John B. Walsh
August 20, 1927 ~ January 26, 2021
Academic, Senior Government Official, Diplomat, Industrialist
John Breffni Walsh, 93, of McLean, passed away peacefully Tuesday, (January 26, 2021), at his Virginia home. Born August 20, 1927, in Brooklyn, New York, he was the son of the late George Patrick and Margaret Mary (Rigney) Walsh. He graduated from the then St. Ann’s Academy before entering Manhattan College. He graduated in 1948, Summa Cum Laude, with the degree B.E.E. (Bachelor of Electrical Engineering) with additional majors in Civil Engineering and Mathematics, four years after he started. During 1946-1947, he also served with a radar development group of the U.S. Army Signal Corps and was later commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Signal Corps Reserve. He entered Columbia University for graduate work and became an instructor. He received his M.S. degree with Honors from Columbia University in 1950 and postgraduate at New York University.
From 1948 to 1951, he was on the teaching staff at Columbia University. In 1951, he took a leave of absence to help establish the Rome, N.Y., Air Development Center, where he rose to be Technical Director of the Intelligence and Reconnaissance Division (1953). He was summoned back to Columbia to join the faculty, was appointed Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and became Assistant Director of its Electronics Research Laboratories. It was at Columbia that he met and married, Marie Louise Leclerc of Manchester, Connecticut, his wife of 65 years.
In 1965, he was requested to come to Washington, DC, on a 2-year leave of absence, to become Deputy for Research to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Research and Development. The two-year deadline came and went, and he became successively an Assistant to the President’s Science Advisor and Senior Staff Member of the National Security Council. In 1972, he became Deputy Director of Defense Research and Engineering for Strategic and Space Systems.
In 1977 he was offered the post of Assistant Secretary General of NATO for Defense Support – a diplomatic assignment – in which he was instrumental in obtaining the agreement of the 15 NATO nations to undertake the NATO AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) joint program.
Returning from NATO he joined the faculty of the Defense Systems Management College as professor and Dean of the Executive Institute. During this time, he also chaired several Defense Science board groups, and was a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Effects of the Defense Nuclear Agency.
He was the recipient of the Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award, the Department of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award, the Air Force Exceptional Civilian Service Award, the Air Force Association’s Citation of Honor as Outstanding Air Force Civilian Employee of the Year, the Theodore von Karman Award of the Air Force Association, and The Commander’s Award for Civilian Service.
He retired from government service in 1982 and joined the Boeing Company as Vice President-Chief Scientist of the Boeing Military Airplane Company (Wichita, Kansas) and later became Vice President for Strategic Analysis of the Defense and Space Group (Seattle, Washington) from which he retired in 1993.
Throughout his life, he had a vociferous penchant for reading and a love for classical music, formulated from his earliest days where he learned to play the pipe organ; moreover, he actually performed in Verdi’s Aida at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City where he distinguished himself as an ‘extra’ Spear Holder! He further served as a lector at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. He authored multiple books and textbooks, and numerous published articles in scientific and professional magazines and journals.
After retirement he devoted his energies to consulting and writing; and was immensely proud of his wife of 65 years, Marie, and his three children, George, John, and Darina.
He is survived by his wife, Marie (Leclerc) Walsh; his three children and daughters-in-law, The Honorable George Breffni Walsh and Sandra Joy (Brewer) Walsh of Falls Church, VA; John Leclerc Walsh, M.D. and Vilma Ortiz, M.D. of Boston, MA; and Darina Louise Walsh of McLean, VA. He is also survived by two grandchildren, whom he cherished Meaghan Marie Walsh of Charlottesville, VA and Eily Patricia Walsh of Falls Church, VA; and numerous loving nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother, Cormac Patrick and Virginia (Carroll) Walsh, of Glen Rock, NJ.
A funeral mass will be held on February 5, 2021 at St. Luke Catholic Church, McLean, VA (weblink) with a national cemetery burial at a later date.
