Fredrick Bell

Fredrick Bell, 80 San Antonio, Texas formerly of St. Joseph, MO and Troy, died Sunday, Dec 13, 1992, at a San Antonio hospital.

Mr. Gen Bell was born in St. Joseph and moved to Troy when he was five years old.  He attended grade school in the Eureka school District, Doniphan County.

In 1936, he graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

In his Air Force career, Mr. Bell attained the rank of brigadier general and was stationed for most of his career at Kelly Air Force base in San Antonio.  During World War II, he was stationed in India and China.

During the Korean War, he and his engineering crew refitted several bomber aircraft, enabling them to fly from the West Coast to Korea without refueling.  He and the crew were pictured on the cover of Time magazine.

In 1950, Mr. Bell flew the experimental plane, XC-99, on it's test flight while he was director of maintenance engineering at Kelly AFB.  He also broke several flying records during his 27 year long military career.

He retired from Wright Patterson AFB at Dayton, Ohio, in 1963.

After retirement, Mr. Bell received a master's degree in library science from the University of Texas and Our Lady of the Lake University.  He worked as a librarian at Trinity University before becoming a field consultant to the Texas State Library Association.  He later became librarian at Our Lady of the Lake University, from which he retired in 1977.

Mr. Bell was a member of Daedalians and the Confederate Air Force.

He married the former Fern Wilson at Richmond, Ind. in 1952.  She survived of the home.

Additional survivors include : a son Fredrick Bell Jr, of San Antonio; and a daughter, Suzanne Bell of Atlanta, Ga.

Private burial services were held Wednesday, Dec. 16, at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, Mission Park Funeral Chapels North was in charge of the arrangements.