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Contribution #54 of 365

W. Lincoln Hawkins

Co-Inventor of the Polymer Cable Sheath

1956

The contribution

How this work helped shape America

Chemist W. Lincoln Hawkins, working with Vincent Lanza and Field Winslow, co-developed a stabilized polyethylene cable sheath that greatly increased the durability of telephone cable. The technology reduced maintenance costs and helped expand reliable communications infrastructure.