Bardyl Tirana
Bardyl Tirana | |
|---|---|
| Director of the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency | |
| In office April 13, 1977 – July 20, 1979 | |
| President | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | John Davis |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Bardyl Rifat Tirana December 16, 1937 |
| Died | April 22, 2023 (aged 85) Nyack, New York, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Princeton University (BA) Columbia University (LLB) |
Bardyl Rifat Tirana (December 16, 1937 – April 22, 2023) was an Albanian American lawyer and politician who served as the last Director of the Office of Civil Defense from 1977 to 1979.
Early life and family
Bardyl Rifat Tirana was born in Geneva, Switzerland, on December 16, 1937, the son of prominent Albanian economist Rifat Tirana and American artist Rosamond English Walling. His family settled in the United States after the outbreak of World War II, where they moved to Washington, D.C.[1][2]
Tirana received a bachelor's degree from Princeton University in 1959 and a law degree from Columbia University in 1962.[3][4][5]
Career
Public service
During the Presidency of John F. Kennedy, Tirana began his legal career as a trial attorney in the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice, serving in the role from 1962 to 1964.[5]
In 1970, Tirana was elected to an at-large seat on the District of Columbia State Board of Education, where he served from 1970 to 1974.[3][2][6]
In 1977, Tirana was appointed by Defense Secretary Harold Brown to serve as the Director of the Office of Civil Defense.[5][7] In his role, one of his primary recommendations led to the creation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.[3][8][9]
In the 1980s, Tirana founded the China Phillips Academy High School Program with the Harbin Institute of Technology.[2]
His final office held was through his role as the village justice of Grand View-on-Hudson, New York, where he was paid a salary of $1 per year.[3][10]
Private practice
Before and after his public service, Tirana was a partner at various law firms and later ran a law office in Washington, D.C. In the 1970s he was general counsel for Executive Jet Aviation, where he played a critical role in expediting the purchase and sale of jets from the Israeli government to Afghanistan.[3]
Political activism
Tirana was a delete to the Democratic National Convention in 1968, 1972, and 1976. He was also a supporter of the political campaigns of Robert F. Kennedy, George McGovern, and Jimmy Carter.[11]
In 1976, Tirana was the co-chairman of the Inauguration of Jimmy Carter, responsible for planning a 'public festival.'[12][13][14] Tirana was regularly involved in issues related to Albania and Kosovo, and was an active leader and advocate within the National Albanian American Council.[15][16]
Tirana also served as a director of the Rocky Mountain Institute from 1982 to 1995, where he advocated on energy sustainability, innovation and national security issues.[2][17]
Death
In 2023, Tirana died at age 85 in Nyack, New York.[15][2]
References
- ↑ Guberman, Sidney (1995). Frank Stella: An Illustrated Biography. Rizzoli International. ISBN 978-0-8478-1843-3.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Bardyl Tirana Obituary". The New York Times. April 26, 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Bardyl R. Tirana '59 | Princeton Alumni Weekly". paw.princeton.edu. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- ↑ Stern, Bert (1962-09-09). "Gail Richard's Wed To Bardyl Tirana". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- 1 2 3 Fiscal year 1978 authorization for military procurement, research and development, and active duty, selected reserve, and civilian personnel strengths: hearings before the Committee on Armed Services, United States Senate, Ninety-fifth Congress, first session, on S. 1210 ... U.S. Government Printing Office. 1977.
- ↑ Sizemore, Barbara A. (2008). Walking in Circles: The Black Struggle for School Reform. Third World Press. ISBN 978-0-88378-298-9.
- ↑ Westphall, Victor (1981). What are They Doing to My World?. Cornwall Books. ISBN 978-0-8453-4709-6.
- ↑ "Historical Documents - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- ↑ Rosenfeld, Meagan (1977-03-22). "Bardyl Tirana Considered For Top Civil Defense Job". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- ↑ Brum, Robert. "Rockland village elections: Who's on the ballot?". USA TODAY Witness. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- ↑ Solomon, Burt (2004-11-09). The Washington Century: Three Families and the Shaping of the Nation's Capital. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-621372-9.
- ↑ "Bardyl Tirana | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- ↑ "Records of Presidential Inaugural Committees". www.archives.gov. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- ↑ Weinraub, Bernard (1977-01-20). "Indefatigable Organizer of Inaugural Festivities". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- 1 2 Madhesinë, Ndrysho (April 29, 2023). "Bitter news: The Albanian-American lawyer passes away". CNA. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- ↑ "The well-known Albanian lawyer, known as "Carter's man" and who reformed America's Civil Defense, dies". Vox News. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
- ↑ Fenzi, Jewell; Black, Allida Mae (2000). Democratic Women: An Oral History of the Woman's National Democratic Club. WNDC Educational Foundation. ISBN 978-0-9705503-0-9.