Sanford N. McDonnell

Sanford "Sandy" N. McDonnell (born 1922) is a chairman emeritus of McDonnell Douglas Corporation. McDonnell was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and is the nephew of McDonnell Aircraft founder James Smith McDonnell. McDonnell earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Princeton University in 1945, another bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Colorado in 1948, and a master's degree in applied mechanics from Washington University in St. Louis in 1954. McDonnell served in the U.S. Army during World War II, spending two years on the atomic bomb program at Los Alamos, New Mexico. McDonnell married his wife, Priscilla, in 1946. They have two children and one grandchild.

Business career

McDonnell joined McDonnell Aircraft in 1948 as a stress engineer and held a variety of positions with increasing responsibility and played key roles in the development of the F-101 Voodoo and the F-4 Phantom II jet fighters, becoming Vice President-General Manager of all combat aircraft in 1962. McDonnell Aircraft became McDonnell Douglas Corporation in 1971. Key high-level positions include:

*McDonnell Aircraft Corp., 1948-1971
**President, 1966-1971

*McDonnell Douglas Corp., 1971-1997
**Board member, 1967-1994
**President, 1971-1972
**President and CEO, 1972-1980
**Chairman and CEO, 1980-1988
**Chairman Emeritus, 1988-1997

McDonnell also served on the board's executive committee and as chairman of the McDonnell Douglas Foundation. His focus on ethics led to the development of the company's Code of Ethics, Philosophy and Five Keys to Self-Renewal program. McDonnell is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and past chairman of the board of governors of the Aerospace Industries Association.

McDonnell credits his wife, indirectly, with propelling McDonnell Douglas Corporation into a code of ethics. In 1984 he was named St. Louis Man of the Year, becoming the first son to follow his father in receiving the prestigious award. In 1967 his father, financier William A. McDonnell, and uncle, James Smith McDonnell, were co-recipients of the honor.

McDonnell is a senior member of the Frontier Group (http://www.frontierg.com), a private equity investment firm whose other senior members include Frank Carlucci (Chairman Emeritus, The Carlyle Group) and David Robb (also formerly with The Carlyle Group).

Civic involvement

McDonnell has been active in local and national organizations involved in ethics and citizenship.

When his son was 12, his wife urged him not to miss the best years of his son's life and suggested they find something they liked to do together. So, they joined the Boy Scouts (BSA). His son became an Eagle Scout and McDonnell became a Scoutmaster. Later, McDonnell served as the national president of the Boy Scouts of America from 1984 to 1986. His experiences in Scouting, living up to the Scout Oath and Scout Law, are what led him to develop a similar positive code at McDonnell Douglas, which is now part of Boeing, which previously had a "thou shalt not" code. This positive code was largely based on 11 of the 12 points of the Scout Law, leaving out the word reverent because it was a business organization. This developed into one of the first comprehensive American business ethics training programs, complete with an 8-hour training session that was mandatory for all employees. This was in April 1983, eight years before Federal criminal law compelled many businesses to adopt similar programs. It also was a key in forming the Defense Industry Initiative. McDonnell continues supporting Scouting, signing congratulatory letters for new Eagle Scouts.

McDonnell is also founder and chair emeritus of the Character Education Partnership (CEP).

References

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ee also

Persondata
NAME=McDonnell, Sanford N.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=McDonnell, Sandy
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Aerospace executive
DATE OF BIRTH=1922
PLACE OF BIRTH=Little Rock, Arkansas
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=