James Dotson Byrd is known for the plastic heat shield used by the NASA Space program.

He was born in Clinton, Mississippi, July 9, 1932. He attended Mississippi College where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1954 for Organic Polymer Chemistry Management. In 1974, he also attended the University of Alabama and earned his Master's of Science degree.

He is an inventor and polymer scientist with forty (40) technical publications to his credit. He developed the plastic heat shield used in the rocket motor environment  by NASA today. He also holds seven (7) U.S. patents.

His work has included: Assistant Chemist at Purdue University, 1954-1955; Chemist, Ethyl Corp., 1955-1961; Senior Chemist, Geigy Chemical Corporation, 1961-1963; Unit Chief Polymer Chemist, George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA, 1963-1967; Senior Resident Chemist, 1967-1974, Mat Group Supervisor, Huntsville Division, Thiokol Corp., beginning in 1974-.

He won NASA awards and honors in 1953-1967.  He is a member of the American Chemist Society; Society Aerospace Mat & Process Engineering and the American Management Association.