William Douglas Houser (November 11, 1921 – February 5, 2012) was a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

officer who later served as a telecommunications executive.

Naval career

Houser joined the

in 1941 and fought in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. His military career began aboard in 1941. In 1944 the vessel was subject to a kamikaze attack that killed 131 people and injured many others. After World War II, Houser became a Naval Aviator. He soon rose through the ranks to become operations officer and an executive officer of Fighter Squadron One-L. In the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, Houser was assigned as commander of Fighter Squadron 44 and was awarded a Bronze Star Medal for his combat skills. After Korea, Houser was with Air Development Squadron Three and later commanded Fighter Squadron 124, which was the navy's largest at the time. He also fought in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

, serving in 1966 as commander of the Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carrier . His Vietnam service earned him the Legion of Merit. Houser served as a member of the joint staff of the

Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and the ...

from 1960 to 1962 and again from 1967 to 1968. He was military assistant to the Secretary of Defense from 1962 to 1963, Director of Aviation Plans and Requirements of the United States Navy from 1968 to 1970, Commander of Carrier Division 2 of the United States Atlantic and Mediterranean Fleets from 1970 to 1972, and Deputy Chief of Naval Operations from 1972 to 1976. In 1972 Houser was promoted to vice admiral. He retired from military service in 1976. During Houser's time in non-combat positions he was responsible for keeping on the F-14 fighter aircraft, which was at risk of termination.

Telecommunications career

After his military service he pursued a career in the telecommunications industry. This began as director of satellite interconnection for the

Corporation for Public Broadcasting The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is an American publicly funded non-profit corporation, created in 1967 to promote and help support public broadcasting. The corporation's mission is to ensure universal access to non-commercial, ...

from 1976 to 1979. He then moved on to serve as director of special projects of the Communications Satellite Corporation from 1979 to 1981 and Vice President from 1981 to 1984. He then went on to serve as President of Packet Tech (1984–1986), the Fort Scott Corporation (1986–1988), Interfax (1989–1991), and COM21 (1991–1994). While at COMSAT in 1980 and working on a business plan for telecommunications satellite parks, Admiral Houser created the word "teleport."

Education

Houser received a Bachelor of Science from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

in 1941, a Master of Science from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...

in 1963 and also studied at the University of Maryland, College of Special & Continuation Studies, the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...

, and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

Organizations and clubs

Houser is a member of the Bohemian Club of

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

Death

Houser died on February 5, 2012. He had suffered from Alzheimer's disease and pneumonia.

References

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Houser, William Douglas 1921 births 2012 deaths United States Navy admirals United States Naval Academy alumni United States Naval Aviators United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy personnel of the Korean War United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Legion of Merit Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Neurological disease deaths in Maryland Deaths from pneumonia in Maryland Harvard University alumni George Washington University alumni University of Maryland Global Campus alumni