Richard A. Du Val

Richard A. "Dick" Du Val Resident of Clayton and San Diego Richard A. "Dick" Du Val, who served his Country, his Government, and the Scouting movement with enthusiasm and distinction, died on Thursday, December 2, 2010 at Kaiser Hospital in Walnut Creek, CA, after a two year battle with cancer. He gained Presidential recognition as a Meritorious Executive of the US Government Senior Executive Service and went on to serve as advisor to both the US and British nuclear weapons programs. He was a proud member of the Corps of Engineers, US Army Reserve, retiring as a Lt. Colonel. Dick was also recognized by the Boy Scouts of America with the Silver Beaver award for his many years of service as a Cub, Scout, Council, and Regional leader, ultimately serving as Scout Training Chairman for Scouting's Western Region and as a Woodbadge Course Director. Richard Allen Du Val was born on September 30, 1934 in New York. His family moved to Massachusetts, then to Virginia when his father rejoined the US Army in 1942. After WWII, the family moved to Seoul, Korea, then Chicago and Germany, where Dick went to the Army High School in Nurnberg. Returning to the US in 1952, Dick was admitted to the Chemical Engineering program at MIT, and graduated in 1956, going immediately on active duty as an ROTC-commissioned 2nd Lieutenant. He was assigned to the Atomic Energy Commission's Army Nuclear Power Program at Ft. Belvoir and so began his lifelong association with atomic energy. Upon completion of his active duty tour, he was hired by the AEC. After several years of Headquarters service, Dick and his young family transferred to the San Fernando Valley and the AEC's SNAP Project Office in Canoga Park, CA. He served as Project Manager for the first space nuclear reactor project -SNAP 10A- which was successfully tested in earth orbit. Moving to the AEC's San Francisco Operations Office in 1972, Dick began a succession of management assignments culminating with his appointment as Manager in 1984. In 1988, he was assigned to the DOE HQ in Washington DC as Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Energy, then as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Programs. This latter post was the most senior career position in the US nuclear weapons program. Upon his retirement from Federal service in 1990, he became a consultant to a British consortium seeking to take over the management of the UK Atomic Weapons Programme, which was being contractorized. Relocating to England in 1991, he served on the proposal team and, following their successful bid for the operating contract, was invited to stay on as Advisor to the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive of the Atomic Weapons Establishment. He served in that role and as a member of their Executive Committee until early 2000. Dick then returned to the US and consulted with a number of US firms, including the University of California Office of the President and UC's two nuclear weapons design laboratories. He most recently was a consultant to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Dick spent the last several years living and spending time with each of his children at their homes in Clayton, San Diego, and Santa Rosa. Dick's beloved wife Mary died in England of a stroke in 1998. He is survived by his brother Ronald; four children Scott, Robert, Karen Skillman and Elaine; four grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Visitation will be from 4:00pm to 8:00pm, on Thursday, December 9, 2010 at Ouimet Bros. Concord Funeral Chapel, 4125 Clayton Road., Concord. The Vigil Service will be at 10:30am on Friday, December 10, 2010, followed by the Celebration of the Funeral Liturgy at 11:00am at St. Bonaventure Catholic Church, 5562 Clayton Road, Concord. Interment will follow at Oakmont Memorial Park, Lafayette. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorial contributions be made to the "Friends of Kew Foundation", Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AB England

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