Dr. Lawrence L. Kavanau, President Kennedy"s Lunar Advisor, Apollo Mission Strategist & Founder of Ford Aerospace Dies at Age 79
Dr. Lawrence L. Kavanau, internationally renowned aerospace engineer and Apollo mission strategist-the man who assured JFK that "We can do it. We can go to the moon and return!- died at age 79 on 2/19/05 in Margaretville, New York.
(PRWEB) February 22, 2005 -- Dr. Lawrence L. Kavanau, internationally renowned aerospace engineer, entrepreneur, and Apollo mission strategist, died at age 79 on February 19, 2005 in Margaretville, New York. He was being cared for to the end by his daughter Laura Kavanau-Levine of High Falls, New York. Dr. Kavanau had been a resident of La Jolla, California during the twenty years just prior to his death.
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed Dr. Kavanau as Special Assistant to Space and co-chairman of joint DoD/NASA task force (1961-63) during which time he made design, technical and policy recommendations to the president regarding what was to become the Apollo missions program. His design and systems contributions, (many remain classified to this day), were vital to the successful lunar landings in the 1960s and 1970s. Space program insiders attribute President Kennedys historical We will put a man on the moon" speech to meetings during which he received Dr. Kavanaus firm assurances that We can do it."
Dr. Kavanu argued successfully that the Saturn C-4 spacecraft was capable of lunar orbit rendezvous and that this was the only way to beat the Russians to the moon. This space innovator was also involved in development of the Titan IV and Saturn S-II rockets, the Gemini and Apollo spacecrafts, as well as influencing the Space Shuttle design. In a 1963 editorial in Space Age News, Dr. Kavanau observed: Space developments are at the very forefront of modern technological advances. Later in a 1973 interview with the Long Beach Independent, he was quoted about the significance of humanitys landings on the Moon: Getting there...getting those rocks and bringing them back...was an incredible feat. But even more important were the unbelievable technologies and skills we learned in the process. For the remainder of his life, Kavanau was a passionate advocate for a permanent return to the Moon for its exploration, industrialization, and settlement, particularly recommending utilization of space resources, such as lunar solar energy.
Dr. Kavanau held a number of research and executive positions in the aerospace industry, including Lockheed Aircraft Corporation Space and Missile division; Ford Motor Company where he co-founded what became the Ford Aerospace Corporation; and North American Aviation, Inc., where he was Executive Vice President when they built the Apollo spacecraft.
As an aerospace entrepreneur, he founded and directed several small start-up companies, such as Kavanau Assocates, SKC Research, and Wanlass Corporation. However, his most flourishing enterprise is SYS Technologies Inc., founded in 1966 as Systems Associates. The company, headquartered in San Diego, is now traded on the American Stock Exchange. For the past 38 years, his firm has provided services to new ventures related to Homeland Security; innovation management, strategic planning, product and business development, relative to projects in geophysical exploration, consumer electronics, solid state electronic devices, large-scale organic farming, cellular telephone testing, energy saving electric motors, and computer software. Dr. Kavanau was most proud that his multi-million dollar company evolved as a recognized industry leader for integrating systems analysis and engineering, especially related to information and knowledge technologies.
With a B.S. and M.S. from the University of Michigan, his Alma Mater in 1997 bestowed its Sesquicentennial Award upon him, in recognition of high accomplishments and services to the engineering profession and society! Kavanaus successful career began in 1945 with service in the U. S. Army Air Force as a guided missile test engineer, followed by aerodynamic research at the University of Michigan, California Institute of Technologys Jet Propulsion laboratory, and finally the University of California in Berkeley where he received the Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in 1955.
In 1963, the National Junior Chamber of Commerce selected him for the prestigious Fleming Award as an Outstanding Young Man of the Year in Government. His complete biography is listed in Marquis Whos Who in America, and on its website.
Throughout his public and private service, Dr. Kavanau had been very active with universities and professional societies. He was an adjunct professor in the California State University of Long Beach and on the board of counselors for the USC School of Engineering. In addition, Larry had been a past president of the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, and founding member of the Long Beach Economic Development Corporation. His professional memberships included Sigma Xi, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.
His personality and achievements are acknowledged by colleagues everywhere, including locally in San Diego County: Among his lifelong friends, Chuck Werner, a former consultant to both DoD and NASA, called Kavanu a technology and management giant! He cited Larrys accomplishments that ranged from designing the first skis for the Armys Piper Cub airplane to making the world a better place for his presence in it....Dr. Davis Schrunk of Poway, aeronautical engineer, physician, and Moon book author, believes that Dr. Kavanau had both a brilliant mind which he applied with acumen to both engineering and business. He observed that Larry played a critical role in humankinds greatest undertaking in going off world, amply demonstrating that 'fortune favors the prepared mind....Dr. Philip Harris of La Jolla, a management/space psychologist and prolific author, was privileged to know Kavanau only in vocational retirement when infirmities engulfed both of these buddies born in 1926. He noted that Larry was always a high performer who devoted his energies to supporting space enterprises, particularly those that would bring our species back to the Moon permanently. For example, Dr. Kavanau envisioned lunar solar power as the means for humanity to solve its energy needs and avoid pollution from fossil fuel....Dennis Laurie, CEO of Transorbital Corporation which later this year expects to launch the first private, commercial spacecraft to the Moon, made this comment on the passing of Larry Kavanau: He was that rarest of men whose accomplishments were legendary, while being a person of substance and unlimited generosity. Yet his modesty was beyond comprehension, his commitment to excellence maniacal, and his loyalty to friends without limitation.
In his early school days, Kavanau was noted both as a football player, musician and avid fisherman. At the age of 12, he met his future wife, Shirley Buckler, a flutist, when they were both playing in the City of Flint Michigan Band. Even then, she was impressed by this visionary who at teenage parties told everyone that we would land on the Moon one day soon. Happily, the loving couple made music together in every way until Mrs. Kavanus death in 1969. They are survived by three children -- Jerry, Laura, Sandra, and grandchildren Scarlett and Sam. Dr. Kavanau is also survived by a sister, Barbara Renard of Sebastopol, California. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions for their parents favorite charities -- National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI); Parkinson Disease Association of San Diego; American Society of Technion (Israel Institute of Technology). Dr. Kavanau will be interred at Hillside Memorial Park, Los Angeles, California. A celebration of Dr. Larry Kavanaus life will be held at SYS Headquarters (5050 Murphy Canyon Road, San Diego, CA 92123).
For Further Information and Photo contact:
1. SYSs Mike Fink - 858/715-5500 or Laura Kavanau-Levine, 845-687-9642.
2. George Sutton, Ph.D., Member, National Academy of Engineering, Senoir Principal ScientistSPARTA, Inc.Tel: (703) 558-0036 Fax: (703) 558 0045
3. Dr.John Logsdon, Center for Space Policy at George Washington University in Washington DC .
4. Dr. Philip R. Harris, NASA Psychologist, 2702 Costebelle Dr., La Jolla, CA 92037 - Tel: 858/453-2271; fax: 453-0788.
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