Sanford "Sandy" Noyes McDonnell (October 12, 1922 – March 19, 2012) was an American engineer, businessman and philanthropist. Former

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

and chief executive officer of

McDonnell Douglas Corporation McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturing corporation and defense contractor, formed by the merger of McDonnell Aircraft and the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967. Between then and its own merger with Boeing in 1997, it produ ...

, he also served as national president of the Boy Scouts of America and as chairman of Character Education Partnership. He was "Man of the Year" in St. Louis in 1984.

Career

A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, McDonnell attended Princeton University, the University of Colorado Boulder and Washington University in St. Louis, achieving bachelor's degrees in economics (1945) and mechanical engineering (1948) and a master's degree in applied mechanics (1954). In 1948, he joined McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, a company founded by his uncle,

James S. McDonnell James Smith "Mac" McDonnell (April 9, 1899 – August 22, 1980) was an American aviator, engineer, and businessman. He was an aviation pioneer and founder of McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, later McDonnell Douglas, and the James S. McDonnel ...

, as a stress engineer. He participated in the development of the F-101 Voodoo and the

F-4 Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bow ...

jet fighters. In 1962 he was named vice president-general manager of all combat aircraft, and he became the president of the company, by then McDonnell Douglas, in 1971. The following year, he became chief executive officer. In 1980, James S. McDonnell died, and McDonnell succeeded him as chairman of the board, a role he retained until 1988. He has also been chairman of the board of governors of the

Aerospace Industries Association The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) is an American trade association representing manufacturers and suppliers of civil, military, and business aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, space systems, aircraft engines, missiles, material, and related c ...

. Arkansas Aviation Historical Society inducted McDonnell into the

Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from ...

in 1989.

Philanthropy

During his service with McDonnell Douglas, McDonnell had a strong interest in ethics. As a child, he had been a Boy Scout, rising to the rank of Star Scout. During his term with McDonnell Douglas, he used the Scout Promise as the basis for a work Code of Ethics. Following his retirement, McDonnell turned his focus to education and the need of focusing on character in

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

s. After establishing a program in St. Louis public schools (the Personal Responsibility Education Process), he became founding chair of the national Character Education Partnership in 1993, a position he held until 2005. McDonnell worked to translate the character education programs of the Boy Scouts to higher education through

service academies A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...

. "The military academies are far ahead of almost all of the other universities in the emphasis they place on character building," he once said. "I hope universities all across the nation will emulate their programs for character development." He pledged $5 million to the

U.S. Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Unit ...

in 2011 for a Center for Character and Leadership Development. McDonnell also served in other areas. In 1987, he became the first president of the Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, a foundation that supports the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program in recognizing U.S. organizations that "have a role-model organizational management system that ensures continuous improvement in the delivery of products and/or services, demonstrates efficient and effective operations, and provides a way of engaging and responding to customers and other stakeholders."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonnell, Sanford N. 1922 births 2012 deaths American chief executives of manufacturing companies Businesspeople in aviation Little Rock Central High School alumni McDonnell Douglas Businesspeople from Little Rock, Arkansas Princeton University alumni University of Colorado alumni Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering Presidents of the Boy Scouts of America McKelvey School of Engineering alumni

Career

Philanthropy

See also

References