Jean-Pierre Fernand Noël Abbat (June 17, 1928 August 1, 1993) was, with Dr. Fritz Hartmann, the first person in the USA to manufacture polyurethane

Polyurethane

A polyurethane is any polymer composed of a chain of organic units joined by carbamate links. Polyurethane polymers are formed through step-growth polymerization, by reacting a monomer with another monomer in the presence of a catalyst.Polyurethanes are...

.

Abbat was born in Le Trait

Le Trait

-Population:-Places of interest:* The church of St. Nicolas, dating from the thirteenth century.* The ruins of a twelfth-century castle.-Bibliography:* Maurice Quemin, Le Trait, berceau de 200 navires, que sont-ils devenus ?, 1988 ISBN|2-9502241-0-5....

, Normandy

Normandy

Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...

 to a shipbuilder. He met Marina Lardé at the Sorbonne

University of Paris

The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...

 and they were married, migrating to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in 1953.
In 1962 Abbat proposed to Norman McCulloch to make a ballistically equivalent bowling

Bowling

Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...

 pin out of polyurethane foam. Bowling pins were then made out of wood, with two cylindrical voids, and covered with a thin coating. The polyurethane pin would last much longer than the wooden pin . The American Bowling Congress were against the idea because it would put Brunswick and AMF

American Machinery and Foundry

American Machine and Foundry or AMF was founded in 1900 and was once one of the largest recreational equipment companies in the United States.-History:...

, the biggest bowling pin makers, out of business .

Abbat worked for U-Do, Mattel

Mattel

Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...

, Kenner

Kenner

Kenner Products was a toy company founded in 1947 by three brothers, Albert, Phillip, and Joseph L. Steiner, in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, and was named after the street where the original corporate offices were located, which is just north of Cincinnati's Union Terminal.Kenner introduced its...

, Fisher-Price

Fisher-Price

Fisher-Price is a company that produces toys for infants and children, headquartered in East Aurora, New York. Fisher-Price has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel since 1993.-History:...

, and ITT

ITT Corporation

ITT Corporation is a global diversified manufacturing company based in the United States. ITT participates in global markets including water and fluids management, defense and security, and motion and flow control...

, making toys and telephone parts out of urethane and other plastics.

Abbat died in Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...

of colon cancer. He is survived by his wife Marina Abbat, his daughter Kate Threefoot, and his son Pierre Abbat.