Obituary of Gerald Fay Dunaway

Gerald F. Dunaway, PhD.

Obituary

Gerald F. (Gerry) Dunaway, a longtime resident of Severna Park, Maryland and Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida passed away December 24, 2023 following a brief illness.

A native of Quitman, Arkansas, Dr. Dunaway served in the US Navy aboard the destroyer USS Murray in the Pacific during WWII.  He was a graduate of University of Maryland, later earning an MBA and PhD in International Business from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. 

He met his wife, the former Virginia Dodson, in a college class and they remained devoted until her death in 2021.

Dr. Dunaway retired from the Procter & Gamble Company after a 39-year career in which he was involved in the development and marketing of many P&G products found on grocery store shelves today.

Following retirement from P&G, he joined the American Express Company as a Vice President in a new start-up division in Philadelphia.  Dr. Dunaway subsequently accepted an offer to come aboard The National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C. as Vice President.

In 1979, he joined The Johns Hopkins University School of Business, teaching Marketing and Business Strategies in their MBA program for 21 years.

In 1995, he founded Ammsys Research, which became AmeriTrial OTC Research, a contract research organization that conducted OTC switch trials for pharmaceutical companies.  AmeriTrial was involved in the approval process for several well-known, commonly-used prescription and over the counter medications.

In addition to his lengthy corporate careers, Dr. Dunaway accepted leadership roles in educational and political issues in Maryland, Arkansas and Florida.  He volunteered his time, talent and resources to support The Johns Hopkins University,  George Washington University, Severn School, Wroxeter-on-Severn and  Anne Arundel County Secondary schools.

He was also one of two men appointed to the original Anne Arundel County Commission for Women and served two terms as president of the Greater Severna Park Council.

He is survived by his son, Jeffrey D. Dunaway, and his daughter-in-law, Melanie W. Dunaway of Annapolis, Maryland.

Graveside services and interment will be held at the Maryland Veteran's Cemetery, Crownsville, MD on Thursday, January 4 at 10:45 AM.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Dr. Dunaway's memory may be made to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis TN 38105.