Henry T. Drennan

CRAFTSBURY, Vt. - Henry T. Drennan, 89, died at home in Craftsbury, Vt., on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2003, after a long illness. Henry was born in Portland, Ore., in 1913 to Henry and Helen (Finnegan) Drennan. He graduated from Jefferson High School the year after his father's death. At 17 he started working, and he retired from his last job at 79. In 1942, he married Milda Cull, a librarian from Seattle, Wash., who predeceased him. Some of his first jobs included elevator operator at the Benson Hotel, waiter at the Arlington Club, and assistant in the safety division during the construction of the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. During World War II, he was a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Corps, later the U.S. Air Force, in the Central Pacific. His unit was at Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Saipan, Guam and Eniwetok. He was very proud of his service to his country and requested a military burial. After the war, he served in the Reserves and used his GI benefits to obtain two bachelor's degrees, in political science at Seattle University, where he said the Jesuits taught him to think, and in library science at the University of Washington at Seattle. He served as head librarian in the Hood River County and Pendleton County, Ore., public libraries. As assistant director of a Ford Foundation project in Seattle, he surveyed all the library resources of the Pacific Northwest. After a short time as the Slavic bibliographer in the Far Eastern Dept. of the University of Washington, he became the State Librarian of Idaho. While in Idaho, he campaigned hard for John F. Kennedy. Henry's was the only precinct in Republican Idaho that went for Kennedy. In 1962, Henry was invited to Washington D.C., to work in the library division of the U.S. Office of Education, later the Dept. of Education, where he worked in various capacities for the next 20 years. At first he helped administer the Library Services and Construction Act. Later he worked in the research and development section. In that capacity he was instrumental in starting some of the nation's first inner-city, storefront libraries, Spanish- language libraries, libraries on Indian reservations, urban information and referral centers in big city libraries such as Detroit's, and in providing library services for beginning adult literates. In 1978, the American Library Association recognized him with the Lippincott Award as the outstanding U.S. librarian of the year. While in Washington D.C., he completed his master's degree in administrative law (state and local government) at American University, and came close to completing his doctorate. In 1974, Henry married Ann Preston of Burlington. In 1982, he retired from the Dept. of Education and moved to Craftsbury, Vt., where he worked for two years as a stringer for the Hardwick Gazette. In 1984, he became the head librarian at the Morristown Centennial Library. He retired in 1994. Henry was always a fiercely unrepentant liberal. He believed the purpose of government was to ensure and enhance the well-being of all its people. He helped organize the union of the U.S. Office of Education and served as its first vice president. He served on President Carter's transition team, pressing for the inclusion of women. He chaired the Social Action committee of St. Peter's Catholic Church. He also chaired the Democratic Party committee in Craftsbury. He was honored by the U.S. Commissioner of Education for his efforts in school integration in the South. He was proud to have marched the day of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. He served on the executive board of the Vermont Catholics for Free Choice, later Catholics for Free Conscience. Henry and Ann had seven foster children in their home and aided many others. Their home was always alive with dogs, cats and other pets. Henry was an inveterate reader, especially of history, a world traveler, and he loved to play tennis and tent camp. He always celebrated his Irish heritage. He will be remembered for his charm, wit, intelligence and interest in people. He is survived by his wife, Ann, of Craftsbury; his stepchildren, Benjamin Hayes of Washington, D.C., D. Thomas Hayes and his wife Dori Ridgeway of Columbus, Ohio, and Jill Hinckley-Noble of Winston-Salem; four grandchildren, Flower Noble and her husband, Sean Demers, Ezra Noble, Mazy Hayes and Emily Hayes; and a great-grandchild, Sula Demers. He also leaves his foster children, John Rahn, Do Thi Huyen Chau Truong, Dan (Pasit) Hsu and his wife Kham-la Sangasy, Ray (Somsay) Hsu, Kara (Somsanit) Shu, Tuyet Nguyen and Kiet Le. Pasit named his first-born after Henry. Henry was predeceased by his mother and a sister, Alice. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 30, at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Craftsbury, with the Rev. Michael Augustinowitz officiating. Interment will follow at 3 p.m. at Lakeview Cemetery in Burlington. Friends may call from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at the M.R. Davis Funeral Home in Craftsbury Common. Contributions in his memory may be made to the American Legion, the Democratic Party, the Vermont Food Bank, the Morristown Centennial Library in Morrisville, or to the charity of one's choice.