The Saudi sun caused quite a glare, 
Kerr solved the dilemma, we do declare!

Living 20 miles north of Dunkirk, Indiana, I had friends tell me ten years ago that insulators were made by KERR in Dunkirk. Last September I realized time may be slipping by to talk to workers who made them. One Sunday afternoon my girlfriend and I went down to the glass museum -- this was the logical place to start. As we were leaving I asked the curator (Kenneth Webster) if he had time to talk. I remarked, "That sure is a large green insulator on the bottom shelf'. And he told me the story. (See December 1996 Crown Jewels of the Wire, "Foreign Insulators" for details.) Then I said, "That sure is an odd frosted Kerr DP-l on the top shelf."

Mr. Webster told me Kerr made insulators in Dunkirk from 1975 to 1978 and that they were ALL shipped to Saudi Arabia. He said the Saudis were complaining about the glare, so someone at Kerr took six insulators and frosted them with acid. In the process, four of the insulators cracked.

I wrote the name and number of the big green insulator down and when we got home I couldn't find FOLEMBRAY 5212 in Marilyn Albers' Glass Insulators from Outside North America. I called her and asked if she had ever seen one. When she said "No", I came back with "I'd bet you would like pictures and drawings." She said, "Yes, I would." 

So I called Mr. Webster back and asked if I could return and take pictures and make drawings of the big green insulator. He said, "Yes, no problem and, by the way, would you like to buy a frosted DP-1? I know someone who has one for sale."

I went back to the museum the next Saturday and brought my frosted Kerr DP-1 mold #12-78. Mr. Webster gave me some names of employees of Kerr (now Ball-Foster). I called and later met a 38 year employee from whom I bought four CSC under pours and eight flat top DP-1's that he had brought home from work. Four DP-1's had a purple and red coating to cut down on the glare that the Saudis were complaining about. This coating washed right off with water. This employee told me Kerr made all styles, but I'll have to look into this more later one. So, we have it from two different sources that KERR in Dunkirk was trying to cut down on the glare of insulators they produced.

CD 155 KERR DP-1, MADE IN U.S.A. 12  78 
with a frosted surface supplied to the country of Saudi Arabia.