April 3, 2012

James Smith McDonnell Jr. was one of the most significant aerospace industrialists of the twentieth century, building McDonnell-Douglas into the second-largest military and commercial aviation corporation in the United States. McDonnell was raised in central Arkansas, graduating from Little Rock High School (later named Central High School). He spent his childhood in Altheimer (Jefferson County). After guiding his company to become one of the world’s largest aerospace corporations, McDonnell stepped down as CEO in 1972, but he remained chairman of the board until his death in 1980.