Obituary

Milton R. Copulos, 60, energy policy specialist

Milton R. Copulos, who played an integral role in the energy industry and development of energy policy in Washington for 35 years, died March 11 of septic shock at Baltimore-Washington Medical Center in Glen Burnie, Md. He was 60.

Mr. Copulos was born in Chicago. After attending high school in Miami, he enlisted in the Army and served two tours of duty in Vietnam and received the Bronze Star and other commendations.

After being injured and permanently disabled in the war in 1971, he enrolled at American University and received bachelor’s degrees in political science and economics.

From June 1976 to June 1987, he worked as director of energy studies and as a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation in the District. There, he worked on the research agenda for all energy and environmental issues, wrote more than 100 studies and several hundred articles and opinion pieces and was the congressional liaison with energy and environmental committees.

Mr. Copulos also was integral to the development of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and served on the four-member committee that selected the statue that now stands at the memorial on the Mall.

From September 1988 until his death, he served as president of the National Defense Council Foundation. His role was to serve as chief executive officer of a private nonprofit educational and charitable foundation with programs in refugee relief; military affairs, including defense industrial base issues; special operations strategy and tactics; resource security; and military medicine. He also was instrumental in the development and execution of the foundation”s research agenda, assisting in the organization and implementation of relief missions in contested areas, organizing congressional briefings and seminars, and executive branch relations.

From January 1986 to October 1988, Mr. Copulos served as principal consultant to the Executive Office of the President on Strategic and Critical Materials and senior adviser to the National Critical Materials Council on resource security issues.

At the same time, Mr. Copulos served as senior consultant to the deputy secretary of energy on the Soviet Union”s petroleum and natural-gas resource base and oil and gas industry.

In 1987, he served as a consultant to CIA Director Robert M. Gates and worked in the preparation of classified analysis.

Mr. Copulos also worked outside the energy industry. In 1998, he served the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee as senior investigator for the congressional investigation of campaign finance abuse. In this position, he assisted in the identification and tracking of campaign funds from foreign sources as well as the transfer of sensitive dual-use technologies.

The next year, he served as executive producer of a weekly, nationally syndicated radio newsmagazine called “Freedom Line with Mike Hambrick.” In this role, he oversaw production, wrote and edited scripts, and interviewed people from the political world and entertainment industries.

From February 2005 to his death, he served as senior U.S. consultant to Dynamotive Energy Systems, a global energy technology company.

Throughout his life, Mr. Copulos wrote for numerous publications including The Washington Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, Soldier of Fortune magazine and Insight magazine. He was an on-air analyst at various times for both Fox News and MSNBC.

Survivors include his wife of 29 years, Janet; a son, James; his father, Aristides Copulos; two brothers, James and Thomas; and two sisters, Stella and Mary.