Olive Ann Beech (1903-1993) was indispensable to the success of one of the biggest aircraft companies in history. Though the names of her male contemporaries in the aviation world are more well-known, there’s no denying the merit of one of her nicknames: “The Queen of the Aircraft Industry.”
Happy Women's History Month! We're highlighting leaders who took charge and made lasting impacts on their industries.
This Women’s History Month, Encyclopedia Womannica is brought to you by Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes-Benz celebrates all women driving change and is indebted to those trailblazing women who punctuate the brand’s history like Bertha Benz and Ewy Rosquist. These women defied the odds to change the auto industry forever and Mercedes-Benz applauds the tenacity and courage it takes to pave the road ahead. Listen along this month as we share the stories of more inspiring women in charge and at the top of their fields — powered by Mercedes-Benz.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know -- but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Leading Ladies, Activists, STEMinists, Local Legends, and many more. Encyclopedia Womannica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Encyclopedia Womannica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, and Brittany Martinez. Special thanks to Shira Atkins, Edie Allard, and Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, and Ale Tejeda.
We are offering free ad space on Wonder Media Network shows to organizations working towards social justice. For more information, please email Jenny at jenny@wondermedianetwork.com.
Follow Wonder Media Network:
Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan and this is Encyclopedia Womannica.
Today’s trailblazing woman shaped the skies. She was indispensable to the success of one of the biggest aircraft companies in history. Though the names of her male contemporaries in the aviation world are more well-known, there’s no denying the merit of one of her nicknames: “The Queen of the Aircraft Industry.” Today, we’re talking about the life and legacy of Olive Ann Beech.
Olive was born Olive Ann Mellor in a rural farmhouse in Waverly, Kansas, on September 25, 1903. She was the youngest of four girls. Her parents, Susannah Miller Mellor and Franklin Benjamin Mellor, were from Ohio and of humble, working-class stock.
Olive’s mother was the head of the house. She was in charge of raising livestock, all the family property was in her name, and she made most of the decisions. At a young age, Olive also took on major responsibilities. She had her own bank account by the time she was seven, and by the age of 11 she was writing the family checks.
Olive’s family moved to Wichita, Kansas in 1917, where Olive skipped high school. With her financial acumen, she instead went straight to business and secretarial college. When she graduated, she found work as an administrative assistant to an electrical contractor in Augusta, Kansas. By the age of 21 she was working in Wichita as a bookkeeper and secretary for the nascent aircraft company Travel Air, founded by Clyde Cessna, Lloyd Stearman, and Walter Beech.
Olive was ambitious, eager to learn everything she could. Before long she was handling all of the company’s correspondence and financial transactions, and was promoted to office manager and personal secretary to Walter Beech.
Walter was said to have a love for practical jokes. Legend has it he once invited Olive to fly with him in a two-seat open-cockpit biplane, hoping to scare her with some fancy air tricks. In the air he rolled the plane upside down, hoping to look back and see the terror on Olive’s face, when, to his horror, he looked back and saw an empty seat. When he landed he headed to Olive’s parent’s home to break the news of a terrible accident. To his bewilderment, Olive was the one to open the door when he knocked. She had hidden in the cockpit, and when Walter landed, snuck out and raced home to prank him in return.
Whether or not this story is factual, it alludes to Olive’s steel nerves and self-confidence. Olive and Walter grew close and married in 1930. It was the official beginning of a powerful partnership.
Prior to Olive and Walter’s wedding, Walter’s co-founders at Travel Air left to pursue independent paths. Despite this turnover, Olive kept Travel Air successful at a time when aircraft demand was soaring and other companies faced internal troubles. In 1928, she advised Walter to sell the company to a descendent of the original Wright Brothers’ company. It ended up being a profitable move.
In 1931, after a brief stint in New York with the company that bought Travel Air, Olive and Walter returned to Wichita to start their own company: the Beech Aircraft Corporation. Though Olive had enough financial experience to basically run the company, her role was undervalued, as she was sometimes seen as just a “helper”. She demanded otherwise. She made Walter pay her a salary. She later said. “I wasn’t willing to give my life’s blood and not have it properly evaluated.”
By the time the company went public in 1936, Olive was the third largest shareholder.
Beech Aircraft Corporation’s first design was the elegant Beech Model 17 Staggerwing. To promote the plane, Olive suggested women fly the Staggerwing in the 1936 transcontinental Bendix Race. Previously, women had not been allowed to compete in air races with men. Blanche Boyes and Louise Thaden were the first, piloting the Staggerwing from New York to L.A. in just over 14 hours, beating the second-place finishers by 45 minutes. The Bendix Trophy won by Thaden resides at the Beechcraft Heritage Museum today.
The company grew with new and successful models. Walter was in charge of engineering and production, while Olive managed the company and oversaw its finances.
As the threat of World War II loomed, Walter Beech fell into a coma. In the same hospital, Olive was delivering their second child. While she was recovering in the hospital, she heard that other executives were trying to seize control of the company because they didn’t think Walter would return. They underestimate Olive. She set up a direct phone line to her hospital room and held daily meetings from her bed, establishing who was in charge. She dismissed fourteen executives and managed the company until Walter was well enough to return.
After the war, Olive led the company’s transition to peacetime production. When Walter suddenly died in 1950, at the age of 47, Olive became the president of the company, the chair of the board, the first woman to head an aircraft manufacturing company.
In 1980, Olive and her nephew sold the company. She became one of the biggest philanthropists in Wichita, which is now known as the “Air Capital of the World.” At a time when executive positions were not thought to be places for women, Olive’s managerial and business skills helped her make Beech a household name in aviation. She wasn’t just half of her husband’s operation. She was a chief and industrialist in her own right.
Olive Ann Beech died on July 6, 1993, at the age of 89.
All month, we’re talking about women in the driver’s seat..
For more on why we’re doing what we’re doing, check out our newsletter Womannica Weekly.
Follow us on facebook and instagram @encyclopediawomannica.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.