Lawrence (Dale) Bell - Namesakes

Aircraft designer and constructor, born in Mentone, Indiana, USA. In 1935 he formed the Bell Aircraft Corporation, and among its more notable productions was the P-59 Airacomet, the first US jet-propelled aircraft (1942). From 1941 he produced a famous line of helicopters and in 1947 the first rocket-propelled aeroplane, the Bell X-1, the first manned aircraft to exceed the speed of sound.

Lawrence Dale "Larry" Bell (April 5, 1894 - October 20, 1956) was an American industrialist and founder of Bell Aircraft Corporation.

Bell was born in Mentone, Indiana and lived there until 1907, when his family moved to Santa Monica, California. Grover Bell was killed in a plane crash the following year, and Bell vowed to quit aviation for good; When Consolidated relocated to San Diego, Bell stayed in Buffalo and founded his own company, Bell Aircraft Corporation, on July 10, 1935. Bell Aircraft built the P-39 "Airacobra" and P-63 "Kingcobra" fighter aircraft during World War II. Postwar, they produced the Bell X-1, the first aircraft to break the sound barrier in level flight. The company began developing helicopters in 1941, with the Bell 30 taking its maiden flight in 1943. This early model evolved into the Bell 47, one of the most recognizable aircraft in history. He was awarded the Society of Automotive Engineers' Daniel Guggenheim Medal in 1944, and was posthumously inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame (1977), the Army Aviation Hall of Fame (1986), and the International Aerospace Hall of Fame (2004).

Namesakes

The Bell Memorial Public Library building in Bell's hometown of Mentone, Indiana, was constructed largely through a $20,000 grant willed to the town; it is so named because Bell requested that the money be used for a memorial for his parents. Bell Aircraft Museum, which showcases personal and historical items related to his life and the history of aviation. Bell High School sits on land Bell donated to the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District. Bell Memorial Award for excellence in management leadership in the civil helicopter industry.