1. William John "Jack" Frye was an American aviation pioneer in the airline industry.
19 Facts About Jack Frye
1. 2.
Jack Frye founded Standard Air Lines which eventually took him into a merger with Trans World Airlines.
3.
Jack Frye is credited for turning TWA into a world-class airline during his tenure as president from 1934 to 1947.
4.
Jack Frye had a younger brother, Donald, and a younger sister, Ople.
5.
Jack Frye enlisted in the United States Army Corps of Engineers in 1921, and was discharged as a corporal in 1922.
6.
In 1922, Jack Frye left for California with his brother Don.
7.
Jack Frye began taking flying lessons in 1923 from instructor Burdett Fuller at Burdett Field in Los Angeles.
8.
In 1926, Los Angeles aerial police ticketed Jack Frye for flying less than 1,000 feet above the city.
9.
In May 1934, Jack Frye broke his record by flying a Northrop Gamma from Los Angeles to Newark in an elapsed time of 11 hours and 31 minutes.
10.
Jack Frye married Debbie Greer in Tijuana, Mexico, in 1924; they divorced in 1932.
11.
In 1932, Jack Frye married Regine LaCoste in Ravena, Missouri, they divorced in 1939.
12.
In July 1950, Jack Frye married his fourth wife, in Hollywood, Florida, New York showgirl and actress Emily Nevada Smith.
13.
Jack Frye was very well connected in Washington DC, and soon landed a coveted prize as director of one of the German corporations seized during World War II, in this case the US residual of IG Farben.
14.
Jack Frye remained President of General Aniline until 1955, when the Eisenhower administration unwound these holdings through the Office of Alien Property Custodian.
15.
In 1955, Jack Frye formed his own aircraft manufacturing company, the Jack Frye Corporation.
16.
Jack Frye was originally buried in Tucson, but now rests in Wheeler, Texas.
17.
Jack Frye received the Presidential Medal of Merit from Harry Truman for wartime contributions as a civilian in December 1946 where Jack Frye donated many TWA aircraft and personnel for the war effort.
18.
Jack Frye was elected into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1992.
19.
In Martin Scorsese's 2004 biopic of Howard Hughes, The Aviator, Jack Frye was portrayed by actor Danny Huston.