Garry C. Myers Jr.

Garry Cleveland Myers, Jr. was born in Cleveland, Ohio on June 10, 1922. He attended Cleveland schools, graduating from Cleveland Heights High School in 1940. He was admitted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1940 and on February 28, 1944, was awarded the degree of Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering by that institution. On December 26, 1942, Garry married Mary Fances Martin in Washington, D.C.

Garry was exempted from military service and began employment at the Flight Research Division of the Langley Research Center of NACA beginning March 13, 1944, and continued with that organization until September 1946. During that time, he was engaged in helicopter research during the second year of which he organized and taught a course with an associate in helicopter aerodynamics. That later evolved into a book published by the MacMillan Company entitled Aerodynamics of the Helicopter by Alfred Gessow and Garry C. Myers, Jr.

In September 1946 Garry was granted six months' leave from NACA for the purpose of graduate study at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and remained at that institution until June 1947, when he was granted the Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He was awarded the Douglas Aircraft Scholarship and wrote his master's thesis on the subject Investigation of Jet Helicopter Possibilities. After finishing his graduate work at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Garry was employed briefly by Firestone Aircraft of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, but that company dissolved shortly and he was immediately employed by McDonnel Aircraft Corporation of St. Louis, Missouri as a design engineer.

In January 1950, Garry took a leave of absence from McDonnell to see his parents through Highlights financial crisis. In short order, he accepted the challenge to stay on and stabilize the business. His wife, Mary, joined him in this challenge and together they spent the next 10 years finding the marketing and business keys that would make the business a success. Garry served as Executive Vice President from April 1950 to March 1954, then as President from March 1954 until his death in December 1960.

On December 6, 1960, Garry and Mary, were killed in an airplane collision over New York City. Garry and Mary were 38 years old.