Thomas Loudon

Rowing was only a small part of Thomas Loudon’s distinguished life. A member of the Argonaut Rowing Club, his biggest achievement was finishing in silver medal position at the 1904 Summer Olympics as a member of Canada’s coxed eights crew, although it should be noted that Canada and the United States were the only nations involved and the former lost by approximately three lengths. The following year, he was also victorious in the same event at Canada’s Henley Royal Regatta. Loudon graduated from the University of Toronto in 1906 with an applied science degree and was hired as a lecturer at the institution the following year.

Active in civil engineering, he fostered an interest in aerospace engineering during the 1910s, but his career was interrupted by World War I, a conflict in which he served with the Canadian Army. He left the war with a Military Cross and the rank of Major and continued teaching, eventually learning how to fly at the age of 53. He served with the Royal Canadian Air Force in administrative and educational capacities during World War II and retired from teaching in the mid-1950s.

During his tenure, he had also served as a coach of the rowing team. He kept busy as a consultant for Havilland Aircraft and received the gold medal of the Professional Engineering Society of Ontario in 1959. He is a member of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering’s Hall of Distinction.