In memoriam: Lt. Gen. Lawrence F. Skibbie, USA (Ret.), president emeritus, National Defense Industrial Association.

• Position: NDIA NEWS - In memoriam

Lt. Gen. Lawrence F. Skibbie, U.S. Army ret., president emeritus of the National Defense Industrial Association, died December 10 following a long illness.

Gen. Skibbie was appointed president and chief executive officer of the National Defense Industrial Association at its founding March 1, 1997.

NDIA is the result of a merger between the American Defense Preparedness Association, which Gen. Skibbie headed, and the National Security Industrial Association. The amalgamation of these two defense industry associations was largely due to Gen. Skibbie's efforts.

Since his retirement from NDIA in September 2001, he had served as volunteer vice president of the National Military Family Association, which advocates for military families.

In his capacity as ADPA president, Gen. Skibbie re-oriented the association to its historic roots as the proponent of a strong defense industrial base. Through his leadership, ADPA became known as the "Voice of the Industrial Base." AS president of NDIA, he committed to consolidating the defense association community and establishing NDIA as the preeminent defense association.

At his retirement NDIA had three affiliated associations as its partners: the National Training Systems Association, the Association for Enterprise Integration and Women in Defense.

In his honor, the National Defense Industrial Association in 2001 created the Lawrence F. Skibbie Graduate Student Scholarship, which awards up to $10,000 to one or more advanced graduate students in engineering, science or management. So far, at least 10 students have received scholarships.

Gen. Skibbie lectured at the Financial Post Conference of Canada, the Mitre Acquisition Conference, the Brookings Institution, the Defense Systems Management College, the Virginia Defense Conversion Commission and the U.S. Army War College. He also was a frequent witness before both houses of Congress on matters pertaining to the defense industrial base.

Gen. Skibbie served on the boards of Codar Technology Company, Contraves USA, United Way, Boy Scouts of America, National Science Center and the Easter Seal Society. He was an associate of the NSC Global Policy Council, The Washington Institute of Foreign Affairs, served on the board of SERCO Inc., and was a long-time member of the Army-Navy Club.

He was born in Bowling Green, Ohio, February 16, 1932, and graduated

from the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. in 1954 as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He...