Born: United States of America
Primarily active in: United States of America

James A. Gean of Keller, Texas, was AHS member #00761. Born on April 27, 1921, in Beaumont, Texas, he eventually moved to Fort Worth and attended Texas Christian University where he earned a degree in mathematics. Later he attended Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology earning a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering. He joined the Navy in 1944 and served during World War II on Treasure Island teaching early radar technology. In 1946, he joined Sikorsky Helicopter working in Traverse City, Michigan and the White Sands Missile Proving Grounds in Las Cruces, New Mexico. In 1953, he moved to Fort Worth where he worked for General Dynamics and then for Bell Helicopter, from which he retired in 1986. Gean died on December 30, 2003. He was 82.

AHS Update: Vertiflite Spring 2004