John Philip (“Jack”) Luther died at age 81 in Reston, Virginia, on October 20, 2017, from pneumonia with complications from lymphoma. Jack was born on October 19, 1936, in Salem, Massachusetts, the son of Charles Luther and the former Kathryn Fallon. He was raised in Massachusetts, Maryland and Connecticut, and, after graduating from Norwalk High School in Norwalk, Connecticut, in 1954, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he served as a radar fire control technician aboard the U.S.S. C.K. Bronson. He was deployed to the Arabian Sea during the Suez Crisis in 1956.  

After being honorably discharged from the Navy in 1957, he enrolled in Lowell Technological Institute in Lowell, Massachusetts, on a full scholarship. After graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in 1962, he entered Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a two-year fellowship. He received a Master of Engineering degree in 1964.  

Jack then took doctoral courses at Columbia University in New York City. He transferred to Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., in 1966 and received his Ph.D. in Educational Technology in 1972. While working on his doctorate he taught engineering technology atWashington Technical Institute and was subsequently employed as a technical analyst by the U.S. Census Bureau.

In 1974 Jack joined the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington D.C., and, during most of his 24-year career there, worked in the Office of Foreign Relations of the International Labor Affairs Bureau. He served as director of the Vocational Training and Construction Project, aprogram of the United States – Saudi Arabia JointCommission on Economic Cooperation that providedfacilities and courses of study for technical training in Saudi Arabia. He made numerous visits to Saudi Arabia in connection with the project. He was also a pioneer in the conversion of government documents to electronic format through digital scanning. 

After retiring from the Government in 1998, Jack took over management of the facilities of Longlea Conference Center in Culpeper, Virginia, and Reston Study Center in Reston, Virginia, and served on their boards of directors.

Jack is survived by his brothers, Robert Luther of Lake Suzy, Florida, and Paul Luther of Boston, Massachusetts,and two nieces and two nephews.  A viewing will take place at Reston Study Center, 1810 Old Reston Ave., Reston, Virginia, on Monday, Oct. 23, from 5 to 9 p.m, and the A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. John the Beloved Catholic Church, McLean,  Virginia,at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 24.  Following the Mass, internment will take place at Holy Cross Cemetery, Silver Spring, Maryland. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Reston Study Center.

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