Obituary: Larson, 76, served as national president of Air Force Association

Web Posted: 08/22/2007 10:32 PM CDT

Carmina Danini
Express-News

Retired Maj. Gen. Doyle E. Larson, 76, a Russian linguist, radar intercept and signals intelligence officer and the Air Force's first airborne mission supervisor, died Aug. 13 in Edina, Minn.

Most of his 32-year career was in the U.S. Air Force Security Service. He played a key role in establishing the Electronic Security Command and the Joint Electronic Warfare Center at the former Kelly AFB.

At the ESC, where he was the first commander, Larson developed the COMFY Olympics language competition.

He was the first director of the Joint Electronic Warfare Center.

The ESC now is the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency.

It and the Joint Electronic Warfare Center, now the Joint Information Operations Warfare Command, both are at Lackland AFB.

Last month, the headquarters building of the current Air Force ISR Agency was renamed Larson Hall.

Larson had a huge presence in San Antonio, both on active duty and as a contractor after he retired, retired Air Force Col. Paul Schaffenberger said.

"Gen. Larson was an innovator who pioneered direct intelligence support to combat forces. He successfully incorporated this concept in the air war in Vietnam, and these concepts were further validated and refined in every subsequent major military operation the United States has been involved in," Schaffenberger said.

Larson, who retired in 1983, was national president and chairman of the board of the Air Force Association.

For his efforts in developing a career linguist force with the Air Force, Larson was inducted in 2006 into the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center Hall of Fame in Monterey, Calif.

He is survived by his wife, Lois James Larson; four children, James Larson of Minneapolis, Minn., Nancy Larson and Mary Larson, both of San Angelo, and Mark Larson of Willow Park; four grandchildren; and sisters Harriet Olson of Harlingen and Joady Bartlett of Kalispell, Mont.

A memorial service will be held Friday at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.