Elsie was born in 1905 to a mother who was a feminist pioneer in her own right. Elsie grew up fully expecting to follow her dreams. And she did. Elsie was first woman to graduate from the University of Toronto's electrical engineering program. Elsie went on to earn a master's in aeronautical engineering -but contracted polio the day before her convocation. She battled back, and a storied engineering career followed, including being in charge of the tooling and manufacture of the famous Hawker Hurricane, the Canadian-made fighter used by the Allied forces in World War II. Later in her life she was a champion of women's rights and her work shaped many of the protections we now enjoy.