Egan, Philip S.

US industrial designer born in Evanston, IL. Egan attended Stewart Technical Institute in New York City. He found his first job in 1940 with Harry Preble Industrial Design—working out of their architectural and product design office in Manhattan. He left Preble to work as an engineering designer for Edo Aircraft on Long Island, and worked on amphibious floats for the Douglas C-47. He joined the Army Air Corps in 1943 as a fight dispatcher for the Military Air Transport Service. In his spare time, Eagan designed a concept car he called “Excaibur.” Returning from Europe in 1946, he was hired by J. Gordon Lippincott and Company in New York. In 1947, Eagan joined a team of Lippincott designers to work on the Tucker’48, along with Read Viemeister, Hal Bergstrom, Tucker Madawick and Budd Steinhilber. Phil’s experience on this project was documented in his 1989 book, Design and Destiny: The Making of the Tucker Automobile. He then worked in Chicago as assistant to Chief Stylist of the Tucker Corporation, Alex S. Tremulis. Egan worked as a senior designer for Sears, Roebuck and Company in Chicago under Carl Bjorncrantz, designing a range of products from 1948-60. He went on to form his own office in Glenview, IL, Phil Egan Design, where he consulted on a variety of projects in the scientific and health care fields. Phil Egan wrote a number of books on space, astronomy and science. He retired to Marin County, California.