John Thomas Durgala Jr. was born on June 17, 1949 in Binghamton, NY, the son of John and Mary Durgala. He was educated in Johnson City schools, where he had success playing baseball and football. John’s academic prowess was also evident as his entry in an essay contest won an in-ground pool for his family. As a long-time member of the Boy Scouts of America, John attained the rank of Eagle Scout and earned membership in the Order of the Arrow. For John, a Scouting highlight was attending the National Jamboree and being on the platform with President Lyndon B. Johnson.
John entered West Point on July 3, 1967. He was both exceptionally bright and a great athlete and was very successful at the Academy. Most noteworthy was John’s selfless style and his sense of humor. He was a calm and quiet leader and a consummate team member who never complained and always remained positive and encouraging. Bill Roden, who roomed with John multiple times, described how John made it his mission to ensure that Bill and John Fogarty successfully navigated the STEM courses. Bill said that when JT saw a problem, he would take over and got the job done, never expecting a reward or recognition. JT was the quietest of all achievers, never asking or expecting any thanks or a payback, just taking care of business and always helping his classmates.
John found the love of his life in the spring of 1970 and married Mary Cokelet on December 26, 1971 after graduation from West Point. John and Mary journeyed to Fort Carson and the 615th Engineer Co and 52nd Engineer Bn. In 1974, they moved to Germany where John served as company commander and adjutant in the 317th Engineer Bn, returning to the U.S. in 1976.
John and Mary had two sons. Son John was born in 1977 followed by Michael in 1983. John found his true purpose in life as a father. His great skills as teacher, nurturer, supporter, coach and parent truly blossomed as he raised two truly exemplary sons. He also enjoyed skiing, gardening, attending Michael’s baseball games at Johns Hopkins and playing sports with his grandchildren, Lauren and Evan (son John and wife Jamie’s children).
After earning dual Master of Science degrees in Applied Mathematics and Operations Research from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1979, John returned to West Point. Always the teacher, he directed a cadet research program that produced several studies for various DoD Agencies while an instructor, course director and deputy head of electives in the Department of Mathematics. Fellow RPI classmate, math instructor and member of the Class of ’71 Bill Barkovic described himself and John as part of a close study group of five grads burning the midnight oil at RPI while forming close friendships that strengthened their performance as math instructors.
John served as the Chief of Officer Planning at the U.S. Army Military Personnel Center, where he developed the first automated system for managing the Army’s Warrant Officer Corps along with many other projects. Close friend and collaborating analyst Glen Hewitt reminisced that while John’s talents were particularly valuable in leading these analytic efforts in the Military Personnel Center from 1983 to 1985, equally important were the qualities that he brought in enabling people to work together as a strong and effective team. “I remember him as bright, insightful, analytical, and highly skilled. I also recall how easy it was to work with him with his unfailingly optimistic outlook, his compassion for others, his gregarious sense of humor and fun and his view of the important role of humanity in the everyday efforts in the workplace. I found (and I know others felt similarly) it was always a joy to find an opportunity to work with John. He was always ready, able, and positive in lending a useful hand for meeting the toughest tasks with the highest standards of quality, integrity and humanity. He often spoke of his family, although I never met them. Clearly, they were always foremost on his mind.”
After leaving the Army in 1985 John brought his considerable talents to the Logistics Management Institute (LMI). Al Schroetel fondly remembered John’s time at LMI: “John was a Research Fellow and was the ‘go to’ guy for accurate and insightful analysis of the DoD Acquisition Workforce. His work made it possible for the Department of Defense (DoD) to successfully implement the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA). This law was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990 to improve the overall effectiveness and professionalism of military and civilian personnel charged with management and administration of defense acquisition programs. During this period John co-authored several important reports that steered DoD’s decisions on implementing DAWIA.”
John left LMI in 1999 to continue his post-Army career at RCI/Serco NA. Dr. John D. Thornton of RPI/Serco NA said of John: “John was our ‘go to’ guy for mathematical modeling used primarily to solve military personnel and manpower problems but also in support of civilian agencies. He tackled the analysis of historical data to develop policy or procedural recommendations for the modeling environment. John was passionate about ensuring eventual users were comfortable operating the models he developed. Whenever possible, he would create models in widely available tools such as Microsoft Excel. He enjoyed nothing as much as teaching, specifically teaching younger military and civilian analysts, to solve real-world problems on their own using tools already at hand.”
Our friend and Classmate John lived his life leading, teaching and mentoring others, and with true concern for his fellow man. Well Done! Be Thou at Peace.