Valentine O'Donovan
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Introduction
Michael Valentine (Val) O'Donovan, C.M., D.Eng., P.Eng. (February 14, 1936 – February 5, 2005) was an innovator in satellite communications, founder of COM DEV and Chancellor of the University of Waterloo. O’Donovan took COM DEV from a fledging operation to a globally recognized leader in its industry. The company went public in 1996. Today, it employs more than 650 in Canada, the United Kingdom and China.
History
Born in Cork, Ireland, O’Donovan studied electrical engineering at the Cambridge College of Technology. After his graduation, he started working at Pye Telecommunications in 1959. In 1962 he invented a new type of microwave multiplexer, and a paper he wrote describing the invention won the best paper award in the Journal of the Institution of Electronic and Radio Engineers. Soon after graduating he met his future wife Sheila and they were married in 1960.
He immigrated to Canada with his young family in 1963, joining RCA in Montreal as an engineer to develop first generation satellite earth stations. By 1971, he managed RCA’s satellite transponder department, which was responsible for designing the payloads used in the Canada/United States communications technology satellite. Drawing on his expertise, he co-authored a book (with Chandra Kudsia) titled Microwave Filters for Communications Systems.
COM DEV International
After working in the satellite division at RCA in Montreal Val, with two partners, founded COM DEV in 1972 and, under his guidance, it has become a global leader in satellite communications technology. In 1979 COM DEV moved to Cambridge, Ontario. Under Val's leadership COM DEV continued to thrive and in 1996 became a publicly listed company (symbol CDV on the Toronto Stock Exchange). In May of 1997 O'Donovan became the 7th Chancellor of the University of Waterloo where he served until 2003, when he was named chancellor emeritus. In 1998 O'Donovan retired as CEO of COM DEV but continued on as Chairman of the Board until December 2004.
At the time of his resignation as Chairman, Deputy Chairman Keith Ainsworth said:
“We all owe a debt of gratitude to Val O’Donovan. His pioneering vision of space, of Canada in space and Canada’s place in the world in general, drove COM DEV from a tiny start-up company to where it is today as a globally recognized leader in space technology. I know his decision to retire was made only because his ongoing poor health made it impossible for him to maintain the high level of commitment and enthusiasm that he gave to COM DEV throughout his career.”
Community Invovlement
Val played a key role in the successful relocation of UW's school of architecture to Cambridge. He was a founding member of the Cambridge Consortium, a small group of Cambridge business people whose objective was to move the school of architecture from Waterloo to its new home beside the Grand River in the old Galt section of Cambridge. Along with the University, the consortium persuaded the private sector, the City of Cambridge, and the provincial and federal governments to provide the necessary money to purchase a building, renovate it, equip it as a state-of-the-art School of Architecture, and endow a significant portion of the operating cost of the facility.
He has supported many local start-ups including Research in Motion and Dspfactory.
Philanthropy
- In 1998 O'Donovan and Sheila started a charitable foundation to establish a residential hospice in Waterloo Region for terminally ill cancer patients. In July 2000 Lisaard House was open for its first residents.
- He created several endowed research chairs at the University of Waterloo, one in the Faculty of Arts, another in the Faculty of Engineering (the O'Donovan Chair in Engineering). He also donated a number of rare Canadian historical volumes to the UW Library.
- In 2003, Val and his wife gave the UW library three rare books which describe early North America. The books, written by Pierre Charlevoix and entitled Histoire et Description Générale de la Nouvelle France, make up the first general history of the French discoveries and settlements in North America, covering the period from 1500 to 1736.
Awards and accolades
- McNaughton Gold Medal by the Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (1992)
- Laurier Outstanding Business Leader Award from Wilfrid Laurier University (1993)
- Degree of Doctor of Engineering from the University of Waterloo (Honoris Causa) (1995)
- John H. Chapman Award from the Canadian Space Agency (2001)
- Member of the Order of Canada, Canada's highest civilian honour (2003)
Personal
O’Donovan had four children and nine grandchildren. He died at his home in Bermuda.
He was Chancellor of the University of Waterloo from 1997 until June 2003.
References
- Wikipedia profile [1]
- University of Waterloo, Daily Bulletin, February 8, 2005 [2]
- “The Blueprint Boys”, Gordon Pitts, June 24, 2005, The Globe and Mail [3]
- Exchange Magazine, May 2005
