Mr. James S. McDonnell

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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Benefactor

Honored by:
Mr. Sanford N. Mc Donnell

In 1939 James S. McDonnell founded what became the McDonnell Douglas Corporation (MDC) and served as its chairman until his death in 1980. During those years, the corporation produced an uninterrupted continuum of the top jet fighter aircraft in the world, the most famous of which was the F-4 Phantom for the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Marines with over 5,000 produced and delivered. The corporation also designed and produced the Mercury and Gemini spacecraft and the Skylab. At one time, the MDC Delta booster had placed more unmanned satellites into orbit than any other booster in the world. After the merger of McDonnell with Douglas in 1967, it produced many commercial aircraft including the DC-10 and MD-11, as well as advanced versions of the DC-9, known as the MD-80 series. MDC designed and produced the C-17 military airlifter.