Grace A. Dow established The Herbert H.
and Grace A. Dow Foundation in 1936 in memory of her husband, Herbert H. Dow,
who founded The Dow Chemical Company and died in 1930. She was a trustee of
the Foundation until her death in 1953.
Grace A. Ball and Herbert H. Dow were married
in Midland, Michigan, in 1892. Herbert was born in 1866 to Sarah (Bunnell)
and Joseph Henry Dow. He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, where he graduated from
Case School of Applied Science (now Case Western Reserve University). Grace
was born in 1869 to Amelia (Eaton) and George Willard Ball. Grace's father was
the founder of Midland's first bank; Grace was a schoolteacher at the Post Street
School (now the Post Street Archives) before she married Herbert.
Young Herbert Dow was fortunate in having
a father who was a creative inventor, and his formal education was complemented
by the hands-on mechanical and inventive education he received from his
father.
During his studies at Case, Herbert Dow
became interested in the composition of brine, a topic on which he wrote several
papers. His first commercial chemical venture in Ohio was unsuccessful, but
by the time he moved to Midland in 1890, he'd proven that his new chemical process
for removing bromine from brine by electrolysis was feasible. The rich source
of brine beneath the ground in Midland and the availability of power were major
factors in his choosing Midland as the site of his Midland Chemical Company. During
the years 1894-97 Herbert Dow further expanded his electrolytic process to separate
chlorine from brine. In 1897 he established The Dow Chemical Company to
produce chlorine bleach based upon this new technology. In 1900 he merged
the Midland Chemical Company into The Dow Chemical Company.
Herbert Dow was honored with doctorate
degrees from Case Western Reserve University and the University of Michigan.
He is credited with 107 inventions and in 1930 received the prestigious Perkin Medal
for Chemical Achievement from the Society of Chemical Industry.
Grace and Herbert Dow were parents of seven
children and spent their married life in Midland. They were both devoted to
the family, the community, and to the enhancement of the quality of life for
everyone in the Midland area and in Michigan. Their compassionate and visionary philosophy
continues to be the guiding inspiration for the Dow Foundation trustees.
The Dow Foundation is the fifth largest
foundation in Michigan, and since its establishment has granted over $355 million
to worthy programs and projects in the Midland area and in Michigan.
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