Wallace E Kirkpatrick

Early background

Wally Kirkpatrick was born and raised in rural Winston County, Alabama. After high school, he joined the United States Army and served with distinction from 1953 to 1958, being promoted to the rank of Sergeant First Class – possibly the youngest on active duty at that time. In the period 1958-1962, he was a civil service employee of the U.S. Army Rocket and Guided Missile Agency (ARGMA) at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama. There he rose quickly in administrative jobs, primarily in the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA, later DARPA) Division.

Professional career

In June 1962, the U.S. Army Missile Command (AMC) was formed, absorbing ARGMA and several other organizations. Kirkpatrick was named Chief of the Program Management Office in the ARPA Division of AMC. Between August 1967 and August 1968, he was with ARPA in Washington, D.C., serving as the Program Management Officer for the Nuclear Test Detection Program.

Civil-service executive

While with the ARPA Division of AMC, Kirkpatrick served as the Executive Secretary of the Anti-Missile Research Advisory Council, coordinating semi-annual meetings with up to 600 attendees from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. From August 1968 through August 1969, Kirkpatrick was Assistant Director of the U.S. Army Advanced Ballistic Missile Defense Agency (ABMDA)-Washington, serving as Chief of the Program Management Division, responsible for program funding exceeding $100 million. He then became a Program Analyst with ABMDA-Huntsville, located in the Research Park (later Cummings Research Park). In this position, he supervised the cost and schedule portion of the Hardsite Defense Missile System (later the National Missile Defense).

In July 1971, the U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Defense Advanced Technology Center (BMDATC) was formed as an independent agency, taking over ABMDA-Huntsville. Kirkpatrick was named Chief of Program Management and remained in this position until January 1976. There he participated in developing rationale for, and priorities of, highly innovative missile defense technologies.

Kirkpatrick was on educational leave at Syracuse University from January 1976 through May 1977. As part of his work there, he participated in television experiments between the university and the Canadian Public Service Commission.

Returning to BMDATC, between June 1977 and September 1979, Kirkpatrick served as Deputy Director of Management and Administration. He performed liaison with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Office of Management and Budget, and certain Congressional Committees. He also formulated and directed studies in strategic systems doctrine; in this, he convened eleven symposia involving leading strategic thinkers in the free world to assess the role of active missile defense in the context of the emerging strategic environment

For a year starting in September 1979, Kirkpatrick was a Congressional Science Fellow, selected competitively by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. As a member of the professional staff of the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, he had principal staff responsibility for materials policy legislation and laser research hearings, and assistant responsibility on the NASA budget authorization. He also served as an advisor on national defense issues to the Committee.

Returning to Redstone Arsenal in 1980, Kirkpatrick established and served as Director of Program Analysis and Evaluation in the Office of the Ballistic Missile Defense Program Manager. There he formulated broad policies and long-range ballistic-missile defense goals and policies. Kirkpatrick also conducted strategic policy and arms control studies, and initiated a series of studies by prominent strategic thinkers and arms control experts. He was instrumental in the development of non-nuclear, hit-to-kill technology, upon which current missile defense systems are based.

High-technology firm executive

Kirkpatrick retired from Civil Service in March 1982, and formed DESE Research, Inc., headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama. He presently serves as the CEO of this knowledge-based small-business enterprise that conducts theoretical and analytical research in the areas of Defense, Energy, Space, and Environment (DESE).

After forming DESE, Kirkpatrick continued a strong personal involvement in national security, conducting research in missile defense, space control, and intelligence. Cognizant of the rapidly changing global security environment, the proliferation of technology, and the evolving threats to the United States and its Allies, he prepared a paper that received the Gnosis Award from the United States House of Representatives in 1983, the awarded being presented in person by Edward Teller.

Under Kirkpatrick’s leadership, DESE Research has been recognized for its contributions to the Huntsville high-technology community. Kirkpatrick and DESE are noted for their high ethical standards.

When DESE Research was formed, the firm became a member of the Huntsville/Madison Chamber of Commerce (H/MCCoC), with Wally Kirkpatrick as the representative. He soon became very active in affairs of the H/MCoC, and has remained so through the years: Member of Board of Directors, 1990–Present; Board Chairman, 1995; Member of Executive Committee, 1992–1995; Chairman of Partnership for Economic Development, 1994; Small Business Executive of the Year, 1992; Chairman of Space Station Task Force, 1991; and Chairman of National Government Committee, 1988-1992.

Philanthropist

Philanthropy is the active effort to promote human welfare. Wally Kirkpatrick’s philanthropic contributions range from activities such as promoting Boy Scouts of America and the United Way of America to the development of Huntsville’s marina and port and the University of Alabama in Huntsville. For the Boy Scouts, he led in consolidating activities in 22 counties, forming the Greater Alabama Council. He chaired a capital campaign, raising funds to renovate the local Boy Scout facility, now named the Wallace E. Kirkpatrick Scout Shop. In recent years, he raised over $1 million for the Boy Scouts.

Since 2001, Kirkpatrick has been a member of the Alexis de Tocqueville Society of the United Way of America (recognizing major personal contributions); in 2011, he pledged $50 thousand. For the United Way of Madison County, Kirkpatrick led a capital campaign that raised the funds to purchase the present United Way facility. Since 2005, he has served as Board President responsible for Ditto Landing, Huntsville-Madison County’s marina and port on the Tennessee River, and raised over $1 million for operations and improvements. He participates in many development activities at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and funded a $50 thousand academic scholarship.

In 2007, the Wallace E. (Wally) Kirkpatrick Family Foundation was established to receive and maintain a fund, the income from which is to be used exclusively for charitable, religious, scientific, literary, research, or educational purposes. The duration of this foundation is perpetual, and a substantial portion of his estate will go to the foundation upon his death.

Educational achievements

Although Kirkpatrick did not have an undergraduate degree, he was accepted as a graduate student in the Maxwell School of Syracuse University in January 1976. Under Government sponsorship, he completed the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) degree, as well as course work for the doctoral degree by May 1977.

Kirkpatrick was awarded the honorary Doctor of Management degree from Southeastern Institute of Technology in 1992, and the honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 1996.

Recognitions

During his civil-service career, Kirkpatrick received 9 outstanding performance awards and 25 letters of commendation from senior Department of Defense officials. Other special recognitions throughout the years include the following:

Special activities

Throughout his career, Kirkpatrick has been a major participant in professional and civic activities. In addition to those previously noted, these activities have included the following: