Lawrence Dale Bell

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

Biography Bell was born in Mentone, Indiana, and lived there until 1907, when his family moved to Santa Monica, California. He joined his older brother Grover and stunt pilot Lincoln Beachey as a mechanic in 1912. Grover Bell was killed in a plane crash the following year, and Lawrence vowed to quit aviation for good; however, he went to work for the Glenn L. Martin Company after friends convinced him to return to the industry. He became Martin's shop foreman at age 20, and later the company's general manager, wanting to become partner.

He left Martin in 1928 to join Consolidated Aircraft in Buffalo, New York, eventually becoming vice president and general manager. When Consolidated relocated to San Diego, Bell stayed in Buffalo and founded his own company with 56 employees, Bell Aircraft Corporation, on July 10, 1935. On a government-sponsored "spy tour" to Germany with 44 other industrialists in 1938, he saw the Focke-Wulf Fw 61 helicopter, and used the layout of a German aircraft factory for his Niagara Falls plant. (1977), the Army Aviation Hall of Fame (1986), and the International Aerospace Hall of Fame (2004).

Legacy and awards Bell was initiated to the York Rite of Freemasonry; he was subsequently elevated to the highest degree of Grand Master.

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. Mentone is also the site of the Lawrence D. Bell Aircraft Museum, which showcases personal and historical items related to his life and the history of aviation. Lawrence D. Bell Hall is a major engineering hub at the University at Buffalo. In addition to the building, Mr. Bell is honored through a general-purpose fund in the School of Engineering & Applied Sciences. Lawrence Bell Drive in Amherst, New York. In Hurst, Texas, L.D. Bell High School sits on land Bell donated to the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District. Since 1971, the Helicopter Association International has given a Lawrence D. Bell Memorial Award for excellence in management leadership in the civil helicopter industry. Larry Bell Park, Marietta, Georgia