Oliver C. Boileau

Oliver C. Boileau 1927-2007

August 2, 2007 - Long-time supporter, friend, and colleague Oliver Clark Boileau, Jr. died July 27, due to complications from surgery at the age of 80.

Boileau was born in Camden, Missouri. He began his distinguished career in service to the U.S. during World War II in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific from 1944 to 1946. This was followed by education at the University of Pennsylvania as an electrical engineer (B.S., M.S.) and later at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in industrial management (M.S.). From 1951 to 1995, a period of 44 years, he worked for the U.S. defense industry in a series of positions holding increasing responsibility and increasing significance to the defense of the United States.

His career in national defense began with RCA upon graduation from Penn in 1951. At RCA he worked on aircraft electronics. He later moved to Boeing Aerospace and rose to the position of President, Boeing Aerospace Company, in 1973. During the period from 1953 to 1973 he worked on numerous projects critical to national defense. In 1980 he became president and director of General Dynamics Corporation and later assumed the position of vice chairman of the board of directors. In 1989 he moved to Northrop to become president of the B-2 Division. In this and subsequent positions with Northrop Grumman he led the development, design, and manufacture of the B-2 bomber, a weapon system that remains a critical element of the country’s national defense strategy.

In recognition of his contributions to our national defense, and indeed world security, he was elected to the grade of Fellow in the Royal Aeronautical Society of London and Honorary Fellow in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, served as a Trustee and member of the Association of the U.S. Army, a member of the Air Force Association, American Defense Preparedness Association, National Academy of Engineering, National Aeronautic Association, New York Academy of Sciences, and the Navy League of the United States. He was a member of the Defense Sciences Board of the Department of Defense, Scientific Advisory Group of the Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff, and the Board of the Energy Research Advisory Board of the Department of Energy.

Boileau and his wife Lee spent their summers in Wyoming at their summer home on Old Baldy Mountain and fostered a strong affection for Wyoming and the university. His service to the University of Wyoming is extensive. He served on the College of Engineering’s National Advisory Board including service as the first chairman. He served on the College of Business Advisory Council and the Board of the University of Wyoming Foundation. He was also a cabinet member for the UW Distinction Campaign. In 2006, he was honored with UW’s highest award, the honorary doctor-of-laws degree.

He is survived by his wife Lee; two daughters, Nannette Boileau and Adrienne Russell; two sons, Clark and Jay, and two grandsons.