William C. Mentzer was an aeronautical engineer noted for his contributions to the airline industry, dealing particularly with aircraft maintenance and economics. He was born on May 27, 1907 in Knoxville, Iowa. After graduating from MIT

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...

 in 1934, he worked for United Air Lines as an engineer. During the course of his career, he was involved in the development of over 50 aircraft and was eventually promoted to a senior management level. He was elected a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics is the professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA was founded in 1963 from the merger of two earlier societies: the American Rocket Society , founded in 1930 as the American Interplanetary Society , and the Institute...

 and a member of the National Academy of Engineering

National Academy of Engineering

The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...

. He died on December 23, 1971 in Palo Alto, California. He was posthumously awarded the Daniel Guggenheim Medal

Daniel Guggenheim Medal

The Daniel Guggenheim Medal is an American engineering award, established by Daniel and Harry Guggenheim. The medal is considered to be one of the greatest honors that can be presented for a lifetime of work in aeronautics...

in 1972.