JOHN D. WARNER (1940-2021)

BY PHIL CONDIT

JOHN DESHON WARNER, an engineer’s engineer, aerospace leader, and pillar of the Seattle community, died on Sept. 8, 2021, at the age of 81.

John was born Jan. 4, 1940, in Glendale, California, to E. Raymond and C. Louise Warner. When John was age 12, the family moved to Springfield, Missouri, following the death of his father. He attended Drury College in Springfield, where he met Marilyn (Kaltwasser), who would become his wife. Married in August of 1960, the couple made a major change and moved to Ann Arbor for John to attend the University of Michigan. Fascinated with airplanes, John pursued a degree in aerospace engineering and received his B.S.E. in 1962. Not satisfied with purely academic work, John decided to learn to fly and started taking lessons at a small grass field near Ann Arbor. This endeavor came to an end when the birth of their daughter Nancy resulted in budgeting limited resources for a washer and dryer instead of flying. Because of his excellent academic work, he was invited to stay at the University of Michigan, receiving an M.S.E. (1963) and a Ph.D. (1968) in aerospace engineering.

With degree in hand, John got an offer letter from Boeing with the promise of an annual wage of $15,000! John joined Boeing on the supersonic transport program, where he worked on advanced displays. This was to be his engineering focus for the next nine years. John was deeply involved in the development of an electronic map display for commercial airplanes. After two years working as a lead engineer in controls and displays, in 1976 he was made manager of the NASA-Langley Terminal Configured Vehicle Program.

John was selected as a Sloan Fellow in 1975 and in the fall of that year went to Stanford University School of Business. After graduation he headed back to Boeing to work on developments of the 747. In 1978 his responsibilities broadened as he became manager of new airplane technical staff and then manager of 737 advanced systems development.

As is often the case with talented leaders, John’s career track took a sharp turn as he was assigned to what was then a highly classified program, the B2 bomber. From 1982 to 1988, he rose from manager of B2 systems to chief engineer and finally program manager of the Boeing portion of the B2. At the time, no one in the commercial airplane portion of Boeing had any idea what John was doing.

John exited the black world and returned to the Commercial Airplane Group as VP of engineering. Then in 1991 he was assigned as VP of computing, which led to John being named president of Boeing computer services in 1993. In this role, he had the responsibility of providing computing services to all of Boeing. John’s outstanding leadership of the shared computing services led to the formation of an umbrella Shared Services organization responsible for Computing Information Services, Business Operations, People Services, and Safety, Health, and Environmental Affairs. This organization reported to the CEO and, in recognition of his responsibilities, the Boeing Board of Directors elected John a senior vice president in February 1997.

Phil Condit (NAE 1985), Boeing chairman and CEO, once said of John’s corporate responsibilities, “If it doesn’t fit into any one normal area of responsibility, then it is John’s responsibility.” In his corporate role, John became the chief administrative officer of the Boeing Company.

John’s responsibilities included both corporate actions and a significant role in the community. He was passionate about education and played a key role in funding university programs. He was the key decision-maker when it came to philanthropic efforts by the company. He played a key role in many Seattle-area organizations, including the Pacific Science Center and IslandWood, both of which had important educational programs. His wife Marilyn said, “He was so passionate about his community work. It always made him happy. And his greatest passion was helping young people in underserved communities get the skills they needed to be successful.”

John was active in National Academies activities. He was a member of the Committee on Aeronautical Technologies, the Membership Policy Committee, and the 2010 NAS Award in Aeronautical Engineering Selection Committee. He chaired the Panel on Avionics and Control; served as member (1992-95) and chair (1996-98) of the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board; and served as member, vice chair, and chair of the Aerospace Engineering Peer Committee.

After retirement, John’s active intellect never slowed. He continued his community involvement and never stopped exploring the world around him. He celebrated 50 years of marriage and remained devoted to Marilyn and his family. Even as he struggled with Parkinson’s, he stayed engaged in community and family. His driftwood sculptures on the beach of Whidbey Island will be remembered by many. John Warner was a great engineer and a great leader but he will be remembered most for his humanity and the fact that he helped to make the world a better place.

John is survived by his wife Marilyn, daughter Nancy (Bill) Dunbar, son Michael, and six grandchildren.