Walter and Olive Ann Beech Selected as 2023 Paul E Garber Shrine Honorees
The First Flight Society announced today that Walter and Olive Ann Beech have been
named the 2023 Honorees to be inducted into the Dr. Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine located in the
Museum and Visitors Center at the Wright Brothers National Memorial, Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina,
USA.
This honor is selected annually by a high-level panel appointed by the First Flight Society, from among
numerous nominations submitted from around the world as well as compiled lists
of qualified candidates. The induction ceremony will be held on Wright Brothers Day, December 17, 2023,
with a celebration banquet held on December 16, 2023 in Kitty Hawk. A portrait of the Beechs will be
unveiled and presented at the ceremony on December 17th, 2023, celebrating the 120th Anniversary of the Wright Brothers First Flight.
Walter Herschel Beech (January 30, 1891 – November 29, 1950) was an American aviator and early
aviation entrepreneur who co-founded the Beech Aircraft Company in 1932 with his wife, Olive Ann
Beech, and a team of three others. Olive Ann Mellor Beech (September 25, 1903 – July 6, 1993) was an
American aerospace businesswoman who was not only co-founder, but later president, and chairwoman of the Beech Aircraft Corporation. She earned more awards, honorary appointments, and special citations than any other woman in aviation history and was . often referred to as the “First Lady of Aviation”.
William Douglas, Chairman of the First Flight Society’s National Advisory Committee, served
as Chair of the Dr. Paul E. Garber Shrine Selection Panel and managed the selection process.
For more information about the Paul E Garber Shrine visit https://firstflight.org/first-flight-shrine/