W. Lincoln Hawkins
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Walter Lincoln Hawkins was born on March 21, 1911 A sister raised him after he was orphaned as a young child and he faced a difficult upbringing in a world where African Americans were often challenged to find adequate encouragement in education and at work He attended the acclaimed, all-black Dunbar High School in Washington, DC where he showed promise in math and science and developed a sense of self-confidence that propelled him toward his dreams Hawkins pursued a degree in chemical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, from where he graduated in 1932 He went on to complete a master's degree in chemistry at Howard University, and from there, a doctoral degree at McGill University in Montreal His specialization was cellulose chemistry After completing his education, Hawkins took on a postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University In 1942, he was offered a position at AT&T’s Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey, where he became the first African American scientist on staff.
He developed a reputation over the course of his 34-year career at Bell Labs for adding years to the life of plastics, enabling universal telephone service, and, even more important to service providers, making it economical At Bell Labs, Hawkins conducted research on polymers, specifically thermal and oxidative stabilization of polymers for telecommunications Up until about 1950, telephone cables were coated with a costly, as well as toxic, lead-based material This was replaced with polyethelene, introduced after World War II by the British, but these early plastic coatings became brittle and breakable very quickly in sunlight With partner Victor Lanza, Hawkins invented a polymer in 1956 that had all the desired characteristics This polymer was essentially a plastic containing a chemical additive composed of carbon and antioxidants that prevents the material from deteriorating, even in severe hot or cold weather conditions The new material, today known as “plastic cable sheath,” went into production in the 1960s and became widely used as an inexpensive, durable, and safe coating for telecommunications wire It is still used today to protect fiber optic cable Hawkins was named head of plastics chemistry R&D at Bell Labs and later, assistant director of the Chemical Research Laboratory In 1963, he became Bell Labs' Supervisor of Applied Research and in 1972, he was promoted to department head.
Among his numerous technical achievements at Bell Labs was his design of a lab test using employing spectroscopy to predict durability of a plastic surface He also contributed to the development of techniques for recycling and reusing plastics He published three books, more than 50 scientific papers, and earned 18 US and 129 foreign patents He was also very active as a mentor of disadvantaged and minority youth, becoming the first chairman of the American Chemical Society's Project SEED (Summer Educational Experience for the Economically Disadvantaged) In 1976, he retired from Bell Labs, but he remained active as a mentor, educator and industrial visionary for many years after From 1976 to 1983, he served as research director of the Plastics Institute of America He also taught at New York's Polytechnic Institute and acted as a technical consultant for chemical and pharmaceutical companies Before his death in 1992, Hawkins was honored with a National Medal of Technology, presented to him by President George H.
W Bush His awards and distinctions also include the International Award from the Society of Plastics Engineers; the Percy L Julian Award; the Distinguished Alumni Award from Howard University; and at least five honorary degrees In 1975, he became the first black engineer to be inducted into the National Academy of Engineering Bell Labs’ annual W Lincoln Hawkins Mentoring Excellence Award is named in his honor.
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