Abstract William P. “Bill” Lear was a prolific inventor with dozens of patents for a variety of machines to his name but is most famous for his work in the aviation field. Moya Marie Olsen Lear was a philanthropist, businesswoman, and the wife of aviation pioneer Bill Lear. The collection documents Bill Lear's inventions and career in the fields of radio navigation, aircraft design, the 8-track player, and his efforts at a steam-powered turbine. Materials are predominantly affiliated with Lear’s many...

Scope and Contents: Lear Motors Corporation Series XI: Lear Motors Corporation (LMC) primarily documents the efforts of LMC in the development and production of steam-powered vehicles. Although LMC was incorporated in 1968 and sold in 1976, the bulk of materials fall within 1969-1973. Note that because LMC, Leareno Development, LearAvia, and several smaller companies were all started in 1967-1968 there is some overlap between the series within some sections, such as correspondence. The series is...

Scope and Contents: Personal The Personal series consists of materials related to WPL’s and MOL’s professional lives but which are not directly tied to any of the companies. The series is divided into four subseries: William P. Lear, Moya Olsen Lear, Lear Family, and General. Each of these has been further broken down and are clarified below. Materials are generally, but not always, arranged by date, with undated items at the...