Robert Six
Encyclopedia
Robert Forman Six was the CEO of Continental Airlines
from 1936 to 1981. Six's career began in the earliest days of U.S. commercial aviation. His determined, scrappy, risk-taking nature paid off for Continental Airlines, the company that would for forty-five years be forged in his image. Owing in large part to the foundation laid by Six, Continental is today one of the largest and most profitable legacy airlines in the world.
He died in his sleep at his home in Beverly Hills, California
in 1986.
, William A. Patterson
, Jack Frye
, C.R. Smith, and Eddie Rickenbacker
) who built the airline industry into what it is today. Six saw his own airline grow from a tiny, three-stop operation into a major global network airline with services spanning the U.S. and Canada, extending to Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, and Latin America.
Robert Six started his business career in sales for a public utility company, but was fired for taking flying lessons in company time. Six learned to fly in an Alexander Eaglerock biplane
with an OX-5 engine. After about 10 hours aloft, he received pilot's license (number 5772) in 1929, at the age of 22. He bought an OX-5-powered Travel Air
biplane from Walter Beech, founded the Valley Flying Service, and proceeded to sell scenic rides to passengers, and to race on weekends.
Though many credit Six with being the founder of Continental Airlines
, the airline's history dates to 1934 when it was operated under the name of Varney Speed Lines by its owners Walter Varney
and Louis Mueller. The future international airline had humble beginnings, operating between El Paso, TX and Pueblo, CO
with stops in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Las Vegas, NM. Mueller gained control of the carrier in 1936 and sold 40% of the company to Six. In July 1937, Robert Six changed the name of Varney Speed Lines to Continental Airlines and the carrier moved its headquarters to Denver, Colorado
, which would become the airline's central hub for the next 55 years.
when it provided air transportation to the military. Continental also performed military aircraft modification work at its Denver maintenance facilities. Six spent some time during World War II
, in the United States
Army Air Corps
and was involved in planning improved ferry routes to fly American aircraft to the European theater. Six's work there represented significant improvements over original routes which had seen aircraft losses due to weather. He returned to Continental before the war ended and resumed his leadership role.
In 1953, Continental merged with Pioneer Airlines, gaining access to 16 more cities in Texas
and New Mexico
. This merger allowed Continental Airlines to operate routes between Texas and Colorado
/New Mexico, connecting with the line's Denver-Albuquerque-El Paso services.
In 1953 Six married Broadway legend Ethel Merman
whom he had met in a New York nightclub. Merman, a two-time divorcee, felt enchanted by Six's strong demeanor and common sense. Following a brief courtship, they married and she took a hiatus from her Broadway career and moved to Colorado with him. Life with Six became oppressive, and Merman found Denver society bucolic and limited after that of New York. Six and Merman divorced in 1960. In Six's view, Merman had failed him in becoming a public relations prop for Continental.
, taking delivery of its first 707s in spring of 1959. Six, not being satisfied with jet service alone, introduced dramatic service innovations with Continental's 707 operations which were described as, "...nothing short of luxurious" by the Los Angeles Times, and, "...clearly, the finest in the airline industry" by the Chicago Tribune.
In 1961 in Honolulu, Six married Hollywood star Audrey Meadows
of Honeymooners television fame (Meadows played the role of Alice Kramden). The feisty Meadows was a good match for Six's sometimes stubborn nature. She served effectively as an advisory director on Continental's board, offering many of the suggestions that made Continental's inflight and ground services preeminent. The Sixes were socially prominent in Beverly Hills, where they resided. Audrey Meadows' television and acting career afforded the Sixes opportunities for their close relationships with prominent Hollywood stars including John Wayne
, Henry Fonda
, James Stewart
, and Bob Hope
. The couple spent many long weekends at their Lazy 6 Ranch near Montrose, Colorado, where Hollywood stars were frequent guests.
