703.828.7308 PAO@nnoa.org

In Memoriam – Master Chief Albert Sullivan, USN (Ret.) – 2019

by | Jun 21, 2019 | Memoriam, Navy

We mourn the passing of Master Chief Albert Sullivan, USN (Ret.), husband of Rear Admiral Lilian E. Fishburne, USN (Ret.). He passed June 19, 2019 and will be missed.

Details for services are as follows:

Funeral Services:

Friday, 28 June 2019 at 11AM
Visitation is at 10AM
Mount Calvary Baptist Church
608 North Horners Lane
Rockville, MD 20850

Repast following at the church.

Send flowers and cards to:

Snowden Funeral Home
246 N. Washington
Rockville, MD 20850-1709
Tel: 1-301-762-2500

For further inquiries, you may contact Admiral L. Elaine Fishburne, USN (Ret) via:

Home Phone: 301-460-5723

Home Address:
14306 Gaines Ave
Rockville, MD 20853

Rear Admiral William E. Powell, Jr. – 2019

Rear Admiral William E. Powell, Jr. – 2019

by | May 24, 2019 | Memoriam

UPDATE:

On a clear crisp day in the grounds of the U.S. Naval Academy, RADM William Powell was laid to rest before his wife of over 60 years Loretta, sons William and David, and many other family and friends.  Fair Winds and Following Seas to a true trailblazer. – RADM S.M. Harris, USN Retired, President, NNOA

Obituary published at: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/springfield-va/william-powell-8149423

RADM William E. Powell, Jr. (Age 82)

Rear Admiral William E. Powell, Jr. passed away on Sunday, February 3, 2019. RADM Powell graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1959 and served the Navy with distinction for 30 years, retiring in 1988.

Born in Indianapolis on April 12, 1936, he was one of 13 African-American students selected to integrate the prestigious Shortridge High School in his hometown. After graduation, he enlisted in the Navy, completed basic training at Bainbridge MD, entered the Naval Academy Preparatory School, and was appointed to the United States Naval Academy. He graduated from the Academy with the Class of 1959 and received his commission.

RADM Powell’s first assignment was to the Navy Supply Corps School in Athens GA. Early assignments with the Supply Corps included service at Pearl Harbor; the Naval Air Station at Point Mugu CA; the Naval Supply Depot at Subic Bay, Philippines; and Naval Systems Command in Washington, D.C.

RADM Powell earned an MBA degree in Financial Management from George Washington University in 1969. Subsequent assignments included service aboard the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid; the Aviation Supply Office in Philadelphia; attendance at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces; the Navy Supply Center in Oakland CA; and the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington. From 1982 to 1984, RADM Powell served as Commanding Officer at the Naval Supply Depot, Subic Bay. After a brief stop back in Washington, he assumed command of the Naval Supply Center, Norfolk VA.

In 1985, Powell was selected for the rank of Rear Admiral, becoming the first African-American flag officer in the Navy Supply Corps and only the eighth African-American flag officer overall in the U.S. Navy.

After retiring from active duty with the Navy, RADM Powell accepted a position at DuPont in Wilmington DE, and subsequently worked for PECO Energy Company in Philadelphia.

RADM Powell is survived by his wife of 60 years, the former Loretta Braxton Mitchell; sons William C. Powell and David A. Powell; grandsons Cameron Mitchell Powell and Lawson Maxwell Powell; niece LCDR Cecile R. Powell, USN Ret.; and the Scott-Lawson families.  

Burial will take place at the U.S. Naval Academy, details to be announced.

Memorial donations may be made to the Navy Supply Corps Foundation, online at www.usnscf.com.

