Richard Calvin Avrit received various national and campaign service medals including the Distinguished Service Medal, three Legion of Merit Awards (one from the Army!).
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC, November 09, 2018 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Richard Calvin Avrit with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Mr. Avrit celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Admiral Avrit was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and entered the U.S. Naval Academy from the Territory of Alaska. He graduated with the class of 1953 and served 32 years on active duty. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy, a Master's degree in Electronics from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, and is a 1972 Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Naval War College.
During his naval career, Admiral Avrit had numerous operational and technical jobs, both at-sea and ashore. He served afloat as a junior officer in the USS GEORGE K MCKENZIE (DD 836) in the weapons department and USS WILLIS A LEE (DL-4) in the operations department; and, as a more senior officer, as Executive Officer of the USS BERKELEY (DDG-15) and Command Officer of the USS SUMNER COUNTY (LST-1148), USS SELLERS (DDG-11), and USS HARRY E. YARNELL (CG-17). As Operations Officer on a Cruiser Destroyer Group Staff, he coordinated the staff in conducting surface combat operations in the Tonkin Gulf during part of the Vietnam War. His sea tours were evenly distributed between the Pacific and Atlantic fleets and he saw combat action in Korea as well as Vietnam.
While serving ashore, Admiral Avrit had engineering jobs in weapon and electronic system developments. These duties included serving in the Officer of the Secretary of Defense as a Weapons System Specialist responsible for funding and development of many of the surface weapon systems in use in the fleet today; and in the Navy's Test and Evaluation Force as a Sonar Evaluation Officer for a major sonar that continues in wide fleet usage. Admiral Avrit served as Chief of Staff, Commander Surface Forces, Atlantic Fleet until selected for rear Admiral in 1979. Following selection, he served as Program Manager for building the Saudia Arabian Navy at about $1 Billion annually, delivering 14 heavily armed Patrol Craft, including infrastructure and supplies for their support and control in Saudi Arabia. Admiral Avrit subsequently served as Director of Navy Logistics and as Director of Strategic Sealift, both jobs relating to the logistics infrastructure of the Navy to sustain peacetime readiness and wartime capability and including Army sealift requirements.
For his military service, Admiral Avrit received various national and campaign service medals including the Distinguished Service Medal, three Legion of Merit Awards (one from the Army!), Bronze Star with Combat V, three Meritorious Service Medals and several foreign awards.
Following retirement in 1984, Admiral Avrit developed new computer technology programs for Information Spectrum, Inc. He subsequently served as President/CEO of the Military Data Corporation, a joint venture of the U.S. Naval Institute and Information Spectrum, Inc. for development of an online database of worldwide military forces and their equipment. Admiral Avrit left that position in 1989 to serve as a small business consultant in the construction industry. He also volunteered in many other church and community organizations, including President of his homeowner's association.
Dick met his wife, Alice (Dayne) Jane Tamminga, while a graduate student and they were married in 1959. Following his graduation, they embarked upon a life filled with adventure, challenge and fulfillment. She died in 2017 following a lengthy illness. Their daughter, Tamra, a retired business executive and her husband, Bill, a retired USMC and United Airlines pilot, live in Hilton Head Island, SC. Shortly after his wife's death, Dick also moved to Hilton Head from Northern Virginia.
In recognition of outstanding contributions to his profession and the Marquis Who's Who community, Richard Calvin Avrit has been featured on the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement website. Please visit www.ltachievers.com for more information about this honor.
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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