Edwin F. Bushman (1919-2003) was an American engineer and consultant in the plastics field.
Born in Aurora, Illinois, to George J. and Emma Gengler Bushman, Edwin F. Bushman received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois in 1941. In 1941 and 1942, he did postgraduate study at the California Institute of Technology. He married Louise Kathryn Peterson on January 3, 1946. Mr. Bushman lived and worked primarily in southern California.
Bushman was involved in the plastics industry beginning in the late 1930’s. He designed and co-teamed numerous projects. During his early career, he assisted in the design and development of overhead storage compartments and lighting areas in commercial aircraft and airline food carts. During World War II, he served in the War Department working on military projects. In the early 1960’s, he assisted in the design and development of helmets for the US military and NASA, and worked on the design of fiberglass survival kits for Boeing Airplane Company.
A pioneer in the fields of acrylic and fiberglass products, he obtained eight U.S. patents in plastic products, carbon, colored glass fibers, process and applications. He actively promoted the plastics field and was a speaker at and organizer of numerous professional conferences. He received numerous awards including SPE’s Lundberg Award in 1981 and was named Western Plastics Man of the Year in 1972. In 2005 he was posthumously inducted into the Plastics Hall of Fame
From the guide to the Edwin F. Bushman Papers, 1946-1992, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)
