William Rees Sears
Joining Northrop as a consultant, he became the company’s chief of aerodynamics and flight test four years later. His achievements in the academe are equally noteworthy. At Cornell University (19461974) he founded the Center for Applied Mathematics and the Graduate School of Engineering. From 1974 to 1990 he was a professor of Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Arizona, where he is now professor emeritus. In 1995 he received one of his professions highest honors, the National Academy of Science Award in Aeronautical Engineering, awarded but once every five years.