Astronautics Group Executive Named President of McDonnell Douglas Corp.

Gerald A. Johnston, a veteran executive of McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co. in Huntington Beach, has been named president of St. Louis-based McDonnell Douglas Corp.

Johnston, 56, of Mission Viejo has been vice president and general manager of McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co. since last year. The promotion was announced Wednesday and is effective immediately.

It was under Johnston that Astronautics beat out Rockwell International last December for a $1.9-billion NASA contract to build a major portion of the U.S. space station.

An engineer and 32-year veteran of McDonnell Douglas, Johnston joined the newly formed Astronautics group in 1968 as a manager for the Spartan missile program.

A native of Chicago, Johnston joined Douglas Aircraft in 1956 and rose through a variety of positions to become chief engineer on the Nike X and Spartan missile programs in 1965.

Johnston rose through the ranks during 20 years with the Huntington Beach operation. He was named director of engineering in 1981 and vice president of engineering in 1983. He was promoted to vice president and general manager of strategic systems in 1986, and named head of the entire Astronautics group in 1987.

Johnston replaces John F. McDonnell, who became chairman and chief executive when Sanford N. McDonnell retired earlier this year. John McDonnell, in announcing the promotion, called Johnston “a capable engineer” with a “solid record in line management” and “an exceptional ability to work effectively both with customers and with the corporation’s internal team.”