Major John A. Derry was a top military assistant, mainly working in Washington D.C., during the Manhattan Project. Derry was born in Ohio, and in 1929, he earned a degree in Electrical Engineering from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. He then worked for Ohio Bell, the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and the Rural Electrification Administration in Washington, D.C.
Derry was a member of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers until 1946. He was a Lieutenant Colonel and was later promoted to Colonel. In 1942, he was called to duty as a reservist and then assigned to work on airfield construction projects. He contributed to the Army’s buildup of military airfields, including air bases in Sarasota and Venice. In 1943, he helped facilitate “X-10” and “Y-12” at Oak Ridge. In 1944, he was selected to assist General Leslie Groves with nuclear weapons research and development at the Los Alamos Lab. Here he helped maintain successful relationships with top officials and scientists. He also served as the Secretary to the Joint Chiefs of Staff Evaluation Board for the Bikini Atoll nuclear tests in 1946.
After the war, he began a 25 year career with the Atomic Energy Commission. He oversaw the construction expansion of many facilities around the United States for the research and production of nuclear weapons. By 1954, he directed over 400 employees through these projects. He then supervised the construction of the AEC’s headquarters in Maryland. In the 1960s, helped directed the expansion of the AEC weapons facilities at both Oak Ridge and Los Alamos.
He retired from the AEC in 1972, and moved to Venice, Florida. Upon retirement he enjoyed travelling with family and playing golf. He was awarded the Legion of Merit with the Oak Leaf Cluster and an Army Commendation Ribbon .