He graduated from Gettysburg College with BS Business Administration, (1965), from American University with an MBA, and from Catholic University of America, with a MS in City and Regional Planning.
[6] His daughter, Karen Elizabeth Noonan (1967–1988) was one of the victims of the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.
[7] Noonan is quoted in the profile prepared by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration when he received its Pugsley Medal in 2005: "Noonan's early childhood was spent with weekends in the great outdoors on rural lands owned by his family in Maryland.
He developed there a deep and abiding love for nature and respect for its beauty.
It was the most satisfying moment of my life, realizing that for all time generations would come to walk the land and experience firsthand the daily miracles of nature.'"