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EDWARD C. WELLS
1910-1986
BY EDWARD H.
HEINEMANN
EDWARD C. WELLS was one of the last of the "old time engi-
neers." He was truly a chief engineer who understood all the
parts of an airplane and usually conceived and directed the
design of the entire airplane himself.
Because we were approximately the same age and had sim-
ilar responsibilities at two competing companies, the Boeing
Company anct Douglas Aircraft, ~ came to know Ec] and his
accomplishments very well and to respect his work greatly.
He was an excellent engineer, ant! under his direction, many
of the worId's finest airplanes were born. Among them were
the Boeing B-17, B-29, B-47, and B-52, as well as the com-
mercial models 707, 727, 737, 747, 757, and 767.
Mr. Wells began his career with Boeing in 193 I. He retired
as a senior vice-presiclent in 1972, but continued as a com-
pany consultant and member of the board of directors until
1978, when he resigner! from the board.
As assistant project engineer on the 299 (the forerunner
of the B- ~ 7), Mr. Wells was responsible for the wing flap sys-
tem, the largest ever consiclerect until that time. Sophisti-
catecI flap systems have been a trademark of Boeing air-
planes for forty-five years, beginning with the 299 in 1934.
Mr. Wells received fifteen patents for inventions, most of
them for innovations in mechanical and flight systems. For
example, he led the engineering efforts that made the B-29
351
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352
MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
the outstanding bomber of its day. The B-29's basic engineer-
ing advances included pressurized body (first introducer! on
Boeing's 307 Stratoliner in 1938), centralized fire control,
power turrets, and dramatic increases in bomb load capacity
and effective range.
WelIs was made chief of Boeing's Preliminary Design Unit
in ~ 936 and chief project engineer in charge of military proj-
ects in ~ 938. In ~ 939 he became assistant chief engineer, ant!
in 1943 he was named chief engineer. He became vice-
presiclent ant] chief engineer in 1948.
In 1961 Mr. WelIs was named vice-president anct general
manager of the Military Aircraft Systems Division. This di-
vision ant! the Transport Division were merged to become
the Airplane Division in 1963. He became vice-president for
product development in 1966.
Ect Wells was wiclely recognizes! and honored for his work
in aviation. In 1942 he received the Lawrence Sperry Awarct
from the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences for "out-
stancling contributions to the art of airplane design." He was
named "Young Man of the Year" by the Seattle Junior Cham-
ber of Commerce in 1943, and in 1944 he receiver! the Faw-
cett Aviation Award for "the greatest single contribution for
the scientific advancement of aviation" during the year.
During World War Il. Mr. Wells was a consultant to the
secretary of war. Later, he was a member of the Research and
Technology Advisory Council for the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, a member of the President's Spe-
cial Task Force on Transportation, ancT a member of the De-
fense Science Board. In 1978, because of his significant con-
tributions to aeronautics, Mr. Wells was elected an Elder
Statesman of Aviation by the National Aeronautics Associa-
tion.
Born in 1910 in Boise, Idaho, Mr. Wells graduated with
"great clistinction" and Phi Beta Kappa honors from Stan-
ford University's Engineering School in ~ 93 ~ . He received an
honorary (loctor of laws (legree from the University of Port-
lanc! in 1946 ant! an honorary (1octor of science degree from
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EDWARD C. WELLS
353
WilIamette University in 1953. He was a life member of the
WilIamette University board of trustees.
During the 1969-1970 academic year, Mr. Wells took a
partial leave from Boeing to serve as a visiting professor in
the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford
University. He served on advisory boards for Stanford, the
University of Washington, and the University of California at
Los Angeles.
Mr. Wells was elected to membership in the National AcacI-
emy of Engineering in 1967. He was also a member of the
Society of Automotive Engineers, the American Association
for the Advancement of Science, the American Society for
Engineering Education, and the American Astronautical So-
ciety; he was an honorary fellow of the American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics (AlAA). He was president of
AlANs predecessor organization, the Institute of the Aero-
nautical Sciences, in 1958.
He receiver! the Daniel Guggenheim Medal in 1980 for his
"outstanding contributions in the design and production of
some of the worIct's most famous commercial and military
aircraft." In 1981 he was elected a fellow of the Society of
Automotive Engineers "for exceptional contributions to the
advancement of automotive technology." In 1985 he received
the Tony Janus Award in recognition of his "outstanding
contributions to the clevelopment of complex aerospace sys-
tems and significant accomplishments in the design and pro-
cluction of a long line of the worId's most famous military and
commercial aircraft."
Mr. Wells died on July I, 1986, and is survived by his wife
Dorothy; a daughter, Mrs. William (Laurie) Tull of Etna,
California; a son, Edward E. WelIs of Aurora, Colorado; two
grandsons, John and Eric Benjamin; and two sisters, Mrs.
William Geer of Bellevue, Washington, and Mrs. William
Ketteringham of Sun City, California.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
aeronautical sciences