In 1963 Continental moved its headquarters from Denver to Los Angeles. This change coincided with rapid growth of the carrier's route network. Continental added all jet service from Los Angeles to Houston (both nonstop, and with services via Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso, Midland/Odessa, Austin, and San Antonio); and from Denver and to Seattle, Portland, New Orleans, and Houston (both nonstop, and with services via Wichita and Tulsa/Oklahoma City). In a separate route award Continental was selected to serve the route from the Pacific Northwest to San Jose and Ontario, CA. 1969 saw the introduction of service from Los Angeles to Honolulu/Hilo; Continental's first Boeing 747
s arrived in May 1970. DC-10s were added to the fleet in 1971, affording Continental the ability to carry its burgeoning traffic on key routes between Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, and Seattle.
During the Vietnam War
Continental provided cargo and troop transportation for U.S. Army and Marine Corps
forces to Asian and the Pacific bases. Continental's 707s were the most common non-military aircraft transiting Saigon Tan Son Nhat airport. As a result of Continental's experience in Pacific operations, the carrier formed subsidiary Air Micronesia, picking up island-hopping routes between Yap/Majuro/Saipan/Guam and Honolulu, which were operated with 727 aircraft. One of Six's long cherished goals was for Continental to become a major player in the Pacific basin, something the airline would achieve only after his retirement.
At Six's insistence, Continental (with Pan Am and Trans World Airlines
) was a launch airline for the Boeing 747
aircraft. Its upper-deck first class lounge won awards worldwide for the most refined cabin interior among all airlines, as did meal services developed by Continental's Cordon Bleu-trained executive chefs. Continental's 747 services from Chicago and Denver to Los Angeles and Honolulu set the standard for service in the western U.S. When asked by one Denver customer service agent in 1974 why he flew Continental wherever he could, Hollywood legend Henry Fonda
remarked, "This operation is class; strictly class!" Ironically, during the 1970s Continental's 747 service was short-lived, the airline having concluded that the DC-10 was better suited to the route structure and passenger loads.
of 1978, like many U.S. carriers, Continental expanded rapidly. Within two years, new nonstop services from its Denver and Houston hubs included: New York (LGA/JFK), Newark, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington (National and Dulles), Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Reno, San Jose and San Francisco, as well as to many smaller cities in the Midwest and western U.S., and new international routes to London, Tokyo, Manila, Sydney and Melbourne, and more destinations in Mexico than served by any other carrier. This rapid growth required the expansion of Continental's existing fleet of 747, DC-10, 727-200 and DC-9 aircraft with large numbers of MD-80, 737-model and Airbus aircraft, and the formation of alliances with larger commuter airlines in Houston and Denver to serve smaller communities in the Rockies, Plains and Southwest.
In 1981, Texas Air
Corporation, controlled by airline industry entrepreneur Frank Lorenzo
acquired a controlling interest in Continental Airlines following a contentious battle for control with Continental's management, including Six and then-president Al Feldman, who were adamant in their resistance to Lorenzo. Continental's labor unions joined the anti-takeover battle because of their fears over "Lorenzo's deregulation tactics" and his prior dealings with airline labor unions. However, Texas Air was able to prevail and in June 1982, Texas International was legally merged into Continental Airlines. TI ceased to exist but the new Continental moved its headquarters to Houston, home of Texas Air.
In spite of labor friction and turmoil resulting from the acquisition, by the time of Six's death in 1986, the airline he molded and forged had become one of the largest airlines in the U.S. Continental's innovative and popular services centered on the busy Denver, Houston, and New York/Newark hubs.
. In June, 1974, Six was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Colorado at Boulder
. He was the 1977 recipient of the Tony Jannus Award
for his distinguished contributions to commercial aviation. In 1980, he was inducted into the U.S. National Aviation Hall of Fame
at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
from 1936 to 1981. Six's career began in the earliest days of U.S. commercial aviation. His determined, scrappy, risk-taking nature paid off for Continental Airlines, the company that would for forty-five years be forged in his image. Owing in large part to the foundation laid by Six, Continental is today one of the largest and most profitable legacy airlines in the world.
