Sepia-toned photograph of Percy Lavon Julian (1899-1975) using laboratory equipment.

Julian joined the Glidden Company in 1936, where he supervised the assembly plant. In 1940, he began researching the synthesis of steroids from soybean oil, work that contributed to his pioneering research in cortisone, sex hormones, soybean proteins, and firefighting foam. He remained at Glidden until 1953. Over the course of his career, Julian received more than 130 chemical patents and, in 1973, became the second African American elected to the National Academy of Sciences, following David Blackwell (1919–2010).