coworkers were initially assigned to develop a rubber that could be used for jet fuel hoses. A sample of a fluorochemical rubber was accidentally spilled on an assistant's shoe. After exhaustive attempts to remove the rubber failed, Sherman realized that the material could be used as a repellant for oil, water, and other solvents. Sherman and Smith received a patent in 1971 for the "invention of block and graft copolymers containing water-solvatable polar groups and fluoroaliphatic groups." Sherman holds 13 patents with Smith in fluorochemical polymers and polymerization processes. In 1974, Sherman was the first woman to be named to the Carlton Society, 3M's Hall of Fame ("for her surface energy research leading to the development of the 3M™ Scotchgard™ Fabric Protectant, and for her research in fluorochemical polymerization and synthesis of polymers"). Sherman remained at 3M for several years, improving and expanding the Scotchgard line of products. She later became a laboratory manager and, in the mid-1980s, she developed the company's technical education department. In October 2002, along with notable speakers such as

Steve Wozniak Stephen Gary Wozniak (; born August 11, 1950), also known by his nickname Woz, is an American technology entrepreneur, electrical engineer, computer programmer, philanthropist, and inventor. In 1976, he co-founded Apple Inc., Apple Computer with ...

(the inventor of the

Apple computer Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Computer Co ...

), Sherman spoke at the 200th anniversary celebration of the

United States Patent and Trademark Office The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency in the United States Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark ...

. She was one of 37 inventors who spoke on the process of invention. She said

Advocating for women in science

Sherman was an outspoken advocate for women in science. "Girls should follow their dreams," she said. "They can do anything anybody else can do. They have many more role models today -- not the least of whom might be their mothers." During development of the Scotchgard product in the 1950s, Sherman was required to wait for performance results outside of the

textile mill Textile manufacturing or textile engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful good ...

during testing due to a rule at that time that banned women from the mill. At that time, there were very few female chemists; Sherman was a rarity in the corporate environment.

Recognition

*Inducted into the Minnesota Science & Technology Hall of Fame (2011). *Inducted into the

National Inventors Hall of Fame The National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) is an American not-for-profit organization, founded in 1973, which recognizes individual engineers and inventors who hold a US patent of significant technology. Besides the Hall of Fame, it also operate ...

(2001) and served on the board of directors. *Joseph M. Biedenbach Distinguished Service Award from the

American Society for Engineering Education American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, ...

(1991). *Distinguished Alumni Citation Recipient for Scientific Research (1975). *First woman inducted into the Carlton Society, 3M's Hall of Fame

Personal life

Sherman retired from 3M in 1992, garnering further external recognition. Following a December 2007 stroke, she died February 11, 2008. Her husband Hubert Sherman had died in 1996, while her two surviving daughters were Shari Loushin (also a 3M chemist) and Wendy Heil, who owned Advanced Optics, Inc.

References

External links

Patsy Sherman, Invention of Scotchgard Stain Repellent
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherman, Patsy O. 20th-century American inventors 1930 births 2008 deaths American women chemists American women inventors Gustavus Adolphus College alumni 20th-century American chemists 20th-century American women scientists