Morris S. Kaplan

Chemical EngineerDecatur, IL

Manhattan Project Veteran

Morris S. Kaplan was a Chemical Engineer for the Houdaille-Hershey Company in Decatur, Illinois. Kaplan was born in Massachusetts in 1921 and grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from Englewood High School in 1937 and went to work for the US Treasury in Washington, DC. He received a degree in Chemical Engineering from the Armour Institute (Illinois Institute of Technology). Upon graduation he joined the Manhattan Project. At the age of 22 he was placed in charge of a unit responsible for designing a key containment mechanism involving nickel plates. While working for the project, Kaplan met many famous scientists including J. Robert Oppenheimer, Edward Teller, and Isidor Rabi. After the war, Kaplan joined the Chicago Department of Water, eventually becoming the Chief Filtration Engineer. He retired in 1984.

Morris S. Kaplan’s Timeline

1921 Born in Massachusetts

1937 Graduated from Englewood High School in Chicago, Illinois

1943 Received degree in Chemical Engineering from the Armour Institute (Illinois Institute of Technology). Upon graduation, Kaplan joins the Manhattan Project

1945 Left the Manhattan Project at Decatur to begin career in Chicago Public Works

1984 Retired from City of Chicago

2003 Sep 13th Passed away in Chicago, Illinois

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