Firm Principal Retires After 32 Years at WNDE

John Gallagher, principal and manager of the firm’s Escondido office since 1983, retired November 30. Although working part-time, he has had the responsibility for 175 tax clients, including doing tax returns for individuals, fiduciary, partnership, estates and corporations.
John was born in Dearborn, Michigan, and raised in the Detroit area. He found he had an affinity for accounting courses while in community college, and went on to earn a B.A. in accounting from Michigan State University in 1971.
He began his career as a business manager/controller working for his father, who owned a minor league hockey team in Flint, Michigan. He went on to work for CPA firms in Michigan, Los Angeles and San Diego. He worked in his own CPA practice for a time before being hired by Bryn Evans, the former managing partner of Diehl, Evans & Co. (which later merged with White Nelson).
He is a member of the AICPA and the California Society of CPAs.
He has enjoyed his time with WNDE, he said, “because the firm provides me with the support I need to provide our diverse clients with the highest quality of services. I have always enjoyed the challenges of being in a CPA practice and solving the problems presented by our clients.”
John and is wife live in Escondido. They enjoy golf and visiting national parks and foreign countries. Since 2003, they’ve taken 28 cruises. They also have an “adopted grandson,” a nine-year-old son of a friend of the family, whom they help entertain.