Charles Ross Wilhide

Retired Navy Commander Charles Ross Wilhide, who served in the South Pacific during WWII as Executive Officer aboard the U.S.S. McGinty, a destroyer escort, died peacefully September 20, 2013 at the age of 92.

After the war, Cmdr. Wilhide, affectionately known as “Buck” was assigned to the Great Lakes Training Center and became the first commanding officer of the Navy’s journalism school. The mission of the school was to train Navy and Marine Corps. enlisted personnel as experts in the emerging field of public relations.

In 1955, Cmdr. Wilhide was appointed Public Affairs Officer for Admiral Arleigh Burke, when Burke became Chief of Naval Operations. He held that post through all three of Burke’s terms as CNO and later as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

Wilhide accompanied Burke on trips around the world, wrote speeches and supervised relations with the press. When President Eisenhower sent Burke a bottle of whiskey to celebrate a Navy success, Wilhide drafted a humorous thank-you note, with the Admiral having the appearance of becoming increasingly drunk. Burke signed the letter and sent it to Eisenhower, who enjoyed the joke.

Wilhide was born in Omaha, NE in 1921. He grew up in Ohio and graduated from Greenfield’s McClain High School, where he helped lead the football team to its first undefeated season. He attended Marietta College and joined the Navy in 1942. While working for Burke at the Pentagon, Wilhide lived in Manassas, VA., where he took a part-time job as Sports Editor for the Manassas Journal-Messenger and a one-time Commissioner of Manassas Little League Baseball.

In 1962 he moved his family to Alexandria, VA. and worked for Chilton Publishing before setting up his own business as a Washington based consultant.

Buck Wilhide was preceded in death by his first wife of 27 years, Helen Louise, an infant son, Lawrence, and a granddaughter. He is survived by his wife, Joanne, sons, Doug, Brian, Walter, David and William, and one daughter Lynne Storer. He also is survived by ten grandchildren and ten great grandchildren.