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Former FBI agent's legacy continues at JBA

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Steele C. G. Britton
  • Air Force District of Washington Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. --  Camaraderie, competition and raising funds to help others at the 20th Annual DuHadway Golf Tournament were the simple tasks at hand to carry on the legacy of former Assistant Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Thomas E. DuHadway.

More than two hundred golfers teed off under sunny skies Oct. 5 at Joint Base Andrews, Md., in memory of a giving man who found importance in helping others at his own expense.

DuHadway, who suffered from cardiovascular complications for several years, died of a heart attack while playing one of his favorite games on the greens in September 1991. One year later, the golf tournament in his honor began in hopes to raise funds for the FBI's Washington Metropolitan Field Office's DuHadway Survivors Fund.

DuHadway joined the FBI in 1960 after high school, became a special agent in 1966 and was later appointed the special agent in charge of the Washington Metropolitan Field Office and assistant director of the FBI in 1989, knowing only the life of a special agent throughout adulthood. He was familiar to many within the bureau for helping others out-of-pocket in a time of need. Whether family emergency, hospital care or even to get the electric bill paid, DuHadway had the will to find a way to get financial situations resolved.

"He didn't really know a stranger, he would share anything with anybody," said Col. David DuHadway, Air Force District of Washington director of staff and son of Thomas DuHadway. "I didn't learn a lot about how true that was until after he died. The stories were shared of how he would care for the more junior folks on the staff by taking care of some of their financial needs if they were in some sort of personal hardship or maybe having a medical bill issue."

"He would just give them money to help them with those things and we never knew about it because it was not something that my father ever told us about," said the colonel. "Hearing these stories has had a positive impact on me as a person."

The DuHadway Survivors Fund is a part of the FBI's employee assistance program where members may apply for money in a time of need. The majority of funds distributed are collected from the annual golf tournament at JBA each September. After two decades, members of the bureau have made the event popular enough to have several corporate sponsors and many more donate items to raffle or auction.

"My goal every year is for everybody to have a good time, eat good food and have some camaraderie," said FBI Counterintelligence Division Supervisory Special Agent Jonathan Snow, coordinator of the golfing event over the past nine years. "Hopefully we achieved all of that this year as well."

In addition to the golf tournament the Thomas E. DuHadway name is carried with the humanitarian award every year at the U.S. Department of Justice FBI Director's Annual Awards for Excellence ceremony. The award is presented to recognize an FBI employee whose actions concern his or her fellow employees and are reflective of DuHadway's legacy of caring for others with no expectation of personal gain.

"I think he would thoroughly enjoy being remembered by the fundraiser and being remembered for the assistance he has given," said Donna DuHadway, wife of late Thomas DuHadway, as she described the numerous positive traits of her husband. "He was very outgoing. When he came into a room he would take over and people enjoyed being in his company. He was full of life, had a great sense of humor and enjoyed the work he did."

There is no monetary goal set at the golf tournament as the FBI's Washington Metropolitan Field Office is appreciative of any money they receive each year. The event, which has been held at JBA every year, received positive feedback from attendees with cheers and a round of applause for staff working at The Courses Andrews golf clubhouse.

"There are a lot of places the FBI could have the golf tournament and it speaks numbers to the clubhouse staff," said Col. DuHadway. "I've played in a lot of them over the past 20 years and the service is great. It's a positive relationship that makes me proud as an Airman associated with this base over the past year and a half and I think that's good for the Air Force District of Washington to have good relationships with the FBI's Washington Metropolitan Field Office."

Thomas DuHadway's name and desire to help others continues long after his passing. His dedication to his country through civil service was just one of many ways he's influenced others to do positive things in their lives. He instilled his deep religious beliefs and respect for other people and family thoroughly into his sons, Jay and David, who help carry on his legacy.

"My father taught me that the FBI is very much a family in the way the agents and staff took care of one another," said Col. DuHadway. "I'm proud to do something similar to my father and serve in the Air Force because I feel that the uniformed services take care of each other as well."