He died in his sleep at his home in Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
in 1986.
Early years
Robert F. Six was one of the last of the group of innovators, pioneers, and visionaries (including Juan TrippeJuan Trippe
Juan Terry Trippe was an American airline entrepreneur and pioneer, and the founder of Pan American World Airways, one of the world's most prominent airlines of the twentieth century.-Early years:...
, William A. Patterson
William A. Patterson
William A. "Pat" Patterson was the President of United Airlines from 1934 until 1966.Patterson was born on a sugar plantation in Waipahu on Oahu, Hawaii. When Patterson was 13, his widowed mother moved to San Francisco, California, while he remained at Honolulu Military Academy. Not liking the...
, Jack Frye
Jack Frye
William John "Jack" Frye was an aviation pioneer, who with Paul E. Richter and Walter A. Hamilton, built TWA into a world class airline during his tenure as chairman from 1934-1947....
, C.R. Smith, and Eddie Rickenbacker
Eddie Rickenbacker
Edward Vernon Rickenbacker was an American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient. He was also a race car driver and automotive designer, a government consultant in military matters and a pioneer in air transportation, particularly as the longtime head of Eastern Air Lines.-Early...
) who built the airline industry into what it is today. Six saw his own airline grow from a tiny, three-stop operation into a major global network airline with services spanning the U.S. and Canada, extending to Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, and Latin America.
Robert Six started his business career in sales for a public utility company, but was fired for taking flying lessons in company time. Six learned to fly in an Alexander Eaglerock biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
with an OX-5 engine. After about 10 hours aloft, he received pilot's license (number 5772) in 1929, at the age of 22. He bought an OX-5-powered Travel Air
Travel Air
The Travel Air Manufacturing Company was an aircraft manufacturer established in Wichita, Kansas in the United States in January 1925 by Clyde Cessna, Walter Beech, and Lloyd Stearman.-Company history:...
biplane from Walter Beech, founded the Valley Flying Service, and proceeded to sell scenic rides to passengers, and to race on weekends.
Though many credit Six with being the founder of Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
, the airline's history dates to 1934 when it was operated under the name of Varney Speed Lines by its owners Walter Varney
Walter Varney
Walter Thomas Varney was an American aviation pioneer who founded forerunners of two major U.S. airlines United Airlines and Continental Airlines. Varney was also one of the most prominent airmail contractors of the early 20th Century.Varney served as a pilot in the Aviation Section, U.S...
and Louis Mueller. The future international airline had humble beginnings, operating between El Paso, TX and Pueblo, CO
Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The population was 106,595 in 2010 census, making it the 246th most populous city in the United States....
with stops in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Las Vegas, NM. Mueller gained control of the carrier in 1936 and sold 40% of the company to Six. In July 1937, Robert Six changed the name of Varney Speed Lines to Continental Airlines and the carrier moved its headquarters to Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, which would become the airline's central hub for the next 55 years.
World War II and the post-War years
During the 1940s and 1950s, Continental Airlines, led by Robert Six, was able to expand its fleet of aircraft with profits from World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when it provided air transportation to the military. Continental also performed military aircraft modification work at its Denver maintenance facilities. Six spent some time during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
and was involved in planning improved ferry routes to fly American aircraft to the European theater. Six's work there represented significant improvements over original routes which had seen aircraft losses due to weather. He returned to Continental before the war ended and resumed his leadership role.
In 1953, Continental merged with Pioneer Airlines, gaining access to 16 more cities in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. This merger allowed Continental Airlines to operate routes between Texas and Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
/New Mexico, connecting with the line's Denver-Albuquerque-El Paso services.
