EUGENE S. LEGGETT II

LEGGETT EUGENE SHELDON LEGGETT, II Former mayor of Washington, VA. and president of Washington Volunteer Fire and Rescue, passed away on June 8, 2012, with family members by his side. He was 86 years old. "Gene" and his wife Clarissa ("Pard') raised four children together: two daughters, Countess Clarissa Bonde of Stockholm, Sweden and Washington, D.C., and Katharine Weld Leggett of Washington, VA.; two sons Eugene Sheldon Leggett III of Mason Neck, VA., and Blake Carlson Leggett of Nokesville, VA.; son-in-law Count Peder Bonde of Stockholm, Sweden and daughter-in-law Kathleen Uston Leggett of Mason Neck, VA. They also enjoyed the frequent company of nine grandchildren: Amelie Bonde, Helena Bonde and Sophia Bonde; Francisco "Frank" Pintado III and granddaughter-in-law Katie Pintado, Clarissa Pintado and Madeline "Mollie" Miller; Katharine E. Leggett, Eugene S. Leggett IV, and Anna Weld Leggett; and his beloved dog, Ajax. Gene was born on August 28, 1925 in Detroit, Michigan to Eugene Sheldon "Red" Leggett and Dagmar Carlson "Tex" Leggett. The family moved to Washington, D.C. in 1925 where he attended Wilson High School. He graduated from Culver Military Academy in Indiana in 1943 where he was captain of the Black Horse Troop Calvary. He then joined the U. S. Army and fought in numerous campaigns in the South Pacific during World War II. Back from service to his country, he attended Princeton University on the GI Bill, graduating in 1949, after only two and a half years. He then attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 1952, and was recruited by the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency). On June 28, 1952, he married the lovely Clarissa Lyon Bennett, whom he met while attending Harvard Law School. They moved back to Washington, D.C. He spent 18 years with American and British intelligence and for a time lived in London. He was a well-respected analyst during the Cold War and won several awards of distinction. More recently he was interviewed for a book on the history of the CIA. Mr. Leggett was one of the founders of PACE Applied Technology (est. 1969), a pioneering computer education and software company. He became president in 1970 and ran PACE until 2001. His son, Blake Leggett, is now president of the company. In 1977, The Leggetts purchased a former ski lodge near Washington, VA. as their full-time residence Although the couple cherished life in pastoral Rappahannock County, they continued to maintain their friendships and affiliations in the Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. areas. In 2003, after his retirement, Mr. Leggett became mayor of the historic Town of Washington, Virginia. He was re-elected to a second term in 2006 but opted not to run again in 2010. During his tenure as mayor, Mr Leggett was credited for successfully guiding a divided Town Council toward working together to finance and build a wastewater treatment system for the town; a project that had been stalled for more than two decades. Mr. Leggett once said he "worked hard to get more mutual confidence and trust" among council members, "and I think we really accomplished that." As a tribute to his tireless work for the town and on the wastewater treatment system, the street that leads to the plant was recently named "Leggett Lane'. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, June 19 at Trinity Episcopal Church in Washington, VA., at 11 a.m., followed by a reception, a few blocks away, at the home of Beverly and John Fox Sullivan. Interment will be held at Oak Hill Cemetery in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, June 20. For further information please call 202-494-2100 or 202-363-4422. Donations, in lieu of flowers, may be made to Washington Volunteer Fire and Rescue, P.O. Box 238, Washington, VA 22747.Donations, in lieu of flowers, may be made to Washington Volunteer Fire and Rescue, P.O. Box 238, Washington, VA 22747.