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[Newspaper] Publication: The Muncie Evening Press Muncie, IN, United States |
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Obituaries W. P. Zimmerman, ex-Owens-Illinois official, is dead Willard Paul Zimmerman, 85, who developed a process that started glass block on its way as a staple building material while living in Muncie five decades ago, died Wednesday at his home in Ottawa Hills, Ohio, a suburb of Toledo. In 1920, Mr. Zimmerman joined the Hemingray Glass Co. in Muncie as secretary/treasurer and became Owens-Illinois plant manager when that firm bought Hemingray in 1933. His name is on the invention covering the original method of welding two halves of glass block. He was called to the Toledo headquarters of Owens-Illinois to manage the company's industrial material division. While in that capacity, he became associated with research and development, and held several patents. He was acting head of Owens-Illinois from 1942-45 and was named executive vice-president in 1946. He was manager of the general products division in 1949 and retired in 1956 as executive vice-president. Surviving are a son, Willard Paul Zimmerman, Jr. of Indianapolis and a daughter, Mrs. Doris Jean Fox of Toledo. Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Bennett Funeral Home in Toledo. Calling will be after 7 p.m. today. |