Gen. John R. “Jack” Dailey, a retired U.S. Marine Corps general and pilot, assumed the duties of director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in January.

Dailey came to the museum from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, where he had been the associate deputy administrator since retiring from the U.S. Marine Corps (1992-1999). At NASA, he led the agency’s internal operations.

His career in the Marine Corps spanned 36 years and included extensive command and staff experience. He has flown more than 7,000 hours in a wide variety of aircraft and helicopters. During two tours in Vietnam, he flew 450 missions. He was promoted to the rank of general and named Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps in 1990. He has numerous personal decorations for his service in the Marine Corps and NASA.

While at NASA, Dailey served on the President’s Management Council, co-chaired the Aeronautics and Astronautics Coordinating Board, and was a national delegate to the Research and Technology Organization supporting NATO.

He served as national commander of the Marine Corps Aviation Association and is a member of the Early and Pioneer Naval Aviators Association (“Golden Eagles”).

The National Air and Space Museum, which opened in 1976, is home to many of the “firsts” in aviation and space history, including the Wright brothers’ Flyer, Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, and the Apollo 11 command module Columbia. With approximately 8 million visitors a year, it is one of the most popular museums in the world.

During Dailey’s tenure, the museum has expanded to include a second building, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles International Airport. The facility, which includes the Boeing Aviation Hangar and the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar, opened in 2003. Phase Two of the center, which will include the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar, will be fully operational by 2011.

Dailey was born Feb. 17, 1934, in Quantico, Va., and earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1956. He and his wife, the former Mimi Rodian of Copenhagen, Denmark, live in Fairfax, Va. They have two children and four grandchildren.

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