Obituary of James L. Hennessy

Captain James L. Hennessy, SC, USN, a retired U. S. Naval Officer and civic leader, died on Thanksgiving Day at the age of 82. The son of the long time St. Petersburg residents, Madeleine and A. P. Hennessy A. P. Hennessy & Sons, builders. A graduate of St. Paul?s High School and St. Petersburg Junior College, he received his Bachelor?s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida and was a member of Beta Theta Pi. He earned his Master?s Degree in Business Administration from Stanford University in 1949. He entered military service as a Naval Reserve ensign in 1940, and was called to active duty in September 1941. During World War II, he served at the Naval Air Station, Corpus Christi, Texas; on board the USS Hammondsport; and at the Material Redistribution and Disposal Office in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He took his regular commission in the Navy in 1943. His major positions following World War II included Navy Liaison Officer to the War Assets Administration in Washington; Freight Terminal Officer at the Naval Supply Depot, Guam; Director of the Air Traffic Division in the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts, Navy Department; Supply Officer of the Submarine Squadron 10 aboard the USS Fulton; Freight Terminal Director of the Naval Supply Center, Oakland; a Division Chief with the Headquarters of the Defense Traffic Management Service; Supply Officer of the New York Naval Shipyard in Brooklyn; Executive Officer of the Naval Supply Center in San Diego; and finally as the Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of Western Area,, Military Traffic Management and Terminal Service. After 31 years of Naval Service, Captain Hennessy retired in 1971, and returned to St. Petersburg. He worked at Crisp Company, later as the Business Manager of the St. Petersburg Dental Center, and as Business Manager of the law firm of Lyle and Skipper. Captain Hennessy spent many years serving the St. Petersburg community with his involvement in civic affairs. He served as the Chairman of the St. Petersburg Red Cross for two terms; President of the St. Petersburg Kiwanis Club in 1978/79, as well as editor of The Kiwanis Bulletin for many years; and as an active member of the St. Petersburg Suncoasters. He was a member of The-Over-the-Hill-Gang, The Retired Officers? Association and the St. Petersburg Yacht Club. Captain Hennessy is survived by his wife of 58 years, Jane E.; and three children; daughters Enid Schneider, Alpharetta, Georgia and Jane Slusser, Mclean, Virginia, and son James L. Hennessy, Jr. of San Diego, California; eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; a brother L. J. Kell Hennessy, formerly of St. Petersburg, a sister Margaret Allison and a brother Thomas Hennessy, both of St. Petersburg. The family suggests memorial contributions to The American Parkinson Disease Association, 1250 Hylan Boulevard, Suite 4B, Staten Island, New York 10305. Friends can call Sunday, from 2 to 5 p.m. at Anderson-McQueen Funeral Home, 2201 Dr. M. L. King Ninth Street N., St. Petersburg. A Mass to celebrate the life of James L. Hennessy will be at St. Mary Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, 515 Fourth Street South, St. Petersburg, at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, November 27th.