Daniel Fox

Dr. Daniel W. Fox (May 14, 1927 - February 15, 1989) was a polymer chemist who is often regarded as the father of LEXAN. LEXAN is the flagship product of GE Plastics (a division of General Electric) and is used in everything from CDs and DVDs to car bumpers and Nalgene products. Though Dr. Fox is often credited with the invention of LEXAN resin, the patent and agreement to share the plastic between Bayer and General Electric is much more complicated than the simplistic "Father of LEXAN Polycarbonate" title bestowed upon Dr. Fox by many sources.

Education and employment

Dr. Fox began his academic career at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania. He graduated in 1948 with a degree in chemistry. He then continued his education at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, obtaining both his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from this institution.

Upon his graduation, he was hired by General Electric in Schenectady, New York as the new manager of chemical development. It was there in 1953 that he invented LEXAN while working on a project to develop new wire insulation material. For the next 35 years, he produced ground breaking research in his field and eventually was the holder of 44 patents. He retired from GE in June 1988, but continued his polymer research until his death in February 1989.

At GE, his employees often referred to themselves as students of "Dan Fox...
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