262 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OFf.COSMETIC CHEMISTS this country, Dr. Kunz found Amer- ica greatly concerned not only with the German threat to the allies-- the year was 1915--but with the critical position of our textile, paint, and other industries, so completely dependent upon German dyestuffs. America, in need of such dyes, con- tinued to purchase from Germany despite our sympathies for her ene- mies, but it was becoming more and more difficult to run the blockade. And, as the sentiment in favor of .•merican participation in the war became greater, the specter of a disintegrating textile industry was one of the most vital concerns of our lawmakers. Where in America could be found the talent, the experience, the knowledge, and what has come to be called the know-how, necessary for the rapid building of a native synthetic dyestuff industry? It was the conviction of Dr. Kunz that such an industry could be built in this country, and to this task the young chemist offered himself. The result is well known: German dye- stuffs were replaced by American- made dyes during the First World War. And one of the first and one of the 4arger synthetic dyestuff plants to supply these substances was at Lodi, N.J., where a dyestuff divi- sion of the United Piece Dye Works was established with the collabora- tion of Dr. Kunz. It is to this period in his life that can be re- corded one of his early achieve- ments, the manufacture for the first time in this country of phos- gene, dyestuff intermediate and war gas desperately needed by the American Army. In recognition of the war-time deeds of the man, and in order to utilize his grasp of chemical eco- nomics and his knowledge of the German chemical industry, the De- partment of State invited Dr. Kunz --although not yet a citizen--to as- sist Di-. Charles Hetty, representing the United States Government at Versailles. And in that capacity Dr. Kunz aided in the drafting of several paragraphs in the peace treaty pertaining to the German dye- stuff industry. The synthetic dyestuff division of United Piece Dye Works had l•een sold at the suggestion of Dr. Kunz, to dupont after the close of the First World War, and Dr. Kunz was "sold" with it, remaining with dupont until 1925, when he re- joined the Givaudan organization, to head its efforts in the U.S.A. As executive manager and vice- president, and later as president of Givaudan-Delawanna, Dr. Kunz guided the affairs of this company, and dedicated himself to the build- ing of an aromatic chemical indus- try in this country, and to making America independent in synthetic perfumery, just as he had aided its achieving independence in synthetic dyes. Thus, rever. sing the role that our nation was playing to a greater and greater extent through- out the world, it was imported tal- ent and imported knowledge that aided immeasurably in building a synthetic perfume industry in Amer- ica.

ERIC C. KUNZ--MEDALIST 263 The building of an industry is never the work of one man it is the attainment of his company, which is a team, in conjunction with many competitive firms, all functioning in an industrial milieu in which the raw materials are obtainable and the products find a sale. But I believe that the perfume and cosmetic industries and their suppliers would be unanimous in naming the one man who, more than any other, made the greatest contributions to the growth and development of synthetic aromatics in America. In co-operation with his many colleagues and coworkers in Dela- wanna, and aided by the experience of his colleagues abroad, Dr. Kunz guided the company in the es- tablishment of numerous installa- tions for the manufacture of aro- matics that had never before been made in this country on a plant scale established new processes that made possible greater purity of material, brought prices down- ward in an effort to increase the use, and then with increased use estab- lished larger production in order to bring prices lower again. One need but compare the pro- duction of this industry today with that of a quarter of a century back to see an almost unparalleled and certainly unforeseeable growth compare its prices today with those of former times, and find consistent reductions. It is for these achieve- ments that Dr. Kunz can share in the spotlight of honor. The efforts of Dr. Kunz were twofold--first, to convince the American cosmetics and perfume industries that this country could supply aromatics of as fine a qual- ity, from both cl•mical and olfac- tory point-of-view, as could be ob- tained from Europe and, second, to build up and make available to these industries a line of chemicals of domestic production encompass- ing practically all synthetic perfume materials in daily use. But his achievements were not confined to perfumery. Under his guidance, and largely due to the direct work of Dr. Kunz, the com- pany brought for the first time on the American market a highly puri- fied cetyl alcohol, utilizable by the cosmetic indt•stry. It was Dr. Kunz who did pioneering work as early as 1926 on stabilization of the aldehydes, and particularly phenyl- acetaldehyde, so important in per- fume mixtures for creams. The development of antioxidants, partic- ularly for stearic acid, was a major contribution in the stabilization of white creams and other cosmetics. Dr. Kunz was one of the inventors of a mixture of isopropyl esters of fatty acids, that has come to be known as Deltyl, and that has found wide ap- plication as a substitute for mineral oil, but having the advantage of greater stability and freedom from rancidity. . Always acutely interested in chemical economics, Dr. Kunz has taken a foremost role in the work of the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association, of which he has been a vice-president on the Board of Governors, and has par- ticipated in the formation of its