HENRY A. VADNAIS JR.

Captain

 

Capt. Vadnais was a career Navy officer.  He served in the Korean War and later became the Head of the Curator Branch at the Naval Historical Center.  As the Navy's Chief Curator, he tracked down and preserved a number of historical items.  In 1987 he received the Casper J. Knight Jr. Award.  This award is presented to individuals or organizations who have contributed in a major way, usually over a considerable length of time, to the preservation and exhibition of historic naval ships, and to the goals and work of the Association.  In 1997, a year after his death, the Henry A. Vadnais Jr. award was created.  It is awarded to a staff person at a Fleet Member organization for particularly outstanding service rendered to his or her organization, with preference given to persons working in the areas of curatorship, collections management, exhibits or registration.  Capt. Vadnais is my great uncle, married to one of my Pepére's three sisters.