Dr. Douglas E. Hunter

December 24th, 1938 - June 27th, 2026

Dr. Douglas E. Hunter, 87, of Hollidaysburg, PA (formerly of McLean, VA), passed away
Saturday at UPMC Altoona. He was born in Arcadia, CA; son of the late Warren and Mildred Hunter. He married Elaine MacEacheren, of Birmingham, MA, who preceded him in death in May 2002.

Surviving are his daughter, Julie, and “all her little animals” as he affectionally called them.

He was a member of the founding class of Harvey Mudd College, where he studied “pure” Mathematics, before moving on to UCLA for his PhD in Political Science.

Education was something Dr. Hunter was deeply passionate about and being a part of the founding class of Harvey Mudd College, in 1957, was a “fun fact,” about himself he’d tell everyone about. His time there, was memorable to him, and further instilled a lifelong desire of learning and educating. 

In the 1961 yearbook there, he wrote “although a mathematician, I was always interested in law and especially anything resembling detective work.” This became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Following his graduation from Harvey Mudd, he completed Masters and PhD degrees in Political
Science at UCLA. He completed the former in 1965 and the latter in 1969 with concentrations in
International Relations Theory and National Security Policy.

He served as a Mathematician for the U.S. Navy between 1962 and 1963 and later joined the
Government Department of Florida State University as an assistant professor from 1969 to
1974. He often said that teaching was his pride and joy and that education as a whole brought
out the best in people.

He then moved to the Washington, DC area, eventually settling in McLean, and began working
as an analyst with the Department of Defense from 1974 to 1976 and then continued his career
as a Professor at the Defense Intelligence College & The Joint Military Intelligence Training Center (DIA & JMITC) for the next 48 years, until his retirement in March 2017. He taught courses in Argument Evaluation, Competing Hypotheses, Casual Loop Diagrams, Probability Trees for Estimative Intelligence, and occasional additions of Critical Thinking and Logic Analysis. Across his lifetime, he served under 10 United States presidents and witnessed more US history than many. He did not take this gift lightly.

He married Elaine MacEacheren, a former CIA Librarian, in 1980, and together they adopted their first cat, S, who was a constant companion to them, but especially to Dr. Hunter through the development of his first book “Political/Military Applications of Bayesian Analysis: Methodological Issues,” the first and only textbook of its kind. It was published and subsequently entered into the Library of Congress in 1984, via Westview Press. Both his wife and his beloved cat are mentioned in the books’ dedication.

In 1991, they adopted a baby girl from Santiago, Chile, who they named Julie. They raised her
in a loving home, filled with stories from the Land of Oz and adventures from the Prairie, and
encouraged her to explore her gravitational pull towards the arts. Elaine remained a stay at
home mother, while Dr. Hunter continued to work. 

Unfortunately, Elaine passed in 2002 from
Parkinson’s Disease and complications from Cerebral Ataxia, and Dr. Hunter became a single
parent. He was not quite prepared for this adventure but adapted the best he could. Fighting a
few health issues on his own, he was able to negotiate a schedule that allowed for him to work
from home (before it was “cool” to do so) for 3 days out of a week. The other two were for his
teachings and make up sessions for students who missed out on class. He continued to raise
his daughter and balance his busy work schedule for the rest of his career.

He made lifelong friendships with Guy Arthur, Joe Gordon, Scott Macleod, and Michael Amowitz, who all became “uncles” to his little girl, in some form or the other. They helped with holidays, graduations, and milestone events. Those friendships lasted for the remainder of his life. 

He is preceded in death by Guy and Michael; and survived by Joe and Scott.

He never published his second book, though he enjoyed piecing together a manuscript for it, when he could, as well as finding time to read for pleasure. 

Sci-Fi was his favorite genre, and he amassed a Beauty and the Beast-sized personal library of over 3,000 books, which he leaves to his daughter.

He loved animals and art, though he never acquired another pet and couldn’t draw more than a stick figure. He supported his daughter in all her artistic endeavors and played a large part in
her photography career. He missed his calling as a modeling agent or talent scout, often
bookmarking magazines of photographs his daughter should study or advising on the themes of
upcoming shoots. He also contributed to her passion for animal rescue, rescuing 14 animals in
the past decade, some which became beloved family pets, and others that went to good wildlife
rehabilitation centers. 
He remained an active donor to the Best Friends  nimal Society and The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

He was very smart and a devoted Professor, Educator, Husband, and Father.

Friends will be received from 1 to 3pm, Friday, July 10th, 2026, at Sorge Funeral Home & 
Crematory, Inc., Hollidaysburg, where a memorial service will immediately follow at 3pm.

There will be a Private interment at Chestnut Hill Cemetery in Burlington, MA, where he will join
his wife in their final resting place.

In lieu of flowers, you may plant a tree or make a donation to the family.

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