Badass Elsie MacGill bron on March 27, 1905
Elsie MacGill – The Queen of the Hurricanes – was born in Vancouver, British Columbia on March 27, 1905.
Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering, University of Toronto (1927)
Master of Science in Engineering (aeronautics), University of Michigan (1929)
Doctoral studies at MIT in Cambridge (1932–1934)
My presence in the University of Toronto’s engineering classes in 1923 certainly turned a few heads.
Although I never learned to fly myself, I accompanied the pilots on all test flights – even the dangerous first flight – of any aircraft I worked on.
Elsie reflecting on her experiences as an undergrad in a male dominated field. 1940
Elsie MacGill is on the top left stamp. Her portrait was part of the 2019 Canadians in Flight series.
Issued by Canada Post and designed by
Ivan Novotny, Sprules Corporation and Taylor
The stamps were also available on a souvenir sheet featuring Ultraflight Lazair, Avro Arrow, Punch Dickens and Captain William Barker.
You can read more about the entire set here https://bittergrounds.com/latest-canadian-stamps-celebrating-canadians-in-flight/
Elsie MacGill, the underappreciated hero of aeronautical engineering, feminist and all around amazing Canadian. She was a woman of many firsts – 1st female graduate of electrical engineering at U of T, 1st woman to earn a Master’s in aeronautical engineering, 1st female practicing engineering in Canada, when recovering from polio MacGill designed airplanes and wrote articles about aviation, rode along with test pilots to observe her designs in flight, chief aeronautical engineer at Canadian Car & Foundry, headed the Canadian production of the Hawker Hurricane fighter planes in WW2, feminist activist, commissioner on the Royal Commission on the Status of Women and tireless advocate for women’s rights1.
Page from 1942 comic – Elsie MacGill, Queen of the Hurricanes Image courtesy Roberta Bondar Foundation
How bad ass was Elsie MacGill? She had a comic book written about her in 1942 called Queen of the Hurricanes – Elsie MacGill. MacGill was the Queen of Badass Women. Not enough Canadians are taught about her contributions to engineering, aviation, and feminism so this is a long overdue tribute to a great Canadian.