Roderic E. Ordway – Colonel, United States Army

Roderic E. Ordway, 74, a highly decorated Army Colonel who was later an investment adviser and consultant in the private sector, died September 24, 2010, at Georgetown University Hospital. He had acute leukemia.

Colonel Ordway joined the Army in 1958 after graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. He was a battalion commander in Vietnam War and operations officer in Cambodia.

His final active-duty assignment, in 1980, was deputy chief of staff for personnel at the Pentagon.

His military decorations include the Silver Star, three awards of the Legion of Merit and three awards of the Bronze Star.

Since 1997, Colonel Ordway had been the managing director of Lafayette Investments in Washington. From 1982 to 1997, he was a vice president at R.J. Moore & Associates, an engineering firm in Annapolis.

Roderic Edward Ordway was born in West Point, where his father (Godwin Ordway, Jr.), an Army officer, was stationed. He was a 1953 graduate of Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda. In 1972, he received a master’s degree in business administration from American University.

He had been a District resident since the early 1970s. His paternal great-grandfather was Brigadier General Albert Ordway, who fought for the Union during in the Civil War and helped formed the first National Guard in Washington. Ordway Street in Northwest is named after him, according to his family.

Colonel Ordway’s memberships included the West Point Society of D.C., Chevy Chase Country Club and Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Bethesda.

He was a volunteer with the Wounded Warrior Program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and helped raise money for the Washington Jesuit Academy.

His first marriage, to Jeanne Hundley, ended in divorce. Survivors include his wife of 24 years, Nancy Bradford Ordway of Washington.

Colonel Ordway was laid to rest with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery on 11 January 2011.

Also buried in Arlington National Cemetery is his grandfather, Godwin Ordway Sr, Colonel, United States Army; his uncle, Rodman Nicholas Ordway, Cadet, United States Military Academy;

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard