Francis Joseph Mchugh

BOSTON, MA - Francis Joseph McHugh, 97, of Wingate at Needham Rehab, Needham, MA, died Tuesday, July 19, 2005, at St. Elizabeths Medical Center, Boston, MA. He was the husband of the late Mary Pickering McHugh for over 59 years, until her death on December 9, 2000 and his first wife Elaine Armstrong McHugh who he lost in the hurricane of 1938. Born in Johnston, RI on June 19, 1908, he was the son of the late Francis Joseph and Annie Wood McHugh. An Island resident since 1934, he was an avid walker and a familiar figure strolling the Broadway-Washington Square area. A 1974 retiree of the Naval War College, Mr. McHugh was known nationally and internationally for his lectures and writings on war gaming. From 1974 to his retirement in 1983, he was a Senior Systems Analyst at Pacer Systems, Inc. Mr. McHugh was drafted in early 1943 and served in the 1258th Combat Engineers, a unit of Pattons Third Army. He was awarded three battle stars. When Mr. McHugh started at the Naval War College in early 1934, war games had been a feature of that institution since its earliest day. Under the direction and supervision of naval officers and war gaming experts, he performed plotting and recording duties and prepared graphs and nomograms for strategic, tactical and logistic games. With the advent of the analog Naval Electronic Warfare Simulator NEWS in late 1957, Mr. McHugh was promoted to Operations Research Analyst. He became involved in data collection and analysis, as well as game model design. He also participated in student and Fleet games as both umpire and player. During this period he gave lectures on the history of war gaming and simulation and other related topics to staff and students of the Naval War College and to Fleet, reserve and foreign officers. He also participated in the requirements, development and the phased utilization of a digital war gaming system WARS. Mr. McHugh retired from the Naval War College on June 30, 1974. He then joined Pacer Systems as a Senior Systems Analyst. In this capacity, he provided on-site guidance and support for the WARS until 1983. Mr. McHughs Naval War College publications include ?Graphic Methods of Presenting Statistical Data,? 1950, ?Visual Aids at the Naval War College,? 1952, 1956, and ?Graphic Presentation?, 1956. ?Gaming at the Naval War College,? an article in the March, 1963, issue of US Naval Institute Proceedings, provides a brief overview of gaming at that institution. His best known book, Fundamentals of War Gaming, ran three editions, 1960, 1961 and 1966. This seminal work includes all aspects of war gaming and simulation up to the time of publication, from the one-on-one to military-political games. Topics include the history of war gaming, rules and procedures, war game models, data, strategic chart simulations, tactical board games and the pre-Word War II US- Japanese games. Issued to all Naval War College Staff and students as well as Fleet and Reserve gaming participants, it received wide distribution. The third edition of Fundamentals of War Gaming was chosen by the Advanced Research Project Agency for its 1972 ?Reviews of Selected Books and Articles on Gaming and Simulation? R-732-ARPA, June 1972 it was examined in great detail and received a very favorable review. On the occasion of Mr. McHugh?s final retirement, his colleagues presented him with a plaque inscribed ?Master War Gamer of Them All?, a fitting tribute to one who devoted half a century to the art and science of war gaming. He is survived by two daughters Patricia F. Mullette of Caldwell, NJ, and Sharon E. McHugh of Dedham, MA, his brother Edward McHugh of Naples, FL, and his grandchildren Alison Weeda of Kensington, MD, Stephanie Mullette of Hamburg, Germany, Michael Mullette of Mt. Pocono, PA, Richard Silva of Osterville, MA and Timothy Silva of Hingham, MA, and five great grandchildren. He was the father of the late Francis Joseph McHugh, who died in the 1938 hurricane, and Kathleen M. McHugh, and the brother of the late Alice Howard and Dorothy Walker.His funeral will be held on Saturday, July 23, 2005, at 10:00AM in Memorial Funeral Home, 375 Broadway, Newport. Burial with full military honors will be in St. Columba Cemetery in Middletown.Calling hours will be held on July 22, 2005, 2-4pm in the Memorial Funeral Home. Donations in his memory may be made to the Friends of the Newport Library, Spring Street, Newport, RI 02840.