Citadel Alumni Obituaries

John W. Merck, of Alexandria, Va., passed away on March 9, 2013, at age 87.
He and his devoted wife, Carolyn, made their home in Old Town, Alexandria
for over 40 years. John grew up on a farm in South Carolina and attended The
Citadel before joining the Army Air Corps during WWII. As an Air Force
Fighter Pilot he was stationed on Okinawa and in Tokyo. After 7 years of
active duty, he remained an Active Reserve Pilot, retiring in 1973 as a Lt.
Colonel. John received his BA and MA from the University of Georgia where he
was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and a Ph.D. in demography and statistics from
Duke University in 1960. At the USAF Human Resources Research Laboratory in
San Antonio, TX, he was a research statistician and computer scientist from
1956 to 1967. He then joined the Rand Corporation in Santa Monica, CA, as
Director of USAF Manpower Studies. In 1970 he moved to the U.S. Office of
Management and Budget where he held the positions of Senior Economic
Analyst, Chief of the Veterans Affairs Branch, and Deputy Associate Director
for Government Operations. In 1994 he retired from the Department of
Veterans Affairs as Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Information
Analysis. John loved cycling, golf, and classical music. He is survived by
his wife, Carolyn three children, John Merck Jr., Rebecca Coplon, and
Geoffrey Merck and three grandsons. Friends are invited to visit with the
family on Saturday, March 16, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Demaine Funeral Home,
520 South Washington St., Alexandria, VA. Interment at Arlington National
Cemetery will be at a later date.

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