Goodyear Names John Lawrence VP of Corporate Research

    AKRON, Ohio, Aug. 20 John Lawrence has been named vice
president for corporate research, replacing Richard Steichen, who retired
Jan. 1, 2000.

    Lawrence, formerly director of materials science, will report to Joe
Gingo, Goodyear's senior vice president for technology and global products
planning.

    "John's experience in organic, organometallic and polymer chemistry and
advanced elastomeric composites, and leadership abilities make him well
qualified to head the research division and further develop its synergies with
our other technical groups," Gingo said.

    Lawrence, 58, joined Goodyear as a senior research chemist in Feb., 1970.
He subsequently was named manager of projects and materials coordination, and
later became manager of tire reinforcement technology in Akron.  In 1984, he
was named manager of tire reinforcement technology at Goodyear's Luxembourg
Technical Center.

    He returned to Akron two years later as manager of tire reinforcement
science and technology.  He subsequently was named director of elastomers and
reinforcement research and later, director of applied physics and tire
mechanics, before being named to his most recent post last year.

    Lawrence has a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Puget
Sound, Tacoma, Wash.; and a doctorate in organic chemistry from Purdue
University.

    He is a member of the board of trustees of the Edison Polymer Innovation
Corp. of Akron and a member of the science and technology review panel of
Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, N.M.
    Lawrence and his wife, Christine, live in Hudson. They have two children.