Topic: Gordon Bethune

Gordon M. Bethune is a retired US airline executive. He was the CEO of Continental Airlines from 1994 until his retirement at the end of 2004. He currently serves on the boards of Honeywell, Sprint Nextel, Prudential Financial, and Willis Group Holdings.

Bethune holds a commercial pilot certificate with type ratings in the Douglas DC-3, Boeing 757, and Boeing 767. Bethune was known for ensuring that he received some time as pilot when taking delivery of a new Continental Airlines Boeing 767 from Boeing and repositioning it from Seattle to Houston; his witty humor; and most importantly for the incredible turnaround of Continental Airlines in the mid 1990s.

Bethune was born August 29, 1941 in San Antonio, Texas to Pearl Elley and Jack Bethune, who was serving in the U.S. Army at that time. Bethune grew up in Austin, Texas and spent summers with his father, who was then working as a crop duster, in Hernando, Mississippi. Bethune joined the U.S. Navy in 1958 at age 17, becoming an aviation electronics technician. In January 1960, he was serving in Heavy Attack Squadron 11 aboard the ]. He rose to the rank of chief petty officer, warrant officer, and over time received his commission as a Lieutenant. While in the Navy, Bethune married wife T.J. and fathered three sons, Xavier, Michael and Grady. In 1978, he retired with twin bars of a full lieutenant.