William Randall McDonnell ’74

Randy died Feb. 23, 2026.

He graduated from St. Louis Country Day School and earned a bachelor of science degree in engineering with honors at Princton. He later received an MBA from Washington University.

He worked at McDonnell Douglas for 17 years, starting on the assembly line and rising to senior roles in program management and advanced design. Randy played key roles in producing the TAV-8B Harrier. He also led a multi-company superteam while there and became the corporate director of advanced concepts.

In 1993, Randy founded Advanced Aerospace Technologies and Advanced Product Development, supporting Boeing’s unmanned aircraft program. He also patented a sleeper seat design that was adopted by Air New Zealand. He is responsible for dozens of patents in aeronautics.

Randy was also deeply committed to character development, serving for many years as chairman of the executive advisory board of Character Plus. He was also active in the Boy Scouts and other character-building organizations. In 2018, he moved to Las Vegas, where he found great joy in hiking, climbing and camping in the surrounding mountains.

Randy is survived by his sister, Robbin MacVittie; his nephew, William MacVittie; and his three children.