Chester Val Braun was born in New Jersey on February 11, 1924. With World War II in progress, Chester was educated at, and graduated from, West Point. He received training as an Army-Air Force pilot. While serving, he helped map Korea in the Reconnaissance Squadron.

After leaving the service, he became a test pilot for Republic Aviation. In January 1942, he joined McDonnell Aircraft, which later became McDonnell-Douglas and then Boeing. He began his career with McDonnell as an Experimental Test Pilot; then in May 1955 he was promoted to Senior Flight Test Engineer; in August 1955 he became Technical Representative; and in June 1957 he was Chief of Customer Requirements. In March 1958 he became Project Manager of the GAM-72 Quail Missile Program, and then in October 1964 General Manager of U.S. Air Force Phantom Programs. In January 1966, Conductron Corporation of Ann Arbor Michigan became a member of the McDonnell family, and Chester Braun became Vice President and Group Executive of the new addition. In June 1968, he was elected President of Conductron, but then in 1969 he resigned and re-joined McDonnell as Vice President and General Manager of modern jet fighters such as the F-4 Phantom and F-15 Eagle.

In September 1980, Braun met with King Hussein of Jordan and Prince Philip of England at the Paris Air Show when McDonnell-Douglas showed the new F-15 Strike Eagle.  Chester encouraged his wife, Elizabeth, and two sons, Gary and C. V. Braun, Jr., to all earn their pilot's licenses, and both sons joined him as employees of McDonnell-Douglas for a time.

Chester retired from the industry to Florida where he earned a ships Master's License and enjoyed boating, tennis, and dressage. He achieved excellence in the Florida equestrian world by winning many awards with his thoroughbred Prince Secret Ice, a grandson of the Triple Crown champion Secretariat.  Chester Braun passed away on June 8, 2015 in Osprey, Florida. 

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The collection's Descriptive Finding Guide.