Established in 1990 with $500,000 of a $5,000,000 gift from The Boeing Company to the University of Washington College of Engineering
Friends and colleagues describe Maynard Pennell as an "engineer's engineer," a friendly, patient man who listened fairly and carefully, but acted decisively.
After graduating from the University of Washington in 1931, where he studied aeronautical engineering, Pennell worked for six years for Douglas Aircraft, before joining Boeing for what became a 34-year career.
His earliest design projects at Boeing included the B-29 Superfortress and the B-52. In 1952, Mr. Pennell was named senior project engineer on the 707 project, and his focus shifted to the uncharted commercial jetliner industry. He later led the company's SuperSonic Transport design program.
For his work at Boeing, Mr. Pennell was honored with the 1965 Elmer Sperry Award for distinguished engineering. He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Allen School holders of the Boeing Pennell Professorship
Jean-Loup Baer, 1995-2000