KT&T Celebrates Black History Month!

Otis Boykin (August 29, 1920 – March 26, 1982) As a boy Boykin took a special interest in working with resistors and began researching and inventing on his own. He graduated from Fisk College and went to work at the Majestic Radio and TV Corporation in Chicago.

He sought and received a patent for a wire precision resistor on June 16, 1959. This resistor would later be used in radios and televisions. Two years later, he created a breakthrough device that could withstand extreme changes in temperature and pressure.

The device, which was cheaper and more reliable than others on the market, was used by the United States military for guided missiles and by IBM for computers. His resistor was applied to everything from TVs to computers. Later, he developed his most famous invention, a control unit for the pacemaker. When he died he had 26 patents in his name.