Reginald D. Grantham Boeing Collection

Collection

Identifier: 2025-09-03-A

Contents of the Collection

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The Reginald D. Grantham Boeing Collection is a small collection of photographs and textual material gathered by Reginald D. Grantham during his 35-year career at the Boeing Company as a flight engineer, circa 1960s-1980s. Due to the collections's small size, it has been arranged chronologically.

The bulk and strength of the collection is 62 photographs, most of which depict Boeing Models 707, 757, 767 and the YC-14. The photographs were likely taken during certification and flight testing. The aircraft are primarily depicted from the external view, although a few interior shots are present. Nine photographs depict cockpits and parts of aircraft, although it is not clear for which aircraft. Some images include unidentified people, likely Boeing employees, next to or in the aircraft. Reginald D. Grantham is present in some shots. One photograph depicts Grantham and two unidentified men in an office. Most of the photographs are color 8x10-inch prints, although a small number are black-and-white. The majority include Boeing stamps but other contextual information, such as dates, locations, or names, is minimal.

A few textual items are also present in the collection, including two memos regarding the 737 demo and wide-body campaign for British West Indian Airlines, a participant list for the 767 certification, and a typed biographical sketch used as a speech at Grantham's retirement. It is unknown who wrote or delivered the speech.

Dates

Creation: circa 1960s-1980s

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.

Biographical Note: Reginald D. Grantham

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Reginald D. Grantham (1931-2022) was a flight engineer for the Boeing Company.

Reginald D. Grantham was born on October 9, 1931 in Trenton, New Jersey to Autumn and Winnie Grantham. His family relocated to Winter Haven, Florida, where he was raised.

In 1947, Grantham joined the United States Air Force and served in the Korean War. After his service, he attended college via the G.I. Bill and finished his degree in Aeronautical Engineering at Indiana Tri-State University (Trine University) in 1959. Grantham relocated to Seattle, Washington to join the Boeing Company as a flight test engineer and worked on the Boeing 707, 727, 737, 757, 767 and 777. In the late 1960s, Boeing sent him to Florida to work on NASA's Apollo program. He returned to Seattle and became a manager in Flight Test at Boeing and led coordination efforts of airplane certification with the FAA. He retired from Boeing after a 35-year career. After retirement, Grantham was a certification consultant for Embraer.

Grantham married his high school sweetheart Hazel Sneer prior to his military enlistment. They divorced before he moved to Seattle, Washington. In Seattle, Grantham met and married Sonya Johnson and together, the couple had a son. Grantham later married his third wife, Debbie Lynch, although the marriage ended after 18 years. After his third marriage, he had a 10-year relationship with his companion, Dianne Smith. Prior to his retirement, Grantham attained his private pilot's license and enjoyed flying with friends. He also enjoyed spending summers with his family at his Lawrence Lake, Wisconsin cabin. Reginald D. Grantham died on July 19, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.

Biography derived from donor information, collection materials and obituary online (https://obituaries.seattletimes.com/obituary/reginald-grantham-1085869752 Accessed 12/2/2025).

Full Extent

.20 Cubic Feet (1 2-inch letter-size document box)

Language

English

Additional Description

Accruals

No further accruals are expected.

Separated Materials

As part of the archival processing, some materials were separated from the archival materials and are kept in the General Aircraft Files, the Library, Philatelic Collection, and Trade Literature collections. Please inquire for details.