Elvie Lawrence Smith (January 8, 1926, in Eatonia, Saskatchewan — August 4, 1999 in St. Lambert, Quebec)^[1] was a Canadian aviation engineer known for his work with gas turbines, and for his time at Pratt & Whitney Canada.^[2]

Smith attended the University of Saskatchewan, where he received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1947, and subsequently earned a master's in that field from Purdue University.^[3]

Smith began his career at the National Research Council, where he spent either five^[3] or seven^[4][5] years. In 1957, he joined Pratt and Whitney Canada^[4] as an Analytical Engineer.^[5] In 1958^[5] or 1959,^[3] he was a Chief Project Engineer; in 1962 he was promoted to Engineering Manager;^[1] in 1966 he was vice-president of Engineering;^[1] and in 1970^[1] or 1973^[4] he was vice-president of Operations.

In 1978, he became Executive Vice President,^[1] and in March 1980, was appointed President^[6] and CEO,^[3] being further selected as Chairman of the Board in 1984.^[1] In 1987, he retired, but retained his seat on the board until 1994.^[7]

In addition to being an aviation engineer, Smith was himself a pilot (having earned his license while at Purdue),^[1] with a flight time of over 5300 hours in both powered and unpowered aircraft;^[7] as well, three of his four children became commercial airline pilots.^[4]

In 1985, the Royal Society of Canada awarded Smith the Thomas W. Eadie Medal.^[8] In 1992, he was inducted into the Order of Canada,^[9] and in 1993, he was inducted into the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame.^[1] In 1997, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers awarded him the R. Tom Sawyer Award.^[5]