The Avro Family

Owen Eugene Maynard - enlisted in the RCAF in 1942, joined A.V. Roe Canada after the war as a craftsman, working on the CF-100 fighter and Avro jet-liner. Taking time off to obtain his B.A.Sc. degree at the University of Toronto, he returned to A.V. Roe and soon became their Senior Stress Engineer.
He added lustre to Canada's aerospace industry with his engineering input towards the production of the supersonic CF-105 Arrow which soared briefly to world leadership and gave Canadians a burst of pride. Following the disappointing cancellation of the Arrow, he was seconded by the Canadian Government to the newly formed U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
At NASA, he soon became Project Engineer for the first flight-test of the Mercury capsule. After President Kennedy initiated the manned lunar program, Owen's sketches of the modular 3-man space vehicle became the basis for the Apollo spacecraft. As NASA's Chief Engineer, he greatly helped to develop Apollo, firstly in earth orbital flight, then lunar orbital flight, culminating in Neil Armstrong's first step upon the moon.
In 1970, he left NASA to become a Senior Engineering Manager with the Raytheon Company and successfully oversaw many aerospace system developments. He was a member of a consortium who proposed to NASA a visionary project to develop satellites to collect solar power, which would be transmitted to Earth via microwave.
He was twice awarded NASA's Exceptional Service Medal. In 1976, he was the recipient of the U of T Engineering Alumni 2T5 Meritorious Service Medal for mid-career achievement. In 1996, the University of Toronto conferred upon him its Doctor of Engineering Degree, honoris causa. (info from UofToronto)