Ronald J. Potts – Major, United States Army

From a contemporary press report:

Ronald J. Potts, 53, a retired Army Major who became an executive with TRW, a defense contractor, died of a heart attack August 2, 1998 at Inova Fair Oaks Hospital.

A resident of the Washington area since 1977, Major Potts lived in Fairfax, Virginia. He was a former resident of Annandale, where he had been president of the Forest Hills Sleepy Hollow Run Civic Association.

Major Potts was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University and earned a master’s degree in business administration at Boston University.

He began his Army career in 1967 as an aviator and was qualified as a pilot of both fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. Later, he was an intelligence officer. His overseas posts were in Korea and Germany. He was stationed in Washington when he retired in 1987.

His military decorations included two awards of the Meritorious Service Medal.

Major Potts went to work for TRW when he left the military and was a director of business development at the time of his death.

He was a member of the Army Navy Country Club and the Army Aviation Association.

Survivors include his wife of 31 years, Annette M. Potts of Fairfax; his parents, Jack and Beatrice Potts of Pittsburgh; two brothers, Jack Potts of Northfield, N.J., and Bill Potts of Winchester, Va.; and three sisters, Joan and Sandra Potts, both of Pittsburgh, and Deborah Becker of Franklin, Tenn. A son, Todd E. Potts, died in 1987.

POTTS, RONALD J., MAJOR USA (Ret.)

On Sunday, August 2, 1998 at the Fair Oaks Hospital, RONALD J. POTTS of Fairfax, VA, beloved husband of Annette M. Potts. Preceded in death by his son, Todd Elliott Potts. Also survived by his parents, Jack D. and Beatrice E. Potts; two brothers, Jack D. and Bill A. Potts and three sisters, Deborah L. Becker, Sandra and Joan Potts. . A funeral service will be held on Monday, August 17 at 9 a.m. at the Old Post Chapel, Ft. Myer, followed by interment in Arlington National Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Northern Virginia, 6400 Arlington Blvd., Suite 1000, Falls Church, VA 22042, The American Heart Association, 7203 Poplar St., Annandale, VA, 22003 or to The Todd Potts Memorial Scholarship Fund, Forest Hollow Swim Club, 4300 Old Columbia Pk., Annandale, VA.

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