Dancy leaves legacy of leadership

Federation of Information Processing Councils

Edward Dancy Jr., who flew with the famed Flying Tigers during World War II and later founded the Federation of Government Information Processing Councils, died Feb. 26 in Pensacola Beach, Fla., leaving a legacy of devotion to good management, said those who knew him.

"He really had a perpetual can-do spirit," said Howard Ady III, an executive with KPMG Consulting Inc. who served as FGIPC president from 1986 to 1987. "And he had the greatest attribute of leadership, which is the ability to inspire hope and confidence in his workforce."

Dancy, born in 1924, was raised in North Wilkesboro, N.C. In the Army Air Force during World War II, Dancy flew B-24s in Burma and joined the Air Force Reserve after the war. He received the Legion of Merit Medal for his work in disaster preparedness and retired at the rank of colonel.

He was director of automated data and telecommunications services for 14 years for the General Services Administration's southeast region. When he retired, GSA awarded him the Meritorious Service Medal, the agency's highest award, for his work in remote access multi-user computer systems and data centers.

In 1979, Dancy helped found FGIPC, which has become a leading organization for government information technology executives and now has more than 45,000 members nationwide. He also hired Ginny McCormack, a longtime federal executive, who became the organization's national secretary and helped Dancy build the organization, according to Ady.

A year after founding FGIPC, Dancy was the driving force behind the establishment of the organization's annual Management of Change conference, which focuses on issues confronting federal managers in a rapidly evolving work environment.

By focusing the attention of his fledgling organization on issues that have become front-and-center for every IT executive in the federal government, Dancy demonstrated enormous prescience, said Alan Balutis, FGIPC executive director and chief operating officer.

"Clearly he was a seminal figure in the IT world, and a real prophet before his time in his thinking on these issues," Balutis said.

Dancy joined OAO Corp. as a vice president after he retired from the federal government. He is survived by his wife, Elaine, a son and a daughter, four granddaughters and a great-grandson.

Memorial donations are requested to the Pensacola Beach Community Church Building Fund, 18 Via DeLuna Drive, Pensacola Beach, Fla., 32561.