By Frank Esposito
SENIOR STAFF REPORTER
Published: May 12, 2014 3:41 pm ET
Updated: May 12, 2014 3:50 pm ET
Roger Jones
Roger Jones — a longtime plastics industry executive and author — died on May 6 at age 83.
Jones also was a U.S. Navy veteran who served in the Korean War and then for more than 30 years as a reservist. In addition, he was an alternate to the U.S. Olympic fencing team in 1956.
Most recently, Jones served as president of Franklin International, a consulting firm he had founded in Broomall, Pa. Franklin also did business for several years as a resin distributor. Jones also remained a board member and chairman emeritus of PlastiComp Inc., a specialty materials firm that he helped found in Winona, Minn.
In a news release, PlastiComp President and CEO Stephen Bowen described Jones as “a dear friend, a great man, a notable manager in the plastics business [and] a man devoted to his family, church, and community.”
Jones’ plastics career spanned almost six decades and included leadership roles at LNP Engineering Plastics, Inolex Chemical, BASF Engineering Plastics and Beatrice Chemical. He also worked in manufacturing, product development and marketing with DuPont Co., Avisun and Arco Chemical.
PlastiComp credits Jones with “serving as a devoted mentor to many,” adding that he “was widely known for his enthusiasm for having so many opportunities to work at the forefront of new technology in the burgeoning chemicals, plastics, and composites industry throughout his lifetime.”
Jones was active in industry trade groups throughout his career, including work with the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) and American Chemical Society (ACS), where he regularly participated in panel discussions and delivered research presentations at national meetings. These two groups along with American Institute of Chemists have honored Jones with Fellow status.
In addition to these endeavors, Jones was the inventor of record on 20 patents and wrote five books as well as more than 100 papers and articles. His most recent book — "Strategic Management" — was published in August and covered the impact of globalization and sustainability on the plastics industry.
Jones held a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Haverford College in Haverford, Pa.
“We have lost a friend and resources,” PlastiComp’s Bowen added. | 
