16892 E. HUGH KINNEY
15 JULY 1924-11 jUNE 1980
Died in Edgewater, Florida, aged 61 years
Interred in West Point Cemetery
West Point, NY
 
  

E. HUGH KINNEY was born 15 July 1924 in St. Paul, Minnesota, the second of two sons of Delbert and Ivy Kinney. He grew up in Wisconsin, for the greater part in South Milwaukee, giving leadership in high school as a Supreme Court Justice of Badger Boys State, Order of DeMolay, officer, class officer, cheerleader, chess player, Life Scout, hockey player, and swimmer. Hugh was graduated, with honors, from high school in 1942, enlisting in the Army later that year.

Hugh was able to memorize the right numbers for the air cadet's colorblindness dot test but was undone by the swatches of yarn. He served in Australia and New Guinea as an ordnance corporal for two years during World War II, until General MacArthur signed his appointment to the United States Military Academy in 1944. Returning too late to become a member of the Class of 1948, Hugh had a not unpleasant year studying in the coed setting at Ithaca, New York.

The Howitzer of 1949 states, "Hugh flew in from the South Pacific with a flourish of ice skates, skis, and weight lifting muscles. His intelligence, personality, and sense of humor brought him many friends and many a happy week-end. Sunday found him singing in the choir at the Cadet Chapel, developing pictures in the Camera Club, playing piano at Cullum Hall, or eating his share of boodle at the local pub." A four-year man in hockey, Chapel Choir, and Camera Club, Hugh also participated in Chess, Glee, and Ski Clubs at the Academy.

Following graduation and being commissioned, Hugh was sent by the Air Force to the University of Michigan where he acquired two Master of Science Degrees, one in Aerodynamics (1953) and a second in Instrumentation Electronics (1955), and 70 hours toward a PhD, with his thesis in non-linear dynamics and controls.

More important, at this time, Hugh met the woman who was to become his faithful helpmate of 32 years. Lieselotte ("Lilo") and Hugh were married 25 September 1954, Lilo eventually trading in her American Airlines flight attendant wings for a mother's busy role near Wright Patterson  Air Force Base. There is one surviving son, Dr. Kirk Hugh Kinney, a practicing dentist in Warrenton, Virginia, who is married. Kirk and Felicia have one son, Nicholas Allen.

Hugh completed 15 years on active duty with the military, working until 1957 in USAF research and development, administering projects of guided missile and weapon systems. This period included service as electronic systems integration officer for SAGE, for the United States and Canadian air defense systems, and project officer for BOMARC unmanned interceptor command and control system. Hugh also was a principal designer and program manager for the first major military space defense satellite system 621A, which was carried out on schedule and met funding and operational objectives.

In 1957, Hugh finally responded to the call of private industry, a phenomenon experienced by many of his fellow classmates. He continued in active Reserves, attaining the rank of major, leaving only when an inner ear affliction led to medical disability status.

From 1957 until 1973, Hugh's private industry experience included management positions with RCA, UNIVAC, Litton Industries, Burroughs, General Electric, Auerbach Corporation, Automated Systems Corporation, and Compdata. At RCA, he worked on Navy communications, command and control systems, anti-submarine, ECM, ECCM, missile guidance, and data processing systems. Hugh also worked there with other groups on radar, fire control, and underwater detection systems.

At UNIVAC and Litton Systems, Hugh worked on shipboard, airborne, submarine, and associated satellite requirements, design, development, and production of electronic systems. Primary emphasis was on the NTDS, MTDS, and FDLS systems. He also worked on the Swiss Air Defense System and the NATO Naval Command and Control System studies, including integration with the NADGE System.

A characteristic of Hugh's career was his usefulness on both private industry and governmental sides of the table, maintaining TS and SCI clearances (Department of Justice) and Top Secret clearance (Department of Defense).

Hugh's federal service resumed in 1973, at the request of the government, serving as division director of services for all telephone systems and EDP procurement for the federal government in ADTS, GSA (1973-74). He designed, implemented, and served as division manager for the computer-aided System for Litigation Information Management (SLIM), Litigation Support Division, FTC (1974-78)
.
Hugh served as CRT division executive officer, Department of Justice
(1978-81), reporting directly to the Assistant Attorney General, with full authority for budget and finance, personnel, policy and planning, EDP, information and management systems, litigation support, facilities services, administration, and technical consulting, until he retired.

Hugh was founder and chairman of the Federal Government Inter-Agency Committee on Litigation Automated Support Systems (ICLASS), handling over 100,000 public inquiries and complaints annually, coordinating with the White House, Congress, and all industry and government agencies.

Hugh was the recipient of several honors and awards from the academic, industry, and government sectors. He lectured at the Army War College, the American Management Association, the Practicing Law Institute, the Federal Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. Hugh authored a book, Litigation Support Systems, an Attorney's Guide (Callaghan & Company, 1980) with published supplements in 1982, 1983, and 1984. A first revision was printed in 1985. He authored and co-authored publications on office administration and automation, resource management, management information systems, project management, product planning, marketing, corporate acquisitions and mergers.

In 1982, Hugh and Lilo moved to Edgewater, Florida, where Hugh headed Kinney Associates, Inc., consulting in litigation support and office automation. His undifferentiated lymphoma was diagnosed in January 1985. He was treated at the Medical Center of Oncology in Daytona Beach, until he entered their hospice program a few days before his death, enabling him to be with his family at the end.

Hugh's spirit lives on through his family and colleagues, setting an example for all who knew him in giving one's best to make this a better country and world.
 
 





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