The Vernon K. Krieble Foundation was established in 1984 by the family of Professor Vernon K. Krieble, scientist, educator, inventor, and entrepreneur. Recognizing that the Foundation’s assets are the product of a free and democratic society, the founders considered it fitting that those assets be used “to further democratic capitalism and the preserve and promote a society of free, educated, healthy and creative individuals.”
Professor Krieble (1885-1964) was raised on a Pennsylvania Dutch farm, and became one of the most influential chemists in the country. He earned a Ph.D. from Brown University, along with Masters and Doctoral degrees from McGill University in Montreal. He chaired the Chemistry Department at Trinity College for 35 years, and published numerous papers in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Dr. Krieble perfected an anaerobic polymer that sealed metal parts to avoid vibration and leakage, and which prevented loosening of nuts and bolts. Together with his son Dr. Robert Krieble (also a chemist), he founded the Loctite Corporation to market the sealant. The company is today the world’s leading manufacturer of specialty sealants with operations in 80 countries, and its products are used in everyday items from computers, automobiles, and airplanes to vacuum cleaners and mobile phones.
Under the leadership of Dr. Robert Krieble (1916-1997), Loctite Corporation prospered and developed the first practical Superglue technology. He became a legendary leader in public policy circles, especially in his leadership of the long-term effort to educate people behind the Iron Curtain about freedom and democracy. Considered a prime mover in the effort that eventually toppled the Soviet empire, he was also an original leader of the Heritage Foundation and several other important policy think tanks. He instilled in his own children not only a commitment to free market principles, but also a lifelong interest in policy initiatives.
Carrying on that legacy of leadership, his daughter Helen E. Krieble is herself a celebrated leader on a variety of national issues from strategic missile defense to illegal immigration. She is the founder and President of the Vernon K. Krieble Foundation, and has been active in a wide array of organizations that promote freedom and democracy. A private sector initiative to break the difficult political deadlock on illegal immigration, the Red Card Solution, has attracted major press attention and is informing the national debate on solutions. Her proposal is embraced by many national and state leaders as a viable, workable solution that is based on a principle as old as America itself—the free market.
Helen’s current priority is Lens of Liberty, an initiative she developed to educate Americans on what it means to be a United States citizen, and on the responsibilities that come with citizenship. She believes that a citizenry that sees and understands issues from the perspective of freedom’s principles can influence outcomes at virtually every level of our lives. LensOfLiberty.org features VKK Foundation’s annual Unsung Hero Award winners, and offers information and resources to citizens compelled to engage American citizenship as a responsibility to take action against threats to freedom.
The Vernon K. Krieble Foundation offers support to non-profit charitable and educational 501(c)(3) organizations that demonstrate leadership in furthering the original objectives, so that future generations can aspire to and achieve their full potential in a free society.