Donald Othmer

Here is an image Donald Othmer taken from the Science History Insitute

In this exhibit, the Giants of Poly booklet about Donald and Mildred Othmer is presented. This booklet was printed by Polytechnic University on the opening of the Othmer Residence Hall in 2002, and given out to attendees, providing a brief biography on the honorees. Below is a summary of the contents of the booklet, detailing the very successful life of the Othmers. 

Donald Othmer was born in Omaha, Nebraska on May 11, 1904. Throughout his youth, Othmer had always demonstrated a keen eye for science, going as far as deriving the Pythagorean theorem himself at 10 years old just by looking at a vacant parking lot. Othmer developed his love and deep interest for the chemistry his senior year of high school and pursued a degree in chemical engineering. Othmer finished his bachelor's degree at the University of Nebraska in 1923 and within the next three years earned his master's and PhD in the same field from the University of Michigan. 

After graduating, Othmer's creative mind got him a job at Kodak Co, where he developed over 40 patents for them. By the 1930s, Othmer felt that he needed to be on his own, developing processes and inventions by his own accord instead of Kodaks. He attempted to start a chemical engineering consulting firm, but the Great Depression curtailed his business plans and led him to a position at Polytechnic as a professor in the chemical engineering department. In 1937, he was named head of the department, a position he held until 1961, when he was named Polytechnic's first Distinguished Professor. As an educator, Othmer was known for his willingness to go out of his way in to help his prized students, including one Joseph Jacobs, and his work ethic and drive.

Donald Othmer's pinnacle achievement as a scientist was his publication of the Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Engineering, which is generally referred to as the "Bible" of that field. Even to this day, Othmer's collection is easily the most referenced source for all things related to applied chemistry. According to Dr. Martin Grayson, a former chemist and editor of the third edition of this encyclopedia, "Kirk-Othmer is the first place chemists and chemical engineers turn when they are starting a new project."

Othmer wasn't just a gifted scientist, he was also an avid investor and philanthropist. His wife Mildred had grown up down the street from the Buffets, whose son happened to be Warren Buffet, one of America's most notorious investors. Towards the beginning of Buffet's career, the Othmer's each invested $25,000 in his holding company Berkshire Hathoway. The returns on this investment generated a majority of the Othmer's wealth which totaled over $750 million. Due to their frugal lifestyle and lack of children, the Othmer's saved most of their wealth leaving over $350 million to five Brooklyn Institutions, $175 to Polytechnic, $147 million to Long Island College Hospital, $15 million to the Brooklyn Historical Society, $11 million to the Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims, and $10.4 million to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. They also left $72 million to Planned Parenthood of New York. In 2002, Polytechnic honored the couple by naming the first dorm built on the Metrotech Campus the Donald F. and Mildred Topp Othmer Residence Hall. 

Being one of the longest tenured professors at Polytechnic, Donald Othmer's impact on the univeristy was significantly more than simply just fiscally. Of course, the Othmer's significant donation to Polytechnic helped to pay for the dorm building and contributed to why they received the honor, but it wasn't the only reason. As the head of the Chemical Engineering department, Othmer helped to cultivate the minds and careers of many succesful engineers; ex. Joe Jacobs. With this in mind, the naming of Polytechnic's first on campus dormitory was extremely appropriate. Even after his death, Othmer's legacy will help to nurture and care for Polytechnic's students by providing them shelter and community.  

As the head of the chemical engineering department, Donald Othmer developed over 150 patents regarding chemical processes, techniques, and inventions that he researched at Polytechnic. This expansive list demontrates a small but powerful portion of Othmer's direct impact on the field of applied chemistry.

Below, an image of the Othmer residence, provided by the Davis Brody Bond architecture firm, is presented.