Allen F. Donovan; Consultant to U.S. Space Program

Allen F. Donovan, 80, nationally lauded engineering consultant on the U.S. space program. A native of Onondaga, N.Y., he earned his degrees in aeronautical engineering at the University of Michigan. Donovan worked for the nonprofit Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo from its inception in 1960 until his retirement as senior vice president in 1978. The organization provides engineering support for the Air Force and U.S. space programs. Donovan received the Air Force Civilian Exceptional Service Medal in 1968 for his outstanding service to the space program. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1969, and between 1958 and 1978, served on the President’s Science Advisory Committee under five presidents. He became a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 1943, was elected a fellow in 1963 and received the group’s highest honor, an honorary fellow designation, last year. On Saturday in Newport Beach.