In 1953 Six married Broadway legend Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman was an American actress and singer. Known primarily for her powerful voice and roles in musical theatre, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage." Among the many standards introduced by Merman in Broadway musicals are "I Got Rhythm", "Everything's...
whom he had met in a New York nightclub. Merman, a two-time divorcee, felt enchanted by Six's strong demeanor and common sense. Following a brief courtship, they married and she took a hiatus from her Broadway career and moved to Colorado with him. Life with Six became oppressive, and Merman found Denver society bucolic and limited after that of New York. Six and Merman divorced in 1960. In Six's view, Merman had failed him in becoming a public relations prop for Continental.
Dramatic expansion, move to Los Angeles
By the end of the 1950s, Continental Airlines had seen a broad expansion of its routes. In 1957 it flew for the first time from Chicago to Los Angeles (both nonstop, and via Denver); and from Denver and Los Angeles to Kansas City. Continental was one of the first operators of the Boeing 707Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
, taking delivery of its first 707s in spring of 1959. Six, not being satisfied with jet service alone, introduced dramatic service innovations with Continental's 707 operations which were described as, "...nothing short of luxurious" by the Los Angeles Times, and, "...clearly, the finest in the airline industry" by the Chicago Tribune.
In 1961 in Honolulu, Six married Hollywood star Audrey Meadows
Audrey Meadows
Audrey Meadows was an American actress best known for her role as the deadpan housewife Alice Kramden on the 1950s American television comedy The Honeymooners.-Early life:...
of Honeymooners television fame (Meadows played the role of Alice Kramden). The feisty Meadows was a good match for Six's sometimes stubborn nature. She served effectively as an advisory director on Continental's board, offering many of the suggestions that made Continental's inflight and ground services preeminent. The Sixes were socially prominent in Beverly Hills, where they resided. Audrey Meadows' television and acting career afforded the Sixes opportunities for their close relationships with prominent Hollywood stars including John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
, Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
, James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
, and Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
. The couple spent many long weekends at their Lazy 6 Ranch near Montrose, Colorado, where Hollywood stars were frequent guests.
In 1963 Continental moved its headquarters from Denver to Los Angeles. This change coincided with rapid growth of the carrier's route network. Continental added all jet service from Los Angeles to Houston (both nonstop, and with services via Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso, Midland/Odessa, Austin, and San Antonio); and from Denver and to Seattle, Portland, New Orleans, and Houston (both nonstop, and with services via Wichita and Tulsa/Oklahoma City). In a separate route award Continental was selected to serve the route from the Pacific Northwest to San Jose and Ontario, CA. 1969 saw the introduction of service from Los Angeles to Honolulu/Hilo; Continental's first Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
s arrived in May 1970. DC-10s were added to the fleet in 1971, affording Continental the ability to carry its burgeoning traffic on key routes between Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, and Seattle.
During the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
Continental provided cargo and troop transportation for U.S. Army and Marine Corps
Marine corps
A marine is a member of a force that specializes in expeditionary operations such as amphibious assault and occupation. The marines traditionally have strong links with the country's navy...
forces to Asian and the Pacific bases. Continental's 707s were the most common non-military aircraft transiting Saigon Tan Son Nhat airport. As a result of Continental's experience in Pacific operations, the carrier formed subsidiary Air Micronesia, picking up island-hopping routes between Yap/Majuro/Saipan/Guam and Honolulu, which were operated with 727 aircraft. One of Six's long cherished goals was for Continental to become a major player in the Pacific basin, something the airline would achieve only after his retirement.
At Six's insistence, Continental (with Pan Am and Trans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines was an American airline that existed from 1925 until it was bought out by and merged with American Airlines in 2001. It was a major domestic airline in the United States and the main U.S.-based competitor of Pan American World Airways on intercontinental routes from 1946...
) was a launch airline for the Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
aircraft. Its upper-deck first class lounge won awards worldwide for the most refined cabin interior among all airlines, as did meal services developed by Continental's Cordon Bleu-trained executive chefs. Continental's 747 services from Chicago and Denver to Los Angeles and Honolulu set the standard for service in the western U.S. When asked by one Denver customer service agent in 1974 why he flew Continental wherever he could, Hollywood legend Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
remarked, "This operation is class; strictly class!" Ironically, during the 1970s Continental's 747 service was short-lived, the airline having concluded that the DC-10 was better suited to the route structure and passenger loads.
