Fowler, Earl Bealle
Sept. 29, 1925 - Feb. 8, 2008
Vice Adm. Earl Bealle Fowler, 82, Sarasota, formerly of Jacksonville, and Alexandria, Va., died Feb. 8, 2008.
A memorial service will begin at 2 p.m. March 14 at The Church of the Redeemer, Sarasota. Burial will be April 9 in Arlington National Cemetery.
Survivors include his loving wife, Helen J.; and daughters Mary H. Fowler and Joan A. Fowler, both of Alexandria.
Vice Adm. Earl B. Fowler, 82, died at sea on Feb. 8, 2008, while on a 60th wedding anniversary South Atlantic cruise with his wife, Helen. The ship was between Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
He retired from the Navy after 42 years of active service July 1, 1985. At that time he was commander of Naval Sea Systems Command and chief engineer of the Navy, Arlington Va.
Secretary of the Navy John Lehman Jr., in his 1988 book "Command of the Seas: Building the 600 Ship Navy," on page 238 cited Vice Adm. Fowler as one of the "blue suiter superstars" in the success of building the 600-ship Navy. He was "a sailor who built ships."
Vice Adm. Fowler was responsible for design, development and procurement of all Navy ships and shipboard weapons systems. This also included all private shipbuilding and repair, eight naval shipyards, all weapons stations and the largest procurement office in the world, spending about one-third of the Navy's budget from March 1980 to June 1985: $35-39 billion. Under his watch four battleships were reactivated, two nuclear carriers were authorized in one year, and the first Aegis ships were built.
Immediately prior, he was commander of Naval Electronics Systems Command, Arlington, Va., responsible for design, development and procurement of communications, radar, surveillance and space systems 1976-1980.
Earlier duty tours included responsibility for construction of ships to support the Apollo program, oceanographic research and survey ships, minesweepers, and hydrofoils 1967-1971. From 1960-1962 he was responsible for material and engineering assistance to Republic of China, serving with the Military Assistance Advisory Group, Republic of China, Tsoying, Taiwan.
Additional duty assignments were serving in Point Mugu, Calif.; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; San Francisco, Calif.; and Charleston, S.C.
Vice Adm. Fowler served sea duty tours aboard USS Leary DDR 879, USS Wright CVL 48, USS Ranger CV 4 and USS Columbia CL 56.
Among his awards were the Distinguished Service Medal and Legion of Merit.
After retiring from the Navy in July 1985, Vice Adm. Fowler served as director of five public companies and several private ones, as well as consultant to 25 other companies. He was CEO of what is now known as Health Net, California; TRE, Los Angeles; Miltope Corporation, Long Island; ANDAC, Arlington Va.; Inteliiworxx, Sarasota; chairman of SPD Technologies, Philadelphia; CEO and founder of FPBSM Industries; and founder and owner of Fowler International Group, Arlington, Va.
In 1987 the State Department approved the construction of six FFG class frigates in Taiwan by the Republic of China. Vice Adm. Fowler was the principal advisor for their construction, since they had not built a warship previously.
He was born and raised in Jacksonville, Fla., and graduated from Georgia Tech 1946 with a mechanical engineering BS, and MIT 1949 with an electrical engineering BS. He attended Harvard University for the Advanced Management Program in 1970.
He was a member of Navy League, Military Officers Association, Cosmos Club, Army Navy Country Club, Sons of the American Revolution, Misty Creek Country Club of Sarasota, New York Yacht Club, and The Church of the Redeemer in Sarasota.
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