Document Type: Presentation (Industry).

Purpose: Informational.

Authority: Author Expertise.

Scope: 27th Wings Club General Harold R. Harris "Sight" Lecture, presented on 16 May 1990 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York by Sanford N. McDonnell, retired Chairman and CEO of McDonnell Douglas Corporation and nephew of James S. McDonnell, founder of McDonnell Aircraft Corporation.

Contents: Sandy McDonnell traces the history of both James McDonnelll and Donald Douglas, their aviation companies and the aircraft they built.

From the Introduction: "It is a great honor to stand here today, where so many distinguished leaders of our industry have preceded me. My remarks have been billed as a "lecture," but I do not feel very professional - particularly before an audience as knowledgeable and sophisticated as the Wings Club provides. Instead, I see myself as the narrator of a fascinating story.

Some two centuries ago, Samuel Johnson said that "Much may be made of a Scotchman if he be caught young." Today I want to trace the development and contributions of Donald Wills Douglas and James Smith McDonnell, two Scots who were caught young by the allure of aviation.

To those who knew them, they would seem quite different personalities, and indeed they were. But it is interesting that these two men, whose lives and work were ultimately to converge, had a great deal in common. Both were of Scottish descent. Both came from families that were relatively well off. Both were educated at top-flight schools and both attended MIT. Both worked for Glenn Martin early in their careers. Both started their companies in modest circumstances. And, if you follow astrology, both were born in April under the sign of Aries."