WHEREAS, John H. Chenard of Oakton, who served the Commonwealth and the United States for many years as an officer in the United States Navy, died on December 1, 2018; and
WHEREAS, a native of East Meadow, New York, John Chenard grew up in Bucksport, Maine, and attended the United States Naval Academy in Maryland; and
WHEREAS, John Chenard spent his first years in the United States Navy aboard the destroyers USS Ault, USS Charles H. Roan, and USS Charles R. Ware and guided missile cruisers USS Belknap and USS Harry E. Yarnell, serving during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War; and
WHEREAS, John Chenard worked primarily in weapons billets and managed nuclear warheads before earning a master's degrees in aerospace physics from the Naval Postgraduate School and in electrical engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles; and
WHEREAS, John Chenard held several teaching positions at universities around the country, served as a director of land and sea testing for electrostatic gyro navigation systems, and was appointed as a representative to the Strategic Systems Project Office for the Sperry Corporation in New York; and
WHEREAS, John Chenard subsequently became the in-service engineer for 31 cruiser and destroyer weapons systems, director of long-range missile systems at Naval Sea Systems Command, and engineering and procurement manager for AEGIS Shipbuilding; and
WHEREAS, in addition, John Chenard served as a program manager for nuclear weapons at Sandia Base, New Mexico, and became director of the Board of Visitors of the Naval Postgraduate School; and
WHEREAS, after completing his military service, John Chenard enjoyed a second career in the private sector, working for Science Applications International Corporation and Leidos, among other companies; and
WHEREAS, in his well-earned retirement, John Chenard enjoyed spending time with his beloved family and working as a sailing instructor at Coasters Harbor Navy Yacht Club in Rhode Island; and
WHEREAS, John Chenard will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife, Sheila; his sons, John, Christopher, and Michael, and their families; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of John H. Chenard; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of John H. Chenard as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.