David Lowell Provan

1922 - 2014

David Lowell Provan was born June 9, 1922, in Seattle, Wash. He peacefully passed away, surrounded by family, at the age of 92, on August 4, 2014. He graduated from Lincoln High School in Seattle in 1941. David joined the Army/Air Force in 1942 and served three years in the Pacific, on Saipan, as a Flight Engineer, on the B-29 airplane 'Dauntless Dotty'. He was spurred on to take up flying lessons after his time in the service and earned his private pilot's license. David built a BD5 small kit aircraft in the basement of his home later in his life. After getting out of the Army/Air Force in 1946, he attended the University of Washington as a pre-dentistry student. As an elective to fill in his credit requirements, he took some design courses, finding immense satisfaction in making things with his hands and mind. This caused him to change his major and begin studying Industrial Design at Art Center College of Design, then located in Los Angeles, California. He finished the 4-year program in three years, specializing in transportation design, with a minor in packaging design. He married Eldoris Angel in 1947 and moved to Chicago to join Raymond Loewy's firm, working in the packaging division, before transferring to the product design division. He returned to the Pacific Northwest to take a position with the Boeing Company in pre-design. He left Boeing to work for Walter Dorwin Teague Associates, Inc. (Teague) before heading back to Los Angeles to work for Welten Beckett and Associates (Corporate Architecture), designing retail interior spaces and fixtures. David returned to the Pacific Northwest in 1956 to rejoin Teague, where he was assigned to design aircraft interiors for the Boeing Company in Renton, wash. During his early years he worked on the 707, 727, and 737 Boeing jet aircraft. He was assigned to the Boeing 747 from it's inception in 1965, becoming supervising director a year later and director of Teague's 747 design team in 1967. In 1971 he was elected a vice president and transferred to Everett. In 1981 he was promoted to Senior Vice President and elected to serve on the Teague Board of Directors. He went on to become President and Chairman of the Board at Teague. David retired at the age of 70 in 1992. As a child, David enjoyed making paper airplanes, which graduated into model making. His love of flying followed him into retirement, building and flying radio control aircraft at Marymoor Park in Redmond, Wash. Other interests: music, UFO's, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. David's parents, Norman LeBaron Provan and Dorothy Keyes; brother, Lawrence; sister, Ferne; and wife, Eldoris preceded him in death. He leaves behind his present wife, Sylvia; and a daughter, Farley (Paul) Bartelmes. A graveside service celebrating David's life will take place at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, 1615 S.E. Everett Mall Way, Everett, Wash. 98208, on Tuesday, August 12, 2014 at 12:00 noon. Following the service there will be a gathering at the Webb residence. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations in David's name may be made to Art Center College of Design, Office of Development, 1700 Lida Street, Pasadena, Calif. 91103.(www.artcenter.edu/)or the Museum of Flight, Development Office, 9404 East Marginal Way South, Seattle, Wash. 98108 (www.museumofflight.org/giving).