I just read where Nelson Hunt recently passed away.
I had met Nelson a couple of times due to our Coast Guard connections, noticeably at the monthly luncheons that used to be held at the Centralia Denny’s. At one of the meetings, I had mentioned I was writing about a Coast Guard Cutter that almost sank in Alaska and I was in the final stages of writing.
He surprisingly mentioned that he had a connection to this event through his working with the former Executive Officer Kenneth White. From my book "All Present and Accounted For":
“White’s final assignment was in Seattle at the Thirteenth Coast Guard District where he was in charge of the CG Auxiliary program. Nelson Hunt, a former Coast Guard officer and a retired judge in Lewis County, Washington, worked for the commander in Seattle. He describes Commander White as a strict enforcer of Coast Guard regulations as they pertained to the Auxiliary. Known as “The Bear” due to his size and personality, White may have been severe toward those who he viewed as poor performers, but he was also generous toward those who he felt deserved it. As Hunt relayed, “He gave me the best fitness reports ever.”
“Fair winds and following seas,” Mr. Hunt. RIP.
Steven Craig
Centralia
