William Joe Skinner
Cullum No. 22748
Died 26 January 1986 in Canaan Valley, WV
 Aged 47
Interment: Elkins, West Virginia

On 2 January 1939, William Joe Skinner was born in Elkins, West Virginia. On 26 January 1986, Joe died of a heart attack while skiing in the mountains near Elkins.

Joe was the youngest child of N.J. and Flossie Skinner and grew up in a warm but competitive atmosphere.  He graduated second in his class at Elkins High School and received his appointment to West Point from congressman Harley O. Staggers.  He reported to West Point in July 1956 with the rest of the Class of 1960. 

The ability to manage time and to focus his concentration carried Joe through plebe year, and his considerable intelligence had him wearing stars for the next three years.  Although those who knew Joe well were aware it was not as easy for him as he made it look, he possessed a relaxed grace, so that while he was one of the youngest in the class, he was also one of the more mature.  He was also a warm, friendly and unselfish individual to whom at least one classmate owes his place in the graduation line.  With his easygoing nature he was always in demand for classmates with an extra young lady visiting for the weekend, and on one of these dates he met his future wife, Judith Walker.  With his high class standing and mathematical bent, Joe chose the Corps of Engineers upon  graduation.

During the graduation leave, Joe and Judy were married at her home in Winchester, Massachusetts, and with the rest of the engineer contingent reported to Fort Belvior, Virginia for the Basic Engineer Officers Course, followed by Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia and his first duty station with the 4th Engineer Battalion at Fort Lewis, Washington.

Joe enjoyed his assignment at Fort Lewis.  During this period he had the chance to demonstrate his leadership ability; the Berlin Wall crisis gave him a free trip to Berlin; and his daughter, Cynthia Louise, was born at Fort Lewis in 1961.  He did not enjoy his next tour with MACV because of the family separation; his son, William Joe Jr., was born in Winchester, Massachusetts in 1963 while Joe was in Vietnam.  When he returned home he spent two years at Princeton obtaining a master’s degree, and then was assigned to West Point as a mathematics instructor from 1966 to 1968.  This was the best period in Joe’s military life because he was doing something that he was not only good at and enjoyed, but also was imparting his knowledge to the next generation of military officers.  While at West Point, his son Stephen Ross was born in 1968. In 1968 he returned to Vietnam for another tour, but when he returned in 1969 and was assigned to Fort Meade, he decided to resign his commission and enter private industry. 

He joined Electronic Data Systems Corporation as a systems engineer in 1970. After his initial training in Dallas, Texas he was assigned to the EDS office in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.  It was there that Judy died in 1973 in an unfortunate medical mishap during routine surgery.  Joe continued on in Camp Hill, working and raising the three children, until good fortune brought Carol Hamilton into his life.  After a commuting courtship (Carol was living in the Washington, DC area the time), Joe and Carol were married 19 October 1974 in Alexandria, Virginia. 

Joe was on the move with EDS – both geographically and professionally.  From Camp Hill the family moved to Columbia, South Caroline, back to Camp Hill and finally to Vienna, Virginia.  Joe joined the Government Services Division of EDS in 1977, and advanced through the positions of project manager and regional manager, with his final assignment in the division being vice president of information systems.  He assumed responsibility for the EDS Federal Systems Division in 1982.  He led the division in winning and managing the U.S. Army’s Project VIABLE, the largest procurement in the history of the computer industry. 

Joe was named a corporate vice president of EDS in 1983.  He managed the Government Marketing Division until October 19856 when he became responsible for the Computer Resource Acquisition, the division which acquires all the hardware, software, communications equipment and supplies for EDS.  While the new position was one of greater responsibility, it required Joe to work in Detroit. He decided it would be better for the family to remain in their home in Vienna rather than relocate to Detroit, and this forced Joe to commute to Detroit during the week for the months before his death. 

In recognition of Joe’s accomplishments and contributions to EDS, the Washington Information Processing Center was dedicated to Joe.  This facility, the first stage of a major new complex, was officially opened by Joe’s daughter, Cindy, and Virginia Governor Gerald Baliles.

Joe’s life exemplified the values for which West point stands, and the precepts of Duty, Honor, Country were woven into all his actions.  These attributes were at least partially responsible for Joe being able to achieve so much more than most of us, and to become an outstanding professional leader in both his military and corporate careers.  Any one who was close to Joe for any length of time is aware that he was a remarkable individual, but he never imposed his accomplishments upon others and accepted his achievements modestly.  Joe will be remembered by all of us for his good humor, his caring for others and his ability during the time were with him to make the world a more pleasant place to be.