ROLAND T. TIBBETTS

TIBBETTS ROLAND TREFETHEN TIBBETTS Of Lansdowne, VA died on October 27, 2014 after a brief illness at Winchester Medical Center. He was born June 27, 1924 to Benjamin and Hilda Tibbetts of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In high school he played violin for the NH All-State and UNH Symphony, was local President of the National Honor Society, captain of his school's tennis team and he was an Eagle Boy Scout. After one semester at University of Cincinnati in 1942 he enlisted in the U. S. Army Air Corps, was commissioned and served on thirty-seven WW II combat missions. He was a First Lieutenant and B-24 navigator with the 98th Bomb Group stationed in southern Italy. He later served on Air Transport Command flights from South America to North Africa. For his service he was awarded multiple Air Medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross for service and valor. He completed undergraduate studies at Boston University in 1948, and earned his M.B.A. degree from Harvard Business School in 1951. He often acknowledged his gratitude for the higher education opportunities made possible through the post-WW II G.I. Bill. Following a three-year term as Executive Vice President at the Junior Chamber of Commerce National Headquarters in Tulsa, OK (1955-1958), Roland and his wife Jean relocated to the Washington, DC area, eventually residing in Northern Virginia communities of McLean, Reston, Great Falls and Lansdowne. From 1959 to 1969 he was Vice President and Director for Hazleton Laboratories, Inc. of Vienna, then Vice President of Logetronics, Inc., Springfield through 1972. During these years he also served as President of the Fairfax County, VA Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of the Northern Virginia Comprehensive Health Planning Council. From 1972 until his retirement in 1996 Roland was Senior Program Officer at the National Science Foundation, where he is recognized for his design and management of the Federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. For these contributions he was awarded the Franklin-Jefferson Medal by the Small Business High Technology Institute. Each year the most commercially successful and technologically innovative small firms in each of the 50 states are presented with "Tibbetts Awards" through the Small Business Administration and the Executive Branch. Roland was preceded in death by his daughter Cheryl Tibbetts Sorensen in 1985, his wife of 49 years Frances Jean Tibbetts in 2004, and his second wife of almost 4 years Maryal Mautz Tibbetts in 2009. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law Dr. Clark and Rev. Cathy Tibbetts of Sperryville, VA; his two grandchildren Brandon Tibbetts of Chicago, IL and Megan Davidson of East Lyme, CT and his sister Louise Cook of North Andover MA. Roland will be remembered as a loving husband, father, warm friend and fine neighbor; for his wartime valor; and for his career-long dedication to prosperity through small business entrepreneurship, applied research and technology breakthroughs. A private family interment service is planned to take place at Arlington National Cemetery.