John Breffni Walsh, 93, of McLean, passed away peacefully Tuesday, (January 26, 2021), at his Virginia home. Born August 20, 1927, in Brooklyn, New York, he was the son of the late George Patrick and Margaret Mary (Rigney) Walsh. He graduated from the then St. Ann’s Academy before entering Manhattan College. He graduated in 1948, Summa Cum Laude, with the degree B.E.E. (Bachelor of Electrical Engineering) with additional majors in Civil Engineering and Mathematics, four years after he started. During 1946-1947, he also served with a radar development group of the U.S. Army Signal Corps and was later commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Signal Corps Reserve. He entered Columbia University for graduate work and became an instructor. He received his M.S. degree with Honors from Columbia University in 1950 and postgraduate at New York University.
From 1948 to 1951, he was on the teaching staff at Columbia University. In 1951, he took a leave of absence to help establish the Rome, N.Y., Air Development Center, where he rose to be Technical Director of the Intelligence and Reconnaissance Division (1953). He was summoned back to Columbia to join the faculty, was appointed Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and became Assistant Director of its Electronics Research Laboratories. It was at Columbia that he met and married, Marie Louise Leclerc of Manchester, Connecticut, his wife of 65 years.
In 1965, he was requested to come to Washington, DC, on a 2-year leave of absence, to become Deputy for Research to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Research and Development. The two-year deadline came and went, and he became successively an Assistant to the President’s Science Advisor and Senior Staff Member of the National Security Council. In 1972, he became Deputy Director of Defense Research and Engineering for Strategic and Space Systems.
In 1977 he was offered the post of Assistant Secretary General of NATO for Defense Support – a diplomatic assignment – in which he was instrumental in obtaining the agreement of the 15 NATO nations to undertake the NATO AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) joint program.
Returning from NATO he joined the faculty of the Defense Systems Management College as professor and Dean of the Executive Institute. During this time, he also chaired several Defense Science board groups, and was a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Effects of the Defense Nuclear Agency.
He was the recipient of the Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award, the Department of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award, the Air Force Exceptional Civilian Service Award, the Air Force Association’s Citation of Honor as Outstanding Air Force Civilian Employee of the Year, the Theodore von Karman Award of the Air Force Association, and The Commander’s Award for Civilian Service.
He retired from government service in 1982 and joined the Boeing Company as Vice President-Chief Scientist of the Boeing Military Airplane Company (Wichita, Kansas) and later became Vice President for Strategic Analysis of the Defense and Space Group (Seattle, Washington) from which he retired in 1993.
Throughout his life, he had a vociferous penchant for reading and a love for classical music, formulated from his earliest days where he learned to play the pipe organ; moreover, he actually performed in Verdi’s Aida at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City where he distinguished himself as an ‘extra’ Spear Holder! He further served as a lector at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. He authored multiple books and textbooks, and numerous published articles in scientific and professional magazines and journals.
After retirement he devoted his energies to consulting and writing; and was immensely proud of his wife of 65 years, Marie, and his three children, George, John, and Darina.
He is survived by his wife, Marie (Leclerc) Walsh; his three children and daughters-in-law, The Honorable George Breffni Walsh and Sandra Joy (Brewer) Walsh of Falls Church, VA; John Leclerc Walsh, M.D. and Vilma Ortiz, M.D. of Boston, MA; and Darina Louise Walsh of McLean, VA. He is also survived by two grandchildren, whom he cherished Meaghan Marie Walsh of Charlottesville, VA and Eily Patricia Walsh of Falls Church, VA; and numerous loving nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother, Cormac Patrick and Virginia (Carroll) Walsh, of Glen Rock, NJ.
A funeral mass will be held on February 5, 2021 at St. Luke Catholic Church, McLean, VA (weblink) with a national cemetery burial at a later date.
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The Owners and Staff at the Money and King Funeral Home, wish to express our sincere sympathy to you. It is our hope that we may be able to make a difficult time more bearable. Please feel free to call us anytime as we are always available to you. Bob Gallagher Funeral Director
Darina and Famiky – My deepest condolences on the loss of your father. May your lifetime of memories bring you comfort.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you. We wish we could be together at this time.
With love and hugs,