James S. McDonnell (4 of 4)
Scotsmen Caught
Young Mr. Mac and Donald Wills Douglas, pictured here, were both Scotsmen "caught young." At early ages, captivated by aviation, they devoted their talents and energies to building machines that could fly. Mr. Mac's dream of entering commercial aviation was realized with the merger of the McDonnell Corporation and the Douglas Aircraft Company in April 1967. He viewed the two companies as a good fit with virtually no overlap of product lines and a wide spectrum of defense, space and commercial programs.
An Ambassador To The World
Mr. Mac served as a tour guide to presidents, kings and world leaders. In one of his favorite photos, Mr. Mac drives President John F. Kennedy around the St. Louis plant. Other visiting celebrities included Prince Charles, Hubert Humphrey, Henry Kissinger, Werner Von Braun, and Chuck Yeager.
A Most Honored Man
Mr. Mac received many honors for his pioneering, enduring work. Among them were the St. Louis Award, the Daniel Guggenheim Medal, the Robert J. Collier Trophy (pictured here), two NASA public service awards, the Forrestal Memorial Award, the Spirit of St. Louis Aviation Award, and the National Academy of Sciences' Hunsaker Award. He made the cover of Time magazine in 1967. Although, he enjoyed the spotlight, he never failed to credit his teammates for the work that enabled him to accept honors on their behalf.