Sam Smith and Patsy Sherman in a 3M lab circa 1972.
The National Inventors Hall of Fame intends to induct 3M Scotchgard inventors Patsy Sherman and Sam Smith into its organization. The scientists will also be included in a permanent exhibit at the National Inventors Hall of Fame museum in Akron, Ohio.
In 1953, after a co-worker spilled a water-resistant chemical solution on her shoe, Sherman began developing ideas for a solution that could protect textiles from stains. In 1955, with collaborator and supervisor Smith, Sherman invented Scotchgard.
