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Olive Ann Beech



Olive Ann Beech

Olive Ann Beech
OLIVE ANN BEECH (1903-1993)
Aviation Industrialist
Olive Ann Beech began her long and highly successful career in 1925 when she joined the Travel Air Manufacturing Company as office manager and assistant to the president, Walter Beech.

Walter and Olive Ann were married and in 1932 co-founded the Beech Aircraft Company. The company soon developed an international reputation for the design and production of a family of reliable and efficient single and mulit-engined civil airplanes. Olive Ann served as Secretary-Treasurer and Walter as President and Chairman of the Board of Directors until his death in 1950. Subsequently, Olive Ann was elected President and Chairman.

During the more than 30 years of Olive Ann's skillful leadership the excellent reputation of Beechcraft for the production of superb airplanes continued to grow. She earned the respect of other business leaders for her integrity, vision and hard work and was considered to be one of the outstanding business executives in the United States.

Elected to the International Aerospace Hall of Fame 1995