Hagley Museum and Library
Wednesday, February 24, 2021 7:00 pm EST
When Dr. Wesley Memeger, Jr. started at DuPont in 1964, he was only the fourth African American with a doctorate in chemistry to join the firm. Over the course of a 32-year career, he amassed fourteen patents and left his mark on some of DuPont’s most famous products, like Kevlar. His passion for chemistry continues to reverberate in his art, which often explores the geometrical themes reminiscent of molecular models. Today, he and wife Harriet, a fiber artist, pursue their joint love of art together.
Join us as Memeger recounts his journey, beginning as the son and grandson of farmers in St. Augustine during the Jim Crow era, following his interest in science to Clark University, a historically Black university in Atlanta at the height of the Civil Rights Era, to beginning a family and career in Wilmington, Delaware amid growing civil unrest. Throughout his life, he has advanced innovation, justice, philanthropy, and art.
Tune in to YouTube Premieres on Wednesday, February 24 at 7 p.m. (a link and instructions will follow shortly) when we premiere the 40-minute documentary, hosted by Dr. Jeanne Nutter, Professor of Media Communications at Bloomfield College and an award-winning oral historian. We hope you can join to celebrate Memeger's many accomplishments spanning his career at DuPont. Until then, click the button below to learn more about this video oral history project from the spring issue of Hagley Magazine. Be sure to subscribe to Hagley's YouTube channel to be the first to know about our latest videos.