Edward Curtis Wells

Edward Curtis Wells (August 26, 1910 – July 1, 1986) was senior vice president and served on the board of directors of Boeing Company.[1] He helped to design the Boeing 707, 747 and the B-17 Flying Fortress.[2][3] He was known as the "elder statesman of aviation".[4]

Edward Curtis Wells
Born	August 26, 1910 Boise, Idaho
Died	July 1, 1986 (aged 75) Bellevue, Washington
Employer	Boeing Company

Biography

Wells was born in Boise, Idaho on August 26, 1910, and graduated from Grant High School in Portland, Oregon. He attended Willamette University for two years then attended Stanford University[4] where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1931 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in engineering.

Wells joined Boeing Company's engineering staff in 1931 and was named Boeing's chief engineer in 1943.[4][5]

He died on July 1, 1986 in Bellevue, Washington.[2]

Honors

• Daniel Guggenheim Medal (1980).[4]
• Fawcett Aviation Award (1944).
• Lawrence Sperry Award from the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences (1942).

References

1. Herman, Arthur. Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II, pp. 291-6, 301-7, 332-3, Random House, New York, NY, 2012. ISBN 978-1-4000-6964-4.
2. "Edward C. Wells, 75, Designed Boeing 747". Associated Press in New York Newsday. July 4, 1986. Retrieved 2011-11-15. Edward C. Wells, who for nearly a half-century helped designsome of the world's most famous aircraft, including the Boeing B-52and 747, died Tuesday at age 75.
3. Turner, Wallace (July 3, 1986). "Edward C. Wells, 75, is dead; key designer of B-17 bomber". The New York Times. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
4. "Edward Curtis Wells, Medalist for 1980" (PDF). Daniel Guggenheim Medal. Retrieved 2011-11-16. The 'Elder Statesman of Aviation,' a title bestowed on him by the national Aeronautic Association, died in 1986 in Bellevue, Washington.
5. Herman, Arthur. Fredom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II, pp. 291-6, Random House, New York, NY, 2012. ISBN 978-1-4000-6964-4.

Further reading

• Geer, Mary Wells. Boeing's Ed Wells. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1992. ISBN 0-295-97204-1.
• Serling, Robert J. Legend & Legacy: The Story of Boeing and its People. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. ISBN 0-312-05890-X.