Obituaries

Orville J. 'Nip' LitzsingerAir Force Colonel

Orville J. "Nip" Litzsinger, 71, a retired Air Force colonel who was a key figure in the intercontinental ballistic missile program, died Aug. 4 of sepsis at Inova Fairfax Hospital. He lived in Fairfax County near Alexandria.

Col. Litzsinger became an Air Force officer after graduating from the University of Missouri in 1958. He was a specialist in missile engineering and oversaw the development of guidance systems for the Titan II rocket. He was a military engineering representative in discussions with NASA regarding the use of the Titan II in space launches.

He eventually spent two years as director of programmatic and engineering support for the Air Force's entire land-based ICBM network, ensuring that no missiles could be inadvertently launched without passing through the military's fail-safe system. He retired from the Air Force in 1982.

Col. Litzsinger operated a lobbying and consulting firm, OJL Inc., from 1982 to 1985. He was a director of Aerojet, an aerospace and defense firm operated by GenCorp, from 1985 to 1992. He was a NASA consultant helping to investigate the O-ring problem that caused the 1986 midair explosion of the Challenger space shuttle.

From 1992 until his retirement in 1997, Col. Litzsinger was vice president of the Alliance for American Innovation. He advocated before Congress for stronger patent laws to protect the intellectual property rights of inventors and small businesses.

Col. Litzsinger was born in Brentwood, Mo. As a college student, he was a "spotter" for radio broadcaster Harry Caray at Missouri football games.

He received a master's degree in business administration from Auburn University in Alabama in 1972 and also attended the Air Force Command and Staff College and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.

He was president of the Missouri Society of Washington and was on the board of directors of the Washington chapter of the University of Missouri Alumni Association. He was also president of the Clermont Woods Community Association.

In 1997, Col. Litzsinger had heart surgery and suffered two serious strokes that temporarily left him blind. He later regained 40 percent of his sight.

Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Elaine Litzsinger of Fairfax County; two daughters, Karen Sancho-Bonet of Clifton and Cheryl Gornak of Centreville; a brother; and three grandchildren.

-- Matt Schudel