David Sloan Lewis Jr. (July 6, 1917 – December 15, 2003) was an American

aeronautical engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...

who led aerospace and defense giant

General Dynamics General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American publicly traded aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. As of 2020, it was the fifth largest defense contractor in the world by arms sales and fifth largest in the Unit ...

for 14 years.

Early life

David Lewis was born in 1917, in

North Augusta, South Carolina North Augusta is a city in Aiken and Edgefield counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina, on the north bank of the Savannah River. It lies directly across the river, and state border, from Augusta, Georgia. The population was 24,379 at the ...

. As a child, he loved to read aviation books and build model aircraft. Lewis attended the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

, and transferred to

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...

for his last two years. He graduated in 1939 with a degree in

aeronautical engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...

. While at Georgia Tech, he was a member of the

Sigma Alpha Epsilon Sigma Alpha Epsilon () is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. It was founded at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on March 9, 1856.Baird, William Raimond, ed. (1905).Baird's Manual of American College Fratern ...

fraternity.

Career

After college Lewis began his work career at the

Glenn L. Martin Company The Glenn L. Martin Company, also known as The Martin Company from 1917 to 1961, was an American aircraft and aerospace industry, aerospace manufacturing company founded by aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin. The Martin Company produced many impo ...

. Then in 1946, he moved to McDonnell Aircraft Company and became chief of aerodynamics."David S. Lewis, Jr., Former Chairman of General Dynamics, Dies at 86"
General Dynamics, December 17, 2003 He was the program manager for the highly successful

F-4 Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber that was developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bower ...

jet fighter."Testing the F-4 Phantom II"
''Caltech'', 1989. Following the merger of McDonnell and

Douglas Aircraft Company The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, aerospace and military, defense company based in Southern California. Founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas Sr., it merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell D ...

in 1967, David Lewis served as president of

McDonnell Douglas McDonnell Douglas Corporation was a major American Aerospace manufacturer, aerospace manufacturing corporation and defense contractor, formed by the merger of McDonnell Aircraft and the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967. Between then and its own ...

until 1970. Lewis became the head of General Dynamics in 1970. He was influential in having the

F-16 The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it e ...

design team choose the

Pratt & Whitney F100 The Pratt & Whitney F100 (company designation JTF22) is a low bypass afterburner, afterburning turbofan engine. It was designed and manufactured by Pratt & Whitney to power the U.S. Air Force's "FX" initiative in 1965, which became the McDonnell ...

turbofan engine following his experience with the engine in the McDonnell Douglas

F-15 The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force (USAF) selected McDonnell Douglas's des ...

fighter. He remained head of the company until he retired in 1986. Upon his retirement, he remained on the board of directors through 1993. He also served on the Board of Directors for

Ralston Purina Ralston Purina Company was a St. Louis, Missouri,–based American conglomerate with substantial holdings in animal feed, food, pet food, consumer products, and entertainment. On December 12, 2001, it merged with Swiss food-giant Nestlé's ...

and Mead Paper, as well as the Board Executive Committee for

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (Bank of America) (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in ...

. Lewis received numerous national and international awards for his contribution to the field of aeronautics, including the Robert J. Collier Trophy in 1975, the Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a nonprofit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest-achieving people in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet one ano ...

in 1977, the Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Award in 1981, the

Daniel Guggenheim Medal The Daniel Guggenheim Medal is an American engineering award, established by Daniel and Harry Guggenheim. The medal is considered to be one of the greatest honors that can be presented for a lifetime of work in aeronautics. Its first recipien ...

in 1982, and the

Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy The Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy was established by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) in 1948 after a trust fund was created in 1936 by Godfrey Lowell Cabot of Boston, a former president of the NAA. It is awarded to a living America ...

in 1984. Lewis was inducted into the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame in 2000."Legacy of Leadership, South Carolina Business Hall of Fame"
. South Carolina Business Hall of Fame, 2000 He was a member of the Georgia Tech Council of Distinguished Engineering Graduates and a trustee emeritus of the Georgia Tech and

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...

Foundations."Obituary: David Lewis, emeritus trustee, 86"

He was named a Fellow of the

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is a professional society for the field of aerospace engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecra ...

, and the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...

."National Academy of Engineering Members Directory"

, 2003

Personal life

Lewis was married to his wife, Dorothy, for 62 years. They had four children.

References

External links

"Pentagon Watchdog Urges Suspension Of Firm`s Chairman", ''Sun-Sentinel'', May 4, 1985

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080423234111/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,965528,00.html "The Fugitive Accuser", ''Time'', April 8, 1985 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, David Sloan 1917 births 2003 deaths American aerospace engineers Georgia Tech alumni Collier Trophy recipients American business executives People from North Augusta, South Carolina 20th-century American engineers Georgia Tech people Sigma Alpha Epsilon members Washington University in St. Louis trustees