Roy V. Harrington

Roy V. Harrington, 82, a retired Ferro executive, died suddenly at his home in Brecksville, Ohio, on Sept. 11.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Harrington obtained a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1949. He then worked at General Foods, helping to build and operate the company’s first radioisotopes laboratory.

Harrington earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Colorado, Boulder, in 1955 before joining Corning Glass. He became manager of materials development and received several patents on television cathode-ray tube glass, glass-ceramics, radiation shields, and electronic glass.

In 1968, Harrington joined Ferro in Cleveland, becoming its vice president and corporate director of research. He designed Ferro’s laboratory in Independence, Ohio, and directed the company’s expansion into new specialty chemicals, plastics, and electronic materials. He retired in 1991.

Harrington was an emeritus member of ACS, joining in 1952 and serving as chair of its Northeastern Ohio Section. He was also a member of the American Ceramic Society and the Industrial Research Institute. Helping to create jobs in the Ohio polymer industry, he served for several years on the Edison Polymer Innovation Corp.

A longtime member of the Lakeside Yacht Club in Cleveland, Harrington loved to race his 30-foot sloop, Golden Dolphin.

Harrington is survived by his wife, Catherine, whom he married in 1952; sons, Bruce and Thomas; daughter, Karen; and five grandsons.