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Otis Boykin

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Illustration of Boykins
(CardioNetworks ECGpedia)
An x-ray of a pacemaker, one of Otis' inventions

Otis Frank Boykin (August 29, 1920, Dallas, Texas – March 13, 1982, Chicago, Illinois) was an African-American inventor and engineer.[1][2]

Boykin patented 28 electronic devices. One of his early inventions was an improved wire resistor, which had reduced inductance and reactance, due to the physical arrangement of the wire.[3] Other notable inventions include a variable resistor used in guided missiles.[4] His most famous invention was likely a control unit for the artificial cardiac pacemaker.[5] The device essentially uses electrical impulses to maintain a regular heartbeat.

Boykin died of heart failure in Chicago in 1982.[2]

Biography

Otis Boykin was born in 1920 in Dallas, Texas. His mother was a maid, who died of heart failure when Otis was a year old. This inspired him to make the pacemaker.[6] His father Walter was a carpenter, who later became a minister.

Boykin attended Booker T. Washington High School in Dallas, where he was the valedictorian, graduating in 1938.[7] He attended Fisk University on a scholarship and worked as a laboratory assistant at the university's nearby aerospace laboratory. He then moved to Chicago, where he studied at Illinois Institute of Technology[8] but dropped out after two years; some sources say it was because he could not afford his tuition, but he later stated[9] that he left for an employment opportunity and did not have time to return to finish his degree. He was discovered and mentored by Dr. Denton Deere, an engineer and inventor with his own laboratory.

He graduated from Fisk University in 1941 and got a job as a laboratory assistant, testing automatic aircraft controls. In 1944, he moved on to work for the P.J. Nilsen Research Labs in Illinois. Shortly thereafter, he started his own company, Boykin-Fruth Inc. The firm Boykin-Fruth, Inc., would collaborate on a number of projects.[10] He died due to heart failure in 1982.

See also

References

  1. ^ Anonymous Black Contributors to Science and Energy Technology (Biographical sketch: Otis Boykin)[permanent dead link], US Department Of Energy, Office of Public Affairs, U.S.Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1979, pp. 8-9, DOE/OPA-0035(79) [dead link]
  2. ^ a b "Inventor of Heart Stimulator Honored At Memorial Service." Dallas Morning News, March 18, 1982, p. 88.
  3. ^ U.S. patent 2,634,352
  4. ^ Mary Bellis, "Otis Boykin", About.com Guide.
  5. ^ Frances T. Matlock. "Boykin's Electric Device Aid in Eisenhower Crisis." Pittsburgh Courier, September 14, 1968, p. 12.
  6. ^ Frances T. Matlock. "Boykin's Electric Device Aid in Eisenhower Crisis." Pittsburgh Courier, September 14, 1968, p. 12.
  7. ^ Julia Scott Reed, "Dallasite Stars as Inventor." i, January 5, 1969, p. A31
  8. ^ "Inventor Aids Foreign Nations." Pittsburgh Courier, May 28, 1977, p. 8.
  9. ^ Julia Scott Reed, Dallas Morning News
  10. ^ http://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/otis-boykin
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