The Show Must Go On
Bakelite Documentary Featured in Yonkers Program
Redding, CT (November 23, 2022)—News from the L.H. Baekeland Project
Despite the recent passing of Hugh Karraker, the executive producer of All Things Bakelite: The Age of Plastic, The L.H. Baekeland Project went ahead with a scheduled presentation of the film at a special event, “Leo Baekeland Returns to Yonkers”, hosted by the Grinton I. Will Yonkers Public Library on Saturday, November 12, 2022.  The Program of History and Reflection, as it was called, featured several guest speakers, among whom Mr. Karraker, the great-grandson of Baekeland, was to be included.
The event, which was well-publicized in local media, had been months in the planning and was meant to illuminate and celebrate the life of one of Yonkers’ most important historical figures, Leo H. Baekeland, the inventor of the world’s first synthetic plastic, Bakelite.

“We originally planned the event in 2019 but had to cancel due to COVID-19. It was important to us, the library, the Yonkers Historical Society and to the people of Yonkers who were interested in one of their own that this show must go on,” said Marc Huberman, media manager of The L.H. Baekeland Project. “And I know Hugh would have wanted us to do it, too, because Yonkers is where Baekeland lived, and where he changed the world forever with his invention of Bakelite.”
Before a lively audience in the library auditorium, the program’s moderator, author Bud Mikhitarian, set the tone of remembrance by honoring the late Mr. Karraker and by comparing him to his great-grandfather as both deeply reflective men driven to make the world a better place.


To mark Mr. Karraker’s untimely absence, but ever-felt presence, an empty chair was set upon the stage, slightly apart from the panel of three special guests, which he was to have been a part.  
Following the screening of the film, Yonkers City Historian and Yonkers Historical Society President Emerita Mary Hoar gave a brief presentation on the history of Yonkers, focusing on the turn of the 20th Century when many luminaries emerged from Yonkers as firsts in their fields, including Baekeland.  

Afterward, she joined the panel to answer questions from the audience and to reflect on the impact of Baekeland’s life and work.  Appearing on the panel with Mary Hoar were John Maher, director of the film, who provided revealing behind-the-scenes stories about the making of the film, and Dr. Louis Pilato, a renowned expert on phenolic resin technology, who spoke about the unique, indestructible characteristics of Bakelite and the challenges of recycling plastic, in general. 
In the audience were several people important to the film and to the day’s program. Craig Mikhitarian, editor of the film and Brenda Renfroe, its costume designer, took a bow, as did Ed Maher, the director’s brother, who supported the film throughout its six-year production.

Members of the Yonkers Historical Society were recognized for their local work and co-sponsorship of the program. In attendance from YHS were Loren Chaidez, president, and Richard Mangini, trustee. Jane Metzger was singled out for her donation of some of Baekeland’s original laboratory glassware to the Yonkers Historical Society and to the Smithsonian Museum, where a definitive collection of Baekeland’s artifacts is exhibited and archived. 

The team at the Grinton I. Will Library was acknowledged with special thanks for making the show possible: Michael Walsh, Librarian II; Aurora Cruz, Will Branch Administrator; Jesse Montero, Director of Yonkers Public Library; Carlos Figueroa, PC Technician II; and the custodians. Also, Dan Murphy, editor at Yonkers Times, Yonkers Rising and Westchester Rising got a tip of the hat for his help in publicizing the event. Read the Yonkers Times article
Finally, to a big round of applause, Hugh Karraker’s wife of 44 years, actress Sherry Arell Karraker was introduced. Her presence and grace warmed everyone’s spirits and deepened the connection everyone felt through her late husband to the history brought alive in the program. Adding to the experience, Mrs. Karraker made available a large array of Baekeland heirlooms and Bakelite items, which the library exhibited in two large display cases. The exhibit has since ended. Thanks again to the display organizers.
Wrapping up the panel discussion, Mikhitarian read a letter written by Leo Baekeland in 1934. In it, he lamented on the existential peril humans faced in the “helter skelter” state of the world.  But upon reflection, he declared that a devotion to scientific research, especially biochemistry, would improve our lives and would make the world a better place.  Baekeland’s prescient words were a poignant note to the end of a program that heralded the similar legacies of two men, inventor Leo H. Baekeland and filmmaker Hugh Karraker, who both believed in invention, education, and advocacy for good.
With the loss of Hugh Karraker, its guiding star, the future of The L.H. Baekeland Project is now uncertain. According to Huberman, project members are exploring ways to continue to advance the knowledge gained from the active and global dialogue about Bakelite and plastic that Karraker inspired. “We’ll always have that beautiful film Hugh left us,” Huberman said. “And like Bakelite, that will be with us forever.”
For more updates on the activities and interests of The L.H. Baekeland Project, including the film All Things Bakelite: The Age of Plastic, please connect with us: