Walter B. LaBerge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Under Secretary of the Army | |
| In office July 1977 – February 1980 | |
| President | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Norman R. Augustine |
| Succeeded by | Robert Harry Spiro Jr. |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1944-1946 |
| Rank |  Captain |
Walter Barber LaBerge (March 29, 1924 – July 16, 2004) was anaerospace engineer anddefense industryexecutive who served asUnited States Under Secretary of the Army from 1977 to 1980.
LaBerge was born inChicago in 1924. His father was asalesman selling industrial brushes for theOsborn Brush Company. He was educated atProviso Township High School in Maywood, Illinois, and theUniversity of Notre Dame, receiving a degree inNaval Science in 1944.
After graduating, LaBerge joined theUnited States Navy (then in the midst ofWorld War II) and was posted to theyard minesweeperUSSYMS-165 based inPalau. He was promoted to the rank ofCaptain in 1946.
Upon leaving the Navy, LaBerge returned to Notre Dame, and shortly thereafter married Patricia Sammon ofRiver Forest, Illinois. He received aB.S. inPhysics from Notre Dame in 1947 and aPh.D. in Physics in 1950.
In 1950, LaBerge became Program Engineer for theAIM-9 Sidewinder at theNaval Ordnance Test Center inChina Lake,California. He was promoted in 1955, becomingProgram Manager of the Sidewinder program.
In 1957, LaBerge moved toPhilco as director of engineering at its Western Development Laboratories inPalo Alto, California. (Philco was acquired by theFord Motor Company in 1961, becomingPhilco Ford.) Beginning in 1962, LaBerge headed up the Philco Ford team that designed and installed the instrumentation of theManned Spacecraft Center inHouston. During this period, he worked closely withNASA officials, and got to know several of the originalUnited States astronauts. In 1963, he was promoted to director of the Philco Ford's Houston operation. He returned to Palo Alto in 1966 as division vice president, then vice president for the Electronics Group, at Philco Ford's Western Development Laboratories.
LaBerge returned toNaval Air Weapons Station China Lake (as the Naval Ordnance Test Center had been renamed) in 1971 as deputy technical director and then as technical director.
In 1973,President of the United StatesRichard Nixon nominated LaBerge asAssistant Secretary of the Air Force (Research and Development). He held this post until 1976, when he becameAssistant Secretary General (Defense Support) atNATO inBrussels.
In 1977, PresidentJimmy Carter nominated LaBerge asUnited States Under Secretary of the Army and he subsequently held this office from July 27, 1977, until February 28, 1980. On February 15, 1979, he also became Principal Deputy to theUnder Secretary of Defense (Research and Engineering), and continued to hold this post until 1981, even after he relinquished his office as Under Secretary of the Army.
Upon leaving theUnited States Department of Defense in 1981, LaBerge became anexecutive atLockheed, serving as corporate vice president of the Lockheed Missile and Space Company inSunnyvale, California, from 1981 to 1985, and then as Lockheed's Vice President of Advanced Planning atCalabasas, California, from 1985 to 1989.
LaBerge retired in 1989. In retirement, he served as chair of theArmy Science Board. He also held several academic appointments, including senior researcher at the Institute of Advanced Technology at theUniversity of Texas at Austin;visiting professor at theDefense Systems Management College at theDefense Acquisition University inFort Belvoir,Virginia; and visiting professor of physics at theNaval Postgraduate School inMonterey, California.
Agenealogy enthusiast, LaBerge traced his genealogy back toRobert de La Berge, one of the original settlers ofNew France.
LaBerge died inSanta Cruz, California, on July 16, 2004. He was 80 years old.
| Government offices | ||
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| Preceded by | United States Under Secretary of the Army July 27, 1977 – February 28, 1980 | Succeeded by |