Donovan set state’s standards for response to war, casualties
He had led National Guard’s public affairs office
Lt. Col. Tim Donovan was the face and voice of the Wisconsin National Guard for years.
Shortly after planes slammed into the World Trade Center and Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, Donovan and the acting adjutant general went to the Wisconsin Capitol to advise Gov. Scott McCallum and direct the state’s response to the attack.
When thousands of Guardsmen were deployed, it was Donovan who announced the news. And when Wisconsinites were killed in war zones, often it was Donovan working behind the scenes to help families of the fallen through the most difficult time of their lives.
Donovan died Jan. 19 in Fitchburg from an aneurysm. He was 65.
“He and his team really helped us at a time of need,” said John Witmer, whose daughter Michelle was killed in Iraq in 2004.
Michelle Witmer was the first female National Guardsman killed in battle, and the media attention was intense.
“I just remember him for coming alongside us at a difficult time. There were dozens of news organizations clamoring at our door. He literally ran point for us and took the heat and pressure,” Witmer recalled.
Donovan organized news conferences and send-off and welcome home ceremonies for deploying units. He briefed journalists on news involving the Wisconsin National Guard and ensured the stories of individual Guardsmen and units found a wider audience. And he counseled leaders during a difficult time, as the National Guard changed from part-time soldiers working one weekend a month to thousands of Wisconsin troops making repeated overseas deployments.
“He is probably the most professional public affairs officer I ever met,” said retired Brig. Gen. Kerry Denson, deputy adjutant general during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. “He was always on top of everything we did that was good for soldiers and airmen. He was truly an advocate for them.”
Donovan’s Wisconsin Army National Guard career spanned 38 years, beginning in 1971 as a cannoneer in Battery C, 1st Battalion, 120th Field Artillery in Stevens Point. Two years later, he transferred to the 112th Public Information Detachment, which later became the 112th Public Affairs Detachment in Madison, joining the field that would define his military career.
In his first year in the public information unit, Donovan established the first radio station — a low-powered, AM-frequency short-range signal — to serve Wisconsin Army National Guard soldiers during annual training at Fort McCoy.
He earned a direct commission to first lieutenant in 1978, and four years later took command of the 112th Public Affairs Detachment, a position he held for 11 years. Donovan deployed to Saudi Arabia in November 1990 during Operation Desert Shield and to Somalia in 1993.
In May 1993, Donovan transferred to the state headquarters, where he served in the public affairs office as a plans officer, assistant public affairs officer and, beginning in January 1996, as public affairs director. His last assignment was deploying to Iraq as public affairs officer with the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team in 2009-’10. After retiring from the National Guard, he became the public affairs chief at the Madison Veterans Affairs Hospital.
Sometimes gruff and always to the point, Donovan was a perfectionist who didn’t sugarcoat things. He frequently told commanders that bad news was like fish — the older it gets, the worse it smells, said Denson.
He was a mentor to many military public affairs specialists and set the standards for the state’s response to war and casualties, communicating not just with elected officials but troops, employers, families and the public, said Jackie Guthrie, who was hired by Donovan and succeeded him as the Guard’s public affairs director.
“He was very well-respected by many leaders and sought out by leaders,” said Guthrie, director of government affairs for the Guard.
After a bust of Michelle Witmer was unveiled at the Guard’s headquarters in Madison in 2005, the families of Wisconsin’s fallen heroes were invited to the event. Gov. Jim Doyle asked them to the governor’s mansion for a cookout after the ceremony, which turned into an annual holiday gathering for the families that continues.
“That was one of the many events that Tim planted the seed for and has continued to blossom. Tim did all that without fanfare,” said Guthrie.
A funeral is scheduled for March 11 at Ryan Funeral Home, 2418 N. Sherman Ave., Madison.