In Memoriam: Remembering Former AFCEA President & CEO Gen. John Wickham Jr.
Gen. John Wickham Jr., who served as AFCEA president and CEO from 1987-1992, passed away earlier this month at age 95.
Gen. Wickham joined AFCEA International after 41 years of service in the U.S. Army, 17 of which he served as a general officer. In 1983, he was appointed as the 30th Chief of Staff of the Army by President Ronald Reagan.
“If there is one word to personify Gen. Wickham, it is ‘integrity,’" said retired SIGNAL Magazine Editor in Chief Robert K. Ackerman, who spent 23 years at the helm of AFCEA International’s flagship magazine—and 35 years at the association. "It was the cornerstone of his leadership during and after he served as Army chief of staff, and he brought that with him to AFCEA."
Gen. Wickham spent his life in service, serving on several boards and councils, including the Council on Foreign Relations and the Secretary of Defense’s Policy Board. During his term at AFCEA, he emphasized that "AFCEA has an obligation to represent equitably and responsibly the diverse interests not only of its corporate and individual members but also of the professional communities and organizations in which they operate,” he was quoted as saying in SIGNAL's commemorative 75th anniversary issue.
"Gen. Wickham was an extraordinary leader. He led AFCEA with sincere passion for the staff, always expressing his love of family, his strong faith in God and his desire for the best for his AFCEA team. He will be greatly missed," said Nancy Temple, AFCEA's international secretary, vice president of HR/Support and vice president of AFCEA's Educational Foundation.
Gen. Wickham enjoyed reading and loved poetry later in his life, publishing personal poems in his book “On Life, Love, and Living.” He is survived by his beloved wife Ann Prior Wickham of 69 years, and children Lindsley Harner and Matthew Wickham.
