The Hagley community was saddened to learn of the passing of Joseph “Joe” Plasky.
We first had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Plasky in 2009 when he contacted us about conducting an oral history project with former DuPont Company employees from the Textile Fibers Department. He dedicated more than 15 years to recording over 300 interviews with former DuPonters and created a remarkable and invaluable record of the company’s history from the 1950s through the 2000s. These interviews are now preserved in the Hagley Digital Archives and are being transcribed thanks to a generous grant from the Forney Family Foundation.
During his 36-year career as an engineer with DuPont, Mr. Plasky worked in West Virginia, Delaware, and North Carolina. The interviews he conducted with former colleagues provide insights into the company’s culture and operations; they also underscore his dedication to documenting an important era in DuPont’s history. In the interviews, Joe’s enthusiasm also shines through, and he would sometimes throw in an occasional exclamation of “Holy Catfish!” when a shared anecdote was particularly compelling.
We invite you to read Mr. Plasky’s obituary and join us in celebrating a life well lived.
In 2023, we had the honor of interviewing Mr. Plasky for our Hagley History Hangouts series.
Thank you, Joe—you will be missed.
Kevin Martin is the Curator of Library Collection and the Mellon Curator of AV and Digital Collections