Woodruff Turner Sullivan, Jr. – Colonel, United States Air Force

From a contemporary press report

Woodruff Turner Sullivan Jr., 80, a retired Air Force colonel who later worked for the Girl Scout Council of the National Capital Area, died of kidney failure November 2, 1998 at Loudoun Hospital Center in Leesburg, Virginia.

Colonel Sullivan, a resident of the Air Force retirement community Falcons Landing in Sterling, was born in Norwich, Connecticut, and attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He worked for the Gas & Electric company in Connecticut before World War II. During the war he served in the Army Air Forces as a B-17 aircraft pilot.

He flew combat missions in Burma, the Middle East and North Africa.

After the war he graduated from the University of Connecticut, where he later taught ROTC, and he worked on facilities for the Thor missile program in England. He retired from the Air Force in 1968 after having served as chief of operations and maintenance in the civil engineering directorate.

His decorations included two Legions of Merit and the Air Medal.

In 1964, Col. Sullivan settled in the Washington area. He worked for the Girl Scout Council for 11 years after his military retirement.

He had been a baseball coach and Scout leader in Connecticut. His avocations included nature, travel and golf.

Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Virginia Ward Sullivan of Norwich; three children, Dr. Woodruff T. Sullivan III of Seattle, David W. Sullivan  sister; and nine grandchildren.

SULLIVAN, WOODRUFF TURNER, JR. 
Colonel, U.S. Air Force (Retired)

On November 2, 1998, at Loudoun Hospital, a resident of Falcon’s Landing, Sterling, VA, beloved husband of Virginia Ward Sullivan; loving father of Woodruff T. Sullivan, III, David W. Sullivan and Sally S. Comerford. Also survived by nine grandchildren and a sister, Norma S. Schnip of Norwich, CT. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 14 at 2 p.m. in the chapel at Falcon’s Landing, Sterling, VA. Private family interment in Arlington National Cemetery. Memorial  contributions may be made to Annandale United Methodist Church, 6935 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA 22003 or National Kidney Fund, 6110 Executive Blvd., Suite 1010, Rockville, MD 20852.

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