Sean Walsh (Gamma Beta, ‘76) will be inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame this summer at the 2025 Theta Tau National Convention for service to the Fraternity and for his dedication to the continued education of engineers across the country.
Sean Walsh, USN (Ret.), attended The George Washington University, where he joined Gamma Beta Chapter in 1972 with several other students from his navy co-op group. That year he went to his first regional conference, held by Pi Chapter, and he had the opportunity to meet Grand Regent C. E. Wales (Epsilon Beta, ‘53). He also attended the 1974 National Convention. Seeing the larger organization made a significant impression with Brother Walsh, inspiring him to take on leadership opportunities in his chapter. He eventually became regent of his chapter, until he graduated in 1976.
Brother Walsh had attempted to join Navy ROTC before entering college but due to poor eyesight his application was rejected. After his college co-op experience working for the US Navy and Coast Guard, he was able to enlist in August 1975 for Officer Candidate School and be commissioned in the restricted line as an Engineering Duty officer. Upon graduation from GW in 1976, and completion of OCS, he was assigned to a guided missile destroyer in the engineering department for two years. After this sea tour, he moved to Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, VA as a ship superintendent, working on surface ships as a liaison between the crew of the ship and the civilian shipyard workers for three years.
Next, Brother Walsh was assigned to graduate study at MIT, receiving a master’s degree in naval architecture and the post-masters degree of Ocean Engineer. He was then stationed in Galveston, TX for two years working on two civilian ships that supported Marine Corps aviation. In 1987 he transferred to the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington DC where he spent three years doing ship design and another three managing the post delivery phase of a new class of mine warfare ships.
Following his graduation the Gamma Beta chapter went inactive, and Brother Doug Jones (Gamma Beta, ‘63), another AHOF recipient and long time friend, reached out to Brother Walsh in 1987 to help restart the chapter. They worked with a small team, including Grand Regent Scheetz (Omicron, ‘79), to meet with students on campus and encourage interest in Theta Tau among the engineering college. Their efforts were critical in the rechartering of Gamma Beta Chapter on September 23, 1989.
After retirement from the Navy in 1994 as a Lieutenant Commander, Brother Walsh worked for a succession of companies until 2021, when he concluded a 50 year career in Naval Engineering that began as a GS-2 Co-Op Student, then as a US Navy Engineering Duty Officer, then a Naval Architect/Systems Engineer for several engineering firms in support of the US Navy, US Coast Guard, OSD and commercial clients. He also became licensed as a Professional Engineer in 2016 in the Commonwealth of Virginia, maintaining that until his retirement.
“I was involved mostly on the marine engineering side, serving on a ship, the machinery. I love the total ship analysis – working with the operators, evaluating what the ship needs to do. They’d give a wishlist of what they wanted it to do, and then I’d do the design and the cost analysis. They would cut what they didn’t want to pay for after that. Over time, I developed enough technical expertise to talk with weapons design and laser support. I was able to work with their needs so that I could integrate it into the ship designs. I enjoyed organizing everything and engaging in the discussions.”
In addition to his work with Theta Tau, Brother Walsh has continued to support other members of the engineering profession. He has served as Chair and Vice Chair of the Chesapeake Section of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME), chaired the committee for their ship design project competition, and co-chaired their Joint Strategic Alliance Committee with the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE). He was a Flagship Section member of ASNE and volunteered at one time for their papers committee.
The George Washington University and The George Washington Alumni Association recognized him with the Alumni Outstanding Service Award in 2011 for his work as President of the Engineering Alumni Association. He was awarded 2022 Volunteer of the Year from the Naval Historical Foundation for his work reviewing books pertaining to naval history. He is a practiced ABET Program Evaluator, primarily for Naval Architecture programs. Brother Walsh continues to volunteer with his parish, and is about to become an officer for his local council of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization dedicated to charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism.
In 2008, Brother Walsh was encouraged to attend the Theta Tau National Convention in Washington, D.C. by some of his local alumni. Since he was so close to the National Convention, he set aside time after work to sit in on fraternity business and the banquet dinner. He was inspired by Grand Regent, Michael Livingston (Gamma Beta, ‘92), and Grand Marshall, Brandon Satterwhite (Mu, ‘98), who spoke on the work of the Educational Foundation, and the nationwide impact of the Theta Tau. “It seemed so much bigger than it ever had,” said Brother Walsh fondly, “and it was very encouraging to see.”
He went on to attend the National Convention again in 2010 at Denver, where leadership encouraged alumni to consider volunteering as chapter advisors to positively influence and guide our chapters. “I thought, now that’s something I could do!” reported Brother Walsh. Inspired by his relationship with Brother Jones, who had been his own academic advisor, Brother Walsh volunteered as chapter advisor for Gamma Beta Chapter for several years.
Walsh at the 2021 National Convention (Tampa) as a member of the TTEF Board
Brother Walsh continued to attend the national meetings every biennium, and at the Cincinnati National Convention in 2016, he joined the Board of Directors for the Educational Foundation, a separate non-profit organization that provides resources to members of Theta Tau, including educational programming and scholarships. In this new role, he worked diligently to set up a comprehensive bookkeeping system and worked on evaluating scholarship applications for many years. He also assisted with the management of the Theta Tau chapter houses that are overseen by the Educational Foundation. Brother Walsh continues to serve on the Education Foundation Board of Directors and attends national events, offering his experience and expertise in national policies.
