On June 3rd, the Board of Directors renamed the Merchant Marine exhibit to the Harold E. Wellington Merchant Marine of World War II Memorial Gallery in honor of long-time museum volunteer Harold Wellington.

In the words of Alfred Lord Tennyson, Wellington “Crossed the Bar” in December of 2024.  Before Wellington passed away, he accomplished one more milestone in a life filled with service to his country and his fellow veterans. Wellington became a centenarian on September 29th, 2024.

Left, Harold Wellington celebrated his 100th birthday in his room at a long-term care facility in September of ’24.  Right, Wellington celebrated his 99th birthday with family and friends in a local restaurant. 

During 100 years of living, Harold Wellington received the Congressional Gold Medal from the United States Congress, served in three different branches of the military during two major wars, and survived a near-fatal car crash in front of thousands of spectators during a stock car race. Wellington lived every day of his remarkable life to the fullest.

Wellington Campioned for the Cause of the VHMC

Over the past eight years, Wellington’s commitment to the success of the Veterans History Museum has not been as well-known as his military service and the accolades he received for volunteering to serve during World War II.  In this article, I want to focus on Wellington’s devotion to telling the story of the Merchant Marines of WWII and his drive to preserve artifacts of the Merchant Services in our museum.

Wellington is showing off his Liberty ship model to John Taylor, owner of a local toy store.

I met Wellington when he was well into his 90s. Wellington attended the Veterans History Museum’s first exhibition display in downtown Brevard, NC. I covered the exhibition as a reporter for WLOS News 13.  Wellington happened to be the first World War II veteran I spoke with during the event.  Even in 2016, World War II veterans were hard to find.  Interviewing this American Hero was a top priority for my story.  

“I feel honored that people remember,” said Wellington during that first interview.  His interview lasted a total of five seconds.  Neither he nor I knew that those five seconds would lead to several more television appearances and a friendship that lasted until this last December. 

Months after the exhibition, Transylvania County offered the Veterans Museum an unused building next to the Historical Courthouse.  Wellington attended the opening ceremonies and quickly became an everyday fixture at the Museum.  

Wellington sits for a conversation with an attendee of the Veterans History Museums first WWII conference. 

The museum volunteers encouraged his presence. Often, visitors would get the extra treat of taking a selfie with a World War II veteran as part of the museum experience.  To boost the museum’s social media reach, I posted pictures of Wellington with visitors.  I often joked with Harold that he was “the coolest artifact the museum had to display.” 

Soon, a new chair arrived in the museum’s reception area.  It is a movie director’s folding chair with “Harold” embroidered across the back.  A fitting addition to the furniture of the museum and a testament to the amount of time Wellington dedicated to the cause.

Wellington became much more than a visitor favorite as the Museum grew.  He advised the Curator at the time that the Museum lacked any mention of a key group of sailors, very important to the war effort in the 1940s.

During WWII, Wellington served as a Merchant Marine on a Liberty Ship in the Battle of the Atlantic.  I wasn’t the only volunteer Wellington educated on the almost forgotten service of the Merchant Marine.  He donated two of his uniforms and tiny black and white square pictures of himself on a Liberty Ship, along with cards of the medals he earned.  We found space for his treasured belongings, and the Museum’s Merchant Marine display came to life. 

The addition of his uniforms to the museum’s WWII exhibit made Wellington happy, but not satisfied.  He began searching the internet for more artifacts.  He used his own money to purchase items like a liberty ship clock, a lifeboat sextant, and a life vest with “U.S Merchant Services” printed across the chest. 

During this trip to the National WWII Museum, Wellington received the Congressional Gold Medal for serving in the Merchant Marines during WWII.

A trip to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans gave Wellington another idea.  I accompanied Wellington on this visit and distinctly remember him saying to me, “Wouldn’t that look good in our museum?”  He lifted his cane and pointed at a very large-scale model of a Liberty ship on display.  I could tell by the look in his eyes that another internet search was in his future. 

Not only did Wellington find a scale model that fit in the museum’s limited space. He also hand-crafted the glass display case that houses the model today.  Determined to make the story of the Merchant Marine more prominent in the museum, Wellington donated the rare artifacts and the ship model with no expectation of repayment.

Wellington recieves the Congressinal Gold Medal from the United States Congress

Wellington’s generosity didn’t stop with the gift of his online acquisitions to the museum. In early 2020, President Donald J. Trump signed the Merchant Mariner Act into law.  As part of the Act, Congress minted a Congressional Gold Medal in honor of the Merchant Marines of WWII.  Every living Merchant Marine of WWII received a bronze copy of the gold medal from the government.

Wellington invited me to travel with him to the American Merchant Marine Veterans Association’s national convention, where the association unveiled the design of the medal to members and their families.  In an interview for WLOS TV, I asked Wellington how he felt about receiving such a high honor from Congress. 

“It’s great to be recognized ’cause we’ve been disregarded for so long,” said Wellington.  “Like I say, we were bad-mouthed and called names…draft dodgers and all this other stuff for so many years.  And now, we are finally getting the recognition for who we were and what we did.  We are proud of it, and I think the people should be proud of it.”

Left, Wellington receives a quilt from the “Quilts of Honor” quilters in Hendersonville. Above, Wellington at his home in Brevard.

Wellington’s health prevented him from attending the official Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in Washington, DC, a year later.  He received his bronze medal in the mail.  The next day, Wellington brought the medal to the museum, and we placed it inside the glass case he constructed for the model of his Liberty Ship.

The Congressional Gold Medal is the oldest and highest civilian award in the United States.  Yet, Wellington immediately shared the prize with the museum he loved.  A selfless act on the scale of his original selfless act when he volunteered to serve America during her time of need eighty years ago.   

Left, Wellington and George Sarros at the National WWII Museum in NOLA.  Above, Wellington dressed out for the 4th of July with friends.

Wellington has now embarked on a new journey. To say goodbye, I will use an old nautical phrase as a blessing for a successful voyage.  I believe I am speaking for everyone at the museum when I wish Harold “fair winds and following seas”. You, Sir, will be sorely missed.

Board Member Kenneth Corn is a regular contributor to the “Living Histories” blog.  Corn has served as the Vice President of the Board of Directors and is one of the founding members of the Veterans History Museum.  Before helping create this non-profit honoring Veterans, Corn worked as a journalist for several television stations in the state of North Carolina and deployed to Iraq with the 82nd Airborne as an embeded journalist in 2003 – 2004.