The "father of the rigid PVC industry" in this country. His work in process and product development enabled the use of rigid vinyls in the production of pipe, electrical conduit, siding, window components, film, sheet, and packaging products.

The importance of Jennings' work can best be realized by looking back on the products replaced by rigid PVC and CPVC, and what these new vinyl products have contributed to the building and packaging industries.

He was a development chemist in the Chemical Division of the B.F. Goodrich Company in Cleveland in the late forties, searching for applications in the field for both flexible and rigid vinyl compositions. His co-workers characterize him as having that "rare genius for finding answers for intractable problems."

His work with his associate C.E. Parks led to the development of processing aids that permitted conversion of PVC materials into rigid shapes without loss of physical and chemical properties. Six B.F. Goodrich patents in the area of PVC were issued to Jennings, along with Parks and G.J. Kliner.

He was born in Watertown, TN and received his B.S. degree in 1933 from Cumberland University of Tennessee and his masters in science from Vanderbilt University in 1935.

He is currently retired form B.F. Goodrich Co. and resides in Akron, OH with his wife Carol. They have four children: Linda, Michael, Wayne, and David, and four grandchildren.