Deck Log
I
An Inspiration
n the midst of turbulent times, it is critical to remember the stories of the people and events that forged who we are and are shaping the outlines of our future. NMHS works to preserve and promote our maritime heritage through publishing Sea History magazine, and organizing educational programs, seminars, and special events. We do a lot with a small crew and the essential support of our members. Over the years we have reached out to ask you to remember us in your estate plans. Your support can be a real game-changer in building the strength of the Society, especially in a challenging economic climate. In August we lost our decades-long member Robert F. Henkel from St. Charles, Missouri. For many years Bob Henkel was a member at the “retired” level and on occasion would call our office for decals to give to friends to get them involved. We learned recently that he left the Society a very generous bequest in his will. We knew his name, his voice on the phone, and his passion for the sea, but the gift came as a total surprise. Our gratitude to him is boundless. Since his bequest is so important to keeping your Society afloat, we thought we’d tell you a little more about him. Bob was one of five children and right after high school joined McDonnell Douglas in the co-op program. He went to Georgia Tech and finished his Engineering Degree at Washington University in St. Louis. He joined the Navy just prior to the Vietnam War but was put into the Navy Reserves, because at that time he already held a critical job at McDonnell Douglas, and worked on Defense contracts there for his entire career. He always loved the sea. After retirement, some 20 years ago, he and his traveling companion went to Nova Scotia to see the tall ships and it was a meaningful expeRobert F. Henkel (1933–2020) rience for them. Back at home, he was an active model shipbuilder and used the features in Sea History and other publications to learn more about these vessels and the eras in which they sailed, which allowed him to make the models more historically accurate. An avid fisherman, he fished close to home in the Ozarks with his brother Bill as well as on excursions aboard deep-sea fishing vessels, once bringing home an eight-foot sailfish that he had caught and mounted with pride on his wall. He discovered the joys of sailing in the Caribbean and was a proficient boat handler, both under sail and power. A world traveler, he built a personal collection of art from his trips abroad. He was a private person and a sailor, kayaker, skier, and hiker, who went on a photo safari in Africa. Bob Henkel lived a good life. I wonder if ours are the generations most concerned with recording the stories of our history. If so, it will be our responsibility to keep the Society flourishing into the future. We ask you to include a bequest to the Society in your estate planning. Even a modest figure serves as a testimonial to your appreciation for the work the Society undertakes and how together we can plan for the future. You may well expect that the trustees at NMHS have included the Society in their estate planning, but I know you will be inspired, like I am, by the generous and unexpected gift from Bob Henkel. Fair winds, Bob, with our eternal thanks. —Burchenal Green, President 4
NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY PUBLISHER’S CIRCLE: Peter Aron, Guy E. C. Maitland, Ronald L. Oswald OFFICERS & TRUSTEES: Chairman, Ronald L. Oswald; Vice Chairman, Richardo R. Lopes; President, Burchenal Green; Vice Presidents: Jessica MacFarlane, Deirdre O’Regan, Wendy Paggiotta, Nancy Schnaars; Treasurer, William H. White; Secretary, Jean Wort; Trustees: Charles B. Anderson; Walter R. Brown; Christopher J. Culver; William S. Dudley; David Fowler; William J. Green; Karen Helmerson; K. Denise Rucker Krepp; Guy E. C. Maitland; Capt. Jeffrey McAllister; CAPT Sally Chin McElwreath, USN (Ret.); CAPT James A. Noone, USN (Ret.); Richard Patrick O’Leary; ADM Robert J. Papp Jr., USCG (Ret.); Timothy J. Runyan; Richard Scarano; Philip J. Shapiro; Capt. Cesare Sorio; Chairmen Emeriti: Walter R. Brown, Alan G. Choate, Guy E. C. Maitland, Howard Slotnick (1930–2020) FOUNDER: Karl Kortum (1917–1996) PRESIDENT EMERITUS: Peter Stanford (1927–2016) OVERSEERS: Chairman, RADM David C. Brown, USMS (Ret.); RADM Joseph F. Callo, USN (Ret.); George W. Carmany III; Richard du Moulin; Alan D. Hutchison; Gary Jobson; Sir Robin Knox-Johnston; John Lehman; Capt. Brian McAllister; Capt. James J. McNamara; H. C. Bowen Smith; John Stobart; Philip J. Webster; Roberta Weisbrod NMHS ADVISORS: George Bass, Francis Duffy, John Ewald, Timothy Foote, Steven A. Hyman, J. Russell Jinishian, Gunnar Lundeberg, Conrad Milster, William G. Muller, Nancy Hughes Richardson SEA HISTORY EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Chairman, Timothy Runyan; Norman Brouwer, Robert Browning, William Dudley, Lisa Egeli, Daniel Finamore, Kevin Foster, Cathy Green, John Jensen, Frederick Leiner, Joseph Meany, Salvatore Mercogliano, Carla Rahn Phillips, Walter Rybka, Quentin Snediker, William H. White NMHS STAFF: Executive Director, Burchenal Green; Director of Development, Jessica MacFarlane; Accounting/Membership Associate, Andrea Ryan; Senior Staff Writer, Shelley Reid; Executive Assistant, Heather Purvis; Membership Coordinator, Nancy Schnaars SEA HISTORY: Editor, Deirdre E. O’Regan; Advertising Director, Wendy Paggiotta Sea History is printed by The Lane Press, South Burlington, Vermont, USA.
SEA HISTORY 173, WINTER 2020–21