Elvie Lawrence Smith (January 8, 1926, in Eatonia, Saskatchewan — August 4, 1999 in St. Lambert, Quebec) [1] was a Canadian aviation engineer known for his work with gas turbines, and for his time at Pratt & Whitney Canada. [2]
Education
Smith attended the University of Saskatchewan, where he received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1947, and subsequently earned a master's in that field from Purdue University. [3]
Career
Smith began his career at the National Research Council, where he spent either five [3] or seven [4] [5] years. In 1957, he joined Pratt and Whitney Canada [4] as an Analytical Engineer. [5] In 1958 [5] or 1959, [3] he was a Chief Project Engineer; in 1962 he was promoted to Engineering Manager; [1] in 1966 he was vice-president of Engineering; [1] and in 1970 [1] or 1973 [4] he was vice-president of Operations.
In 1978, he became Executive Vice President, [1] and in March 1980, was appointed President [6] and CEO, [3] being further selected as Chairman of the Board in 1984. [1] In 1987, he retired, but retained his seat on the board until 1994. [7]
Personal life
In addition to being an aviation engineer, Smith was himself a pilot (having earned his license while at Purdue), [1] with a flight time of over 5300 hours in both powered and unpowered aircraft; [7] as well, three of his four children became commercial airline pilots. [4]
Recognition
In 1985, the Royal Society of Canada awarded Smith the Thomas W. Eadie Medal. [8] In 1992, he was inducted into the Order of Canada, [9] and in 1993, he was inducted into the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame. [1] In 1997, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers awarded him the R. Tom Sawyer Award. [5]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Elvie Lawrence Smith at the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame; retrieved September 11, 2023
- ^ ELVIE SMITH, FORMER P&W EXECUTIVE, DIES, at Aviation Week; published August 9, 1999; retrieved September 11, 2023
- ^ a b c d Honorary degree citation - Elvie L. Smith, by T.S. Sankar; June 1983; at Concordia University; retrieved September 11, 2023
- ^ a b c d Had lifelong passion for aviation. Helped develop the gas-turbine engine for use in aircraft, by Karen Palmer, at the Globe and Mail; published August 9, 1999; p. A 13 (via ProQuest)
- ^ a b c d Elvie Laurence Smith BEng, MEng at the University of Saskatchewan; retrieved September 11, 2023
- ^ Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Group Appointments: Donald C. Lowe, Elvie L. Smith, L. David Caplan, in The Globe and Mail; published March 11, 1980; p. B 3; retrieved September 11, 2023, via ProQuest
- ^ a b Elvie Smith was CEO of Pratt & Whitney, in the Montreal Gazette; published August 6, 1999; p. C 12; retrieved September 11, 2023; via ProQuest
- ^ Thomas W. Eadie Medal, at the Royal Society of Canada; published February 13, 2012; retrieved September 11, 2023 (via archive.org
- ^ Mr. Elvie Lawrence Smith, at the Order of Canada; retrieved September 11, 2023