Richard D. Runyan died on 13 June 2017. He was born on 16 October 1930 in San Diego, California. Dick grew up in San Bernardino County, California, and after high school graduation enlisted in the Marine Corps on 20 October 1947. In September 1950 PFC Dick Runyan was selected to attend the Naval Academy Preparatory School (NAPS), Newport, Rhode Island. He successfully passed the Regular Competitive Examination and received an appointment to the Academy from the Secretary of the Navy. Dick was one of the first of the Class of 1954 to be sworn in as a Midshipman on 14 June 1950 by Superintendent Vice Admiral Harry Hill USN. Dick was in the 1st Company and lived in the First Wing of Bancroft Hall. At graduation he was appointed Second Lieutenant USMC. He underwent training as a new Marine Officer and Infantry Platoon Commander at the Basic School, Quantico, Virginia. Following was a tour of duty in the Far East. He was assigned as an Instructor at NAPS which was now located at Bainbridge, Maryland. In 1958 Dick resigned his commission as a First Lieutenant after completion of his obligated active duty. He then entered into a most challenging and successful civilian career. He first joined Lincoln Laboratory to work on the development of the SAGE Systems. His career continued at the MITRE Corporation, The Electronics Division of General Dynamics, and IBM. Then Dick worked for 20 years for EDS in Dallas, Texas. Career highlights include involvement in the NORAD Combat Operations Center at Cheyenne Mountain, the Command and Control Systems Design Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts, three Apollo Tracking Ships, and IBM large computer systems. Dick was a member of Highland Park Presbyterian Church (HPPC) and is survived by his wife of 44 years, the former Joyce Covin; their son, David Runyan; four children from a previous marriage, Valerie Houghton, Diana Johns, Laura Rohrman, and R. Duane Runyan, Jr., eleven grandchildren, and brother William L. Runyan. Memorial services will be held 26 June 2017 at HPPC.
Donations in Dick's memory may be made to the Naval Academy Class of 1954 Memorial Hall Maintenance Fund.
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