Triumph and loss
After the Airline Deregulation ActAirline Deregulation Act
The Airline Deregulation Act is a United States federal law signed into law on October 24, 1978. The main purpose of the act was to remove government control over fares, routes and market entry from commercial aviation...
of 1978, like many U.S. carriers, Continental expanded rapidly. Within two years, new nonstop services from its Denver and Houston hubs included: New York (LGA/JFK), Newark, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington (National and Dulles), Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Reno, San Jose and San Francisco, as well as to many smaller cities in the Midwest and western U.S., and new international routes to London, Tokyo, Manila, Sydney and Melbourne, and more destinations in Mexico than served by any other carrier. This rapid growth required the expansion of Continental's existing fleet of 747, DC-10, 727-200 and DC-9 aircraft with large numbers of MD-80, 737-model and Airbus aircraft, and the formation of alliances with larger commuter airlines in Houston and Denver to serve smaller communities in the Rockies, Plains and Southwest.
In 1981, Texas Air
Texas Air
Texas Air was an airline holding company incorporated in 1980 in the United States created to hold and invest in airlines, starting with Texas International Airlines as its core...
Corporation, controlled by airline industry entrepreneur Frank Lorenzo
Frank Lorenzo
Francisco Anthony "Frank" Lorenzo is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is most famous for his leadership of Texas International Airlines and its successor holding company Texas Air Corporation between 1972 and 1990, through which he formed or acquired a number of major U.S...
acquired a controlling interest in Continental Airlines following a contentious battle for control with Continental's management, including Six and then-president Al Feldman, who were adamant in their resistance to Lorenzo. Continental's labor unions joined the anti-takeover battle because of their fears over "Lorenzo's deregulation tactics" and his prior dealings with airline labor unions. However, Texas Air was able to prevail and in June 1982, Texas International was legally merged into Continental Airlines. TI ceased to exist but the new Continental moved its headquarters to Houston, home of Texas Air.
In spite of labor friction and turmoil resulting from the acquisition, by the time of Six's death in 1986, the airline he molded and forged had become one of the largest airlines in the U.S. Continental's innovative and popular services centered on the busy Denver, Houston, and New York/Newark hubs.
The legacy of Robert F. Six
Since 1997 Continental has become one of the most financially successful of the U.S. legacy carriers. Continental's current operations include services to 135 U.S. cities, the second most extensive U.S. carrier destinations (after Delta) in Europe, the most to Mexico, as well as key routes to Caribbean/Latin America and the Pacific basin. According to one industry directory, Continental operates the most modern and fuel-efficient fleet of any U.S. trunk airline. The airlines also regularly garners passenger-preference and travel industry awards for its service.Honors and Achievements
In 1971, Six was nominated and inducted into the Colorado Aviation Hall of FameColorado Aviation Hall of Fame
The Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame was established by the Colorado Aviation Historical Society in Denver, Colorado, USA, on November 11, 1969 for the State of Colorado. The original and first ten Colorado aviation pioneers were inducted into the Hall on that date. Guest speaker for the event was...
. In June, 1974, Six was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
. He was the 1977 recipient of the Tony Jannus Award
Tony Jannus Award
The Tony Jannus Award recognizes outstanding individual achievement in scheduled commercial aviation by airline executives, inventors and manufacturers, and government leaders. The award is conferred annually by the Tony Jannus Distinguished Aviation Society and was first bestowed in 1964 in Tampa,...
for his distinguished contributions to commercial aviation. In 1980, he was inducted into the U.S. National Aviation Hall of Fame
National Aviation Hall of Fame
The American National Aviation Hall of Fame is located at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, east Dayton, Ohio...
at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.