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William Brooks Blaisdell Moody, 87, liked to say his career teaching high school French was “interrupted” by 30 years of service as a cryptologic officer in the U.S. Navy. Bill died on August 11 at Georgetown University Hospital of sepsis and pneumonia. He lived in the Knollwood Retirement Community in Washington, DC.
Born and raised in Newport, Rhode Island, Bill remembered his childhood with great fondness — even the family tradition of singing “We’re From Rhode Island” at the last restaurant before heading home from road trips in the family’s 1917 Pierce Arrow.
After graduating from Wesleyan University with honors in general scholarship, distinction in history, and election to Phi Beta Kappa, Bill taught English at the Lycée Gay-Lussac in Limoges, France, then returned to teach French, U.S. Government, and U.S. History at Rogers High School in Newport, RI.
In 1962, choosing Navy Officer Candidate School over the draft, Bill began a career that took him around the world. His assignments included Adak, Alaska; Vietnam; Russian language school; submarine duty; Edzell, Scotland; destroyers; carrier staff duty; San Vito, Italy; the Bureau of Naval Personnel; postgraduate school in Monterey, California; the National Security Group in Munich; the National Security Agency; and the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. In addition to French, he became fluent in German, Russian, and Italian. His military decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and three Navy Commendation Medals. Bill was a Life Member of the Phoenix Society.