Loctite
Loctite is an adhesive and sealant developed by Trinity Professor Vernon K. Krieble in Trinity laboratories. The anaerobic threadlocking adhesive was intended for metalworking industries so that nuts and bolts did not come loose from industrial machinery vibrations. However, Loctite quickly revolutionized any industry that found use in “bonding, sealing or locking metal parts.”
Dr. Vernon K. Krieble became Trinity's Scovill Professor of Chemistry in 1920 and served as faculty until his retirement in 1955. The Scovill Professorship was established in 1854 by trustees John and William Scovill, and the Rev. Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Class of 1841, was its first faculty member.
In 1953, Krieble invented the Loctite sealant while working in Trinity's laboratories in the Clement Chemistry Building. Krieble founded the American Sealants Company the same year, with his son Robert H. Krieble, Hon. Sc.D. '74, and soon offered other Trinity faculty the opportunity to purchase shares of his company. Krieble presented his adhesive “Loctite, the liquid locknut” to the University Club in New York on July 26, 1956. In 1961, American Sealants began offering a full scholarship to a student majoring in chemistry. The company was renamed Loctite Corporation in 1963.
Vernon Krieble died in 1964, but his son Robert continued to serve as Chief Executive until 1985. Loctite quickly became an international company and was acquired by German manufacturer Henkel in 1997. It is still “the leading global specialist for structural adhesives,” is sold in 130 countries, and is a multi-billion dollar corporation.
Prior to its takeover by Henkel, in February 1997 Loctite donated $1 million ($200,000 each year for 5 years) to support the redevelopment of city blocks in Hartford that became the Learning Corridor, which included plans to build a math, science, and technology academy. At the time, Trinity president Evan Dobelle pronounced that “there is no corporation closer to the heart of Trinity than Loctite.” The Courant reported that the sale to Henkel would not affect the donation.
Sources
American Sealants Company collection, Trinity College Archives.
Drop by Drop: The Loctite Story (Loctite Corporation, 1983) by Ellsworth S. Grant, pp. 7-52.
Trinity College in the Twentieth Century (2000) by Peter and Anne Knapp, pp. 50, 289.
"A Tribute to Trinity, Hartford: Loctite Makes a Million-Dollar Statement to City." Dan Haar and Mike Swift. The Hartford Courant, Feb 21, 1997.