Obituaries

Sylvia B. ByrnePersonnel Manager

Sylvia B. Byrne, 69, a federal personnel manager who also played piano in nightclubs, died May 11 of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at Inova Fairfax Hospital. She lived in Arlington.

Ms. Byrne came to the Washington area in 1962 and worked in personnel and human resources at the old Civil Service Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission before her retirement in 1988.

She played piano in a trio at the Lamplighter restaurant in Arlington and other venues.

Ms. Byrne was born in Florida and grew up in West Virginia. She attended Boston University and graduated from Ohio State University.

She enjoyed writing and helped edit the works of local authors. She was known for her humor and love of gardening and animals.

She was a member of a support group at Virginia Hospital Center for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which she called the "Short of Breath Club."

There are no immediate survivors.

-- Matt Schudel

James G. McCargarAuthor, Spy

James G. McCargar, 86, an author, diplomat and spy whose 1963 book on the craft of covert operations continues to be recommended by the U.S. intelligence community, died of cancer May 30 at the Washington Home hospice.

Mr. McCargar, who lived in the District, wrote the well-received "A Short Course in the Secret War" under the pseudonym Christopher Felix and under his own name in later editions. It was one of the first books to authoritatively discuss U.S. covert operations, and it remains in print more than 40 years later.