James Elton Bell

A Proud Scotsman

James Elton Bell was born June 24, 1927 in Santa Rita, New Mexico to James Elton Bell, Sr. and Andrea Lyons Bell. He was the first born of two boys, his brother being Roger Stuart Bell. The family moved to El Paso, Texas where Jim grew up, graduating from Stephen F. Austin High School in 1944. After graduation, he joined the Navy and served in the Pacific on the USS Texas and the USS Epping-Forest toward the end of World War II. He was a witness to an atom bomb test while serving.

After discharge from the Navy, Jim attended and graduated from Cal Aero College in Glendale, California. Two important things happened to him there. First and foremost, he met the love of his life Frances Jean Goodman, in Burbank. They soon got married and recently celebrated their 67th anniversary. Second, he became and engineer, working for several companies in California before taking a job with Beech Aircraft in Boulder, Colorado. He started as a lead engineer and quickly moved up the ladder at Beech to be Boulder Plant Manager. He worked on many projects but was particularly proud of his work leading the Beech team on the Apollo moon mission and the Skylab Space Station projects. He retired from Beech aircraft in 1987.

Along the way Jim and Fran had four children. Dean, Becky, Eric and Roger. He has four grandchildren, Chris, Stephany, Margaret, and Katherine.

Jim was a person of many interests, but focused on only one at a time. He was an avid fly fisherman, a camera enthusiast, an early Porsche owner (he owned one of the first Porsches in the US), a breeder of English Setters (several champions), a vintage car racer (MGs), and an author of two books on English Setters.

Several years later he became a member of Clan Bell International, which led to his interest in Bell Family Genealogy. He and Fran wrote and published three books about the Bell family through the generations. He also wrote a book about 125 bells who contributed to history. At the time of his death, he was working on his autobiography.

As Coach Bob says in Hotel New Hampshire: "You have to get obsessed and stay obsessed." That was Jim in his family, his work and his hobbies.