When Otis Boykin invented an electrical resistor that provided a more stable and precise flow of electricity, it changed how electronics were made. His invention was soon used to produce radios, televisions, computers, and even guided missiles. He became nationally famous after President Dwight D. Eisenhower suffered a heart attack in 1968. Boykin’s resistors helped pave the way for the implantable pacemaker that was credited for saving the president’s life.
Boykin was born on Aug. 29, 1920, in Dallas, Texas. His mother was a maid and his father was a carpenter who later became a pastor. Some sources say Boykin’s mother died from heart failure when he was just a year old while other sources say he was 12 when his mother passed away. Whatever the exact date, many say that his mother’s untimely death motivated him to help invent the pacemaker.
