Walter H. Beech and Olive Ann Beech Endowed Scholarship Fund in the W. Frank Barton School of Business

Walter H. Beech founded Travel Air Manufacturing Company in 1925 with a group comprised of Clyde Cessna and Lloyd Stearman. Later in 1932, he and his wife, Olive Ann, co-founded Beech Aircraft Corporation. After her husband’s death in 1950, the ‘First Lady of Aviation’ became chief executive of the company. Her unique financial prowess began at age 7, when she opened her first bank account and soon held the responsibilities for her family’s household finances. Her successful business career spanned more than fifty years, earning her recognition in 1943 by the New York Times as one of the most distinguished women in America. In 1993, the Walter H. Beech and Olive Ann Beech Endowed Scholarship Fund in the W. Frank Barton School of Business was established to honor the illustrious business careers of Walter H. and Olive Ann Beech.