ROGER M. WIDMANN ELECTED CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF LYDALL, INC.

MANCHESTER, CT - January 4, 1999 - The Board of Directors of Lydall, Inc. 
(NYSE:LDL) today announced that Roger M. Widmann, a Board Member since 1974, 
has been named Chairman of Lydall's Board of Directors effective immediately.

Mr. Widmann (age 59) is a Principal of the investment banking firm of Tanner 
& Co., Inc., which specializes in providing advice to corporations ranging 
from Fortune 200 companies to mid-sized firms.  From 1986 to 1995, Mr. 
Widmann was a Senior Managing Director of Chemical Securities Inc., a 
subsidiary of Chemical Banking Corporation (now Chase Manhattan Corporation). 
He established Chase Manhattan's fee-based corporate finance business in 
1986, and in addition to his responsibilities in the U.S., was responsible 
for projects in areas ranging from South America to Eastern Europe and the 
Middle East.

Prior to joining Chemical Securities Inc., Mr. Widmann was a founder 
and Managing Director of First Reserve Corporation, the largest 
independent energy investing firm in the U.S. Previously, he was Senior 
Vice President with the investment banking firm of Donaldson, Lufkin & 
Jenrette.  He began his career as an SEC trial attorney.

Mr. Widmann served as a Director of Weatherford Corporation in Houston, 
Texas, from 1993 to 1998.  He currently is a Senior Moderator of humanities 
seminars at The Aspen Institute and President of the March of Dimes Birth 
Defects Foundation of New York.  He is also a member of the board of the 
Third Century Fund, a part of the Brown University Endowment Fund.

Mr. Widmann holds a B.A. degree from Brown University and a LL.B. degree from 
Columbia Law School.

Lydall, Inc. is a $230-million New York Stock Exchange company whose 
subsidiaries manufacture technologically advanced engineered products for 
demanding specialty applications primarily servicing filtration and 
heat-management applications.

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