T.A. Wilson Collection

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: 2000-08-28

Content Description

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The T.A. Wilson Collection is a small collection consisting of items related to Wilson's career at the Boeing Company. The collection is comprised of one certificate, photographs, a painting, and three scrapbooks.

The certificate is an award Wilson received in 1975 for distinguisehd achievement from the Wings Club reconginzing his work at the Boeing Company. The photographs include formal portraits of Wilson (a 6x8" black-and-white photograph of Wilson as a young boy; a 5x7" black-and-white photograph of Wilson as a young man; and an 8x10" color photograph of Wilson when working at Boeing) as well as a snapshot of him after receiving his honorary degree. In addition, there is a watercolor and/or gouache painting on artist board of a Minuteman missile by Robert Fetterly. The three scrapbooks largely contain clippings. One documents the Minuteman missile with articles from 1961; one documents Boeing's Aerospace division from 1964-1965; and the third focuses on Boeing's jets with articles from 1978. Additionally, there is a copy of a special Boeing News edition from 1986 documenting the construction of the Museum of Flight's Great Gallery.

Dates

Creation: circa 1930-1986

Creator

Wilson, T. A. (Thornton Arnold), 1921-1999 (Person)

Language of Materials

All materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research and is accessible in the Dahlberg Research Center by appointment. The scrapbooks may need additional processing before they can be accessed. For more information contact us.

Conditions Governing Use

The Museum of Flight (TMOF) Archives is the owner of the physical materials in the archives and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from TMOF archives before any publication use. TMOF does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.

Biographical Note: T.A. Wilson

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T.A. Wilson was President of the Boeing Company in the 1970s.

Born in Missouri, Wilson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Iowa State University and then a Master's degree from the California Institute of Technology. He started working at the Boeing Company in 1943, working on bomber programs, notably the swept-wing B-47 Stratojet and B-52 Stratofortress. He also led the proposal team that won the contract for the Minuteman missile. He rose to become president of the company in 1968, chief executive officer in 1969, and chairman in 1972. He retired in 1986 as CEO and retired as chairman in 1987.

Among awards he won were the NAS Award in Aeronautical Engineering in 1985 from the National Academy of Sciences and the Tony Jannus Award in 1992. He was married to Grace Wilson and had three children. He died at age 78 in Palm Springs, California.

Full Extent

.5 Cubic Feet (1 letter size file folder, 2 oversize folders, 1 oversize box (14x18x3"))

Additional Description

Separated Materials

Numerous awards and trophies were separated from the archival component of the collection and were transferred to objects storage. A book of logic puzzles was transferred to the library.

Processing Information

The pages of two of teh scrapbooks were removed from their bindings for preservation purposes due to deteriorating vinyl. The third remains bound. All scrapbooks need additional rehousing measures.