Sonia Greteman, president and creative director of Greteman Group, a marketing communications agency based in Wichita, the Air Capital.

A Lasting Legacy

The book tells the story of two unlikely people who came together and made pioneering breakthroughs in a fledgling industry. It’s a fascinating story of love, conflict and adventure that can be read as the biography of general aviation itself.

Together the Beeches filled the sky with iconic aircraft. The virtually handcrafted Beech Staggerwing (Model 17) is considered by many to be the most beautiful airplane ever designed. During World War II, 90 percent of the 45,000 U.S. Army Air Force bombardiers trained on the Model 18 Twin Beech, in production longer than any other aircraft until the v-tail Model 35 Bonanza, one of the most popular and easily recognized personal aircraft of all time. The continually updated Beech Bonanza enjoys the longest production run of any airplane in general aviation history. The legendary King Air outsold all competing turboprops combined.

In 1940 while Walter suffered a devastating illness, a group of Beech executives tried to oust Olive Ann. She fought them off and drove Beechcraft’s contribution to the Allies’ WWII victory. When Walter died in 1950, Olive Ann led the company for the next 32 years. Her office was frequented by the Who’s Who of her day: President Lyndon Johnson, Bob Hope, Author Godfrey, Walt Disney.

Olive Ann never became a pilot herself, but she flew the company to multimillion-dollar heights - and built 54,000 aircraft along the way.

Leading the Way

Olive Ann was respected and admired for her vision and business acumen. Still, she was a woman in a man’s world, one of the very first females in American history to lead a major corporation. When faced with a corporate coup, she crushed it. When a big Eastern bank disrespected her, she dumped it. Admirers and detractors alike called this indomitable elegantly dressed woman “The Queen.”