Clarence S. Howell Collection of Boeing SST Posters

Collection

Identifier: 2021-06-15

The Clarence S. Howell Collection of Boeing SST Posters is comprised of five motivational screen prints and one cutaway poster all pertaining to the Boeing 2707 SST. Howell collected the items when he worked as a project manager at the Boeing Company, circa 1960s. Bold colors and wordplay slogans are present on each. Most have minor damage visible to the corners where they were hung, evidencing their use as motivational office art.

The first screen print is also the smallest at 17x28" and is primarily orange and yellow with a camel balancing a feather on its hump. Beneath that blue text reads “It’s the ounce that counts” above the feather/SST logo. It is the only one to include an artist name which reads “Chuck A.,” likely Chuck Anderson. It is likely Anderson created all of the materials since they are all very similar in art and font style as well as use of the feather/SST logo.

The second print is 19x28” and done largely in blue. It depicts a bird version of the SST on a scale, presumably broken due to its weight. The slogan beneath says “Don’t weight and see!! Think light.” The feather/SST logo is present.

“Think light, think light, think light” is the slogan on the third print. It is also 19x 28”, done largely in green, and features Rodin’s “The Thinker” along with the feather/SST logo.

Purple shades dominatet the fourth print. It is 20x28” and reads “Lightening SSTrikes” above the feather/SST logo.

At 21x28” the last screenprint is also the largest. Done primarily in green and blue it depicts a cartoon of what is essentially only a metal frame of part of the SST, including cockpit. The pilot, clothed only in his cap and briefs, sits in front of a curtain. Behind the curtain is a passenger, also clothed only in briefs, reading a paper above “How light is light enough?” The feather/SST logo is next to the slogan.

There is also a 20x27” cutaway poster print of the SST. It depicts passenger seating as well as cargo areas. It is unknown if it was created by Chuck Anderson, but is possible due to some similarities in style.

Dates

circa 1960s

Creator

Howell, Clarence S., Jr., 1925-1985 (Collector, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research and is accessible in the Dahlberg Research Center by appointment. 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.

Extent

.5 Cubic Feet (1 30x40" folder)

Additional Description

Biographical Note: Clarence "Red" S. Howell

Clarence S. "Red" Howell, Jr. (1925-1985) was a Boeing Company project manager, circa 1960s-1980s.

Clarence S. "Red" Howell, Jr. was born on May 6, 1925 to Clarence and Fidelia (Haggerty) Howell in Succasunna, New Jersey. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. By the mid-1960s, he was residing in Washington state. Howell worked for the Boeing Company as a manager on various projects, including the Boeing SST, the B-2 and the YC-14, circa 1960s-1980s. Prior to his work at Boeing, Howell worked at Curtiss-Wright Corporation, Propeller Division and Goodyear Aircraft Company.

Howell was married to Marian Oliver (1927-1962). After her death, he married his second wife, Barbara Hallgren, on March 19, 1965. Howell died on June 7, 1985 in the Seattle, Washington area.

Biography derived from donor information and records on Ancestry.com

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was donated by the creator's family.

Related Materials at The Museum of Flight

The Museum of Flight Archives has related collections:

Processing Information

This collection has been fully processed. The cutaway drawing arrived rolled and was humidified and flattened. Materials have been placed in a folder and are interleaved.