George HAGERMAN

HAGERMAN, George M., of Virginia Beach, retired U. S. Navy Captain, died in his sleep on January 6, 2010 at the Atlantic Shores continuing care community, where he and his wife, Ruth, have lived for the past five years. He was 93 years old and lived a good, long life. George M. Hagerman was born in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania on July 14, 1917. His family moved to Hagerstown, Md., Woodstock, Va., and then finally Richmond, Va., where he met his bride-to-be, Ruth Keppel. He entered the United States Naval Academy in June 1938, graduating in February 1941. He served on two destroyers during World War II, on North Atlantic convoy duty aboard the USS LEA (1941-1943) and in the Caribbean and Pacific theatres aboard the USS WADSWORTH (1943-1945). While in the Pacific, he received a Bronze Star during the Bougainville campaign and a Silver Star during the Okinawa campaign. USS WADSWORTH (DD-516) received a Presidential Unit Citation for her actions off Okinawa. Following the war, he served as executive officer on the USS O'HARE (1945-1946), operations officer on the USS BOSTON (1956-1958), and commanding officer of the USS HAMBLETON (1946-1947), USS WREN (1951-1953), and USS HYADES (1962-1963), providing underway replenishment to our naval blockade during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and evacuating military dependents from Guantanamo Bay to Norfolk, Virginia. He was an associate professor of Naval Science (NROTC) at the University of Virginia from 1947 to 1949, aide and flag secretary to the Commander Amphibious Training Command, U.S. Atlantic Fleet (1949-1951), and head of Functional Training Section, Bureau of Personnel, Washington, D.C. (1953-1956). He was also involved in European defense planning (1960-1962) and helped organize Operation Sea Spray (1963). Overseas duty took him and his family to Europe, first to Bremerhaven, Germany, where he served in the Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) from 1958 to 1959, after which he was assigned to the NATO Defense College in Paris, France (1959-1960). He and his family also lived in Korea (1965-1967), where he served as assistant chief of staff of the United Nations Command concerned with military and political affairs. He ended his military career as director of the Navy's Foreign Military Assistance Division (1967-1971), service for which he received the Legion of Merit. Married to his beloved wife Ruth for 67 years, the couple had three children: Polly, Peggy, and George Jr. Polly resides with her husband, David Long, in Mt. Airy, N.C. Peggy resides with her husband, Wayne Wadlington, in Mechanicsville, Va. George Jr. resides in Alexandria, Va. He is also survived by two grandsons, David and Patrick Long; by a granddaughter, Keppel Wood; and by four great-grandchildren: William, Alex, Victoria, and Katia. A graveside service will be conducted at 2 p.m. on Friday, January 15, at Hollywood Cemetery, 412 South Cherry Street in Richmond, Va. A memorial service will be conducted at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 16, at First Presbyterian Church, 300 36th Street in Virginia Beach, Va., followed by a reception in the church's fellowship hall. H.D. Oliver Funeral Apts., Laskin Road Chapel, is handling arrangements.

Online condolences may be made at www.hdoliver.com. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that those wishing to send memorial donations to please contribute to the charity of their choice or to the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation, P.O. Box 64740, Baltimore, Md. 21298-8903.


This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.