In 2004, Allen E. Puckett, SB 1939 and SM 1941, wrote to Dean of the Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Dean of Physical Sciences Venkatesh (Venky) Narayanamurti expressing his and his wife's intent to endow a professorship in the Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences in the faculty of Arts and Sciences. "We both believe strongly," he wrote, "in the relevance of technical and scientific education not only for the University's students specializing in technical and scientific fields but especially for undergraduates in other fields such as the humanities and social sciences."

An aerodynamics pioneer, Puckett is Chairman Emeritus of Hughes Aircraft Co., which he joined as a Department Head in 1949. He participated in the birth of compressible aerodynamics, making numerous contributions in experimental facilities, supersonic airfoil theory, and supersonic missile dynamics. Puckett played a crucial role during World Wall II in the training of aerodynamic engineers through his lectures at the California Institute of Technology (Cal Tech). In 1949, with Hans Liepmann, Puckett coauthored a foundation textbook, Introduction to Aerodynamics of a Compressible Fluid, which served as the basis of a graduate-level course at Cal Tech for many years.

Born in Springfield, Ohio, Puckett came to Harvard, graduating summa cum laude from the College, and remained to earn his SM. He moved to Cal Tech and earned his PhD in aerodynamics in 1949. He has been a technical consultant to the United States government, the Army, NASA, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He has also served as a Director of the General Dynamics Corp. (1978-1995), and as chair or co-chair of numerous NASA, government, private, and charitable committees and organizations.

Puckett served as President of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and as Chair of the Aerospace Industries Association. He was also a founding member of the National Academy of Engineering and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, among other professional associations. He has been honored with the Frederick Phillips Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Medal of Honors of the Electronics Industry Association, the Lawrence Sperry Award, and the Lloyd V. Bechner Award. In 1985, President Ronald Reagan recognized him with the National Medal of Technology, the nation's highest honor for an engineer. At Commencement in June 2002, Puckett received the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Centennial Medal for his contribution to the science of aeronautics.

From Harvard University History of Named Chairs, Sketches of Donors and Donations, 1991-2004