Joseph F. Sutter

Joseph Sutter was born in the United States in 1921 and graduated there as an aeronautical engineer. His father had emigrated from Dobrova near Ljubljana to the USA before the First World War. Joseph F. Sutter took a job at Boeing, remained with the company throughout his tenure, and was promoted to vice president of the company. He is one of the researchers who established himself with inventiveness and creativity in a foreign environment, where the conditions for the realization of great ideas were propitious for engineering creativity at that time. Joseph Sutter can be ranked alongside famous Slovenes like Vega, Stefan, and Janez Puh.

Joseph Sutter is one of the pioneers in the field of aviation. He and his colleagues developed the idea into a product that marked a revolutionary leap in the development of commercial transport aircraft. This aircraft shortened the distances between people from different continents and brought air travel closer to ordinary people as well. The creators and the aircraft will remain written in history as one of the top achievements of engineering ingenuity, creativity, and courage of the 2nd century.

The significance of the work of J.F. Sutter can best be understood by listing some of the very many awards and recognitions that have been given to him. In 1965, he was first rewarded for his contribution to the construction of the Boeing 727. A number of high-profile awards and prizes followed: in 1971, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Award, in 1980 the Elmer Sperry Award for his contribution to the design and construction of the Boeing 747 aircraft, in 1984 he was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering, in 1985 he was awarded at the White House by President Ronald Reagan the National Medal of Technology for services to the development of three generations of aircraft. J.F. Sutter was also a member of many scientific societies in the United States, England, and France. The University of Washington and the School of Engineering awarded him the title of honorary professor.