Obituary of Brigadier General Daniel H. Daley, USAF,

Brigadier General Daniel H. Daley left this life peacefully on March 7, 2018 at the age of 97 with his loving wife, devoted daughter, and oldest grandson at his bedside. He will be remembered as a dedicated family man, Air Force leader, aeronautical engineer and professor, world traveler, avid skier and sailor, stargazer, Citroen car enthusiast, and lover of the arts.General Daley was born on March 9, 1920, in Elmira, New York to Charles and Irene Daley, and grew up in Hornell, New York. In 1942, he received a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University where he also met his future wife. He was commissioned in the Army Air Corps and after military pilot training, he became a multi-engine flight instructor in Texas. In 1945, then Capt. Daley completed the Air Corps Engineering School at Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, with Orville Wright as an honored guest at his graduation.Upon receiving a Master's Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from MIT in 1946, he joined the initial faculty at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) in Dayton and later served as head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He flew transport aircraft in the Marshall Islands and in Kyushu, Japan from 1956 to 1958. He returned to Dayton as Chief of the XB-70 Aerodynamics Section from 1959 to 1961.In 1961 then Major Daley joined the Department of Aeronautics of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. From 1965 to 1967, he helped start the Pakistan Air Force College of Aeronautical Engineering in Karachi. With his wife and two youngest sons, he drove his Citroen ID-19 from Karachi to London to return to the United States.From July, 1967 to March, 1984, then Colonel Daley served as the first Permanent Professor and Head of the Department of Aeronautics, U. S. Air Force Academy. He had two interim assignments as Chief Scientist of the European Office of Aerospace Research and Development in London (1972-74); and visiting professor, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York (1981). He retired in 1984 after forty-two years of active duty. In retirement, Gen. and Mrs. Daley spent summers at their cottage on Loon Lake in New York and winters in Surprise, Arizona, while residing in Colorado Springs.Gen. Daley was a Command Pilot with over 3,000 flying hours. He was awarded the Legion of Merit (10LC) and the Air Force Commendation Medal. He held the honorary title of Professor Emeritus of the Air Force Academy. In October, 2002 he was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the Air Force Institute of Technology.Gen. Daley is survived by his wife of seventy-two years, Roberta "Bobbie"; children, Marta (Bruce) Ferguson and Jim Daley, both of Golden, Colorado, Chuck Daley of Dayton, Ohio, and Dave (Tai-Lee) Daley of Alexandria, Virginia; six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.Memorial Service, 9:30AM, Tuesday, May 8, 2018, United States Air Force Academy Catholic Cadet Chapel, 2306 Sijan Drive, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado 80840.Interment, United States Air Force Academy Cemetery, Colorado Springs, Colorado.In lieu of flowers, the family gratefully requests that memorial contributions in General Daley's name be made to the USAFA Endowment at 3116 Academy Drive, suite 200, USAF Academy, Colorado 80840, or online at www.usafa.org/give to establish a memorial fund to support the USAF Academy Aeronautical Engineering Department. Events Memorial Service Tuesday, May 8, 2018 9:30AM United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel 2306 Sijan Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80840 Phone: 719-328-1793 Final Resting Place Air Force Academy Cemetery Cemetery Road Air Force Academy, CO 80840