John Thomas Conway

On February 12, 2016 in Arlington, Virginia. John was born on May 10, 1924, in The Bronx to John J. Conway, a New York City police officer and Hannah Stanley, an Irish immigrant. After graduating DeWitt Clinton High School, John enlisted in the U.S. Navy and, through the V-12 Navy College Training Program, earned a B.S. in Engineering and a B.S. in Naval Science from Tufts University. During World War II John served as a Naval officer on active duty in the North Atlantic. A 1949 graduate of Columbia Law School, John entered the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a Special Agent and became part of an elite counter espionage unit working in Washington, D.C. and New York City. In 1956 John joined the staff of the Joint Congressional Committee on Atomic Energy, where he rose to the position of Executive Director. In 1968 John was appointed Executive Assistant to the Chairman of the Board of the Consolidated Edison Company of New York, where he served as Chairman of Con Ed's Nuclear Facilities Safety Committee. In 1978 John became President and CEO of the American Nuclear Energy Council, then the chief government affairs organization for the nuclear industry. John returned to Consolidated Edison in 1982 as Executive Vice President. Upon his retirement from Con Ed in 1989, John was appointed by President George H. W. Bush to be the first Chairman of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board with oversight for the safety of the government's nuclear facilities. He was reappointed to the NFSB by President William Clinton and served as Chairman until his retirement in 2005 at the age of 81. John is survived by his devoted and beloved wife of 27 years, Virginia (McLaughlin), sons John (Marsha Gransee), Daniel (Susan), Sean (Leon Rottner), Thomas (Elizabeth) and only daughter Johannah Dottori (Mario). John was also much loved by his grandchildren, Matthew, Michael, McKenzie, Gavin, Erin, Devin, Steven, Corinne and Lilah. John was preceded in death by his former wife, Priscilla Conway (Harris); two brothers, Stanley and Daniel; and his fifth son, a decorated combat veteran, Lt. Col. U.S. Army, Christopher D. Conway (Crystal Oliver). Service information: The funeral service will be held at 11am on February 26, 2016, at Arlington Forest United Methodist Church, 4701 Arlington Blvd., Arlington, VA 22203 with interment at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations to establish a scholarship in John's name may be made to Columbia Law School. Address to Columbia Law School, Jerome Greene Hall, 435 W. 116th St., Box A-2, New York, NY 10027, Attn. Amy Shuga. Checks should be made out to "Columbia Law School" noting in the memo line "in memory of John T. Conway '49." Online donations may be made at https://giving.columbia.edu/ giveonline/?schoolstyle=200 with the words "in memory of John T. Conway '49" in the comments/ notes section. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=177789983#sthash.iLlXylwZ.dpuf