CAPT Sandi Pollard, USN (Ret) – NNOA Visionary and Life Member – 2019

by | Mar 26, 2019 | Announcements, Memoriam

Online Obituary
View Chaplain's Tributes
View Photos

Service for CAPT Pollard, NC, USN (Ret.) is as follows:

 

Open Visitation
Thursday, 4 April 2019, from 1500-2000
Metropolitan Funeral Services
120 W Berkley Ave, Norfolk, VA 23523
Phone: (757) 494-1800

Funeral Service
Friday, 5 April 2019, at 1000
The Basilica of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception
232 Chapel St, Norfolk, VA 23504
757.622.4487

Repass
Friday, 5 April 2019, at 1200
Metropolitan Funeral Services
Great Room
120 W Berkley Ave, Norfolk, VA 23523
Phone: (757) 494-1800

Cards, etc.
CAPT Pollard’s sister
Ms. Edna Garrison
1 Makefield Rd.
Apt. #C89
Morrisville, PA 19067

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TRIBUTES (Click to expand)

Chaplain Kimberly Cain

“When The Ancestors Sleep”
By
Chaplain Kimberly Cain
Naval Station Norfolk Deputy Command Chaplain

Former NNOA National Chaplain

“Then David slept with his ancestors, and was buried in the city of David. The time that David reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.” So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David; and his kingdom was firmly established. 1 Kings 2:10-12

Dearest NNOA Family & Friends,

It is with a heavy heart that I offer my deepest condolences and words of solace in the recent loss of a stalwart member and founder Ret. Captain Sandy Pollard. In her third book, “A letter to my daughter” Phenomenal Woman and Poet Laureate, Dr. Maya Angelou wrote,“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud. Do not complain. Make every effort to change things you do not like. If you cannot make a change, change the way you have been thinking. You might find a new solution. Never whine. Whining lets a brute know that a victim is in the neighborhood.” This powerful statement is the epitome of Retired Captain Sandy Pollard’s influence upon my life and the lives of so many that she touched. Her finger prints are gracefully etched throughout the span of my Naval career, my personal life, the lives of my daughters and so many others. She is the one who time after time breathed life into a dying or hopeless situation. I cannot recall a time when I did not see her smiling or having an encouraging word. Just this past Tuesday evening, at our monthly Tidewater Chapter NNOA meeting she was present and contributed with the same level of passion and enthusiasm for her beloved NNOA. I wish that we could all bring that level of gracious love to our organization! CAPT Pollard is a titan in our timeline! May we continue her trailblazing legacy as she now sleeps with the ancestors. When David was anointed King, there was strife between the “anointed” King David and the people’s “chosen” King Saul. What God “anoints”, God also firmly established. NNOA is forever “established” by the testimony of our ancestors! Especially those who now sleep like The Golden Thirteen, Phyllis Mae Dailey, Jesse LeRoy Brown, John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. Those whose lives have irrevocably transformed the life & legacy of one who now sleeps with the ancestors, Ret. CAPT Sandy Pollard. May we always speak your great name.

Rev. Kimberly Cain, LCDR, CHC, USN

 
Ed Gantt, CAPT, USN (Ret.)

I was really shocked to hear of CAPT Sandy Pollard’s passing a few days ago.  Sandy was such a big part of the National Naval Officer’s Association.  Since meeting her at an NNOA annual conference back in 1979, I don’t think I have ever been to an NNOA conference where Sandy was not working either with registration or membership, or in some capacity to help the conference go smoothly.

At that 1979 NNOA Conference in Washington, DC, I was an Ensign with less than two years on active duty and attending my second NNOA Conference.  I think Sandy had just transferred from the Naval Hospital at Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, to the Naval Hospital at Portsmouth, VA.  With her staunch support of NNOA (only seven years old at that time), Sandy made such a positive impression on me that I tried to follow in her footsteps supporting NNOA.  

I was equally impressed that as a Lieutenant Commander back then, Sandy knew every one of the Black Admirals and senior officers; the people I had read about as the trailblazers in this Navy.  Granted, we’re talking about only four or five Admirals and about 30 Black Captains on active duty at that time, but she knew them all, by name.  More importantly, they all seemed to know her too.

Later, when I served as NNOA Chapter President for three years in Tidewater, Sandy was always one of our more-dedicated chapter members.   Each year, she was the head of one of our committees, activities, or our scholarship program, or our professional development.  So many officers sat down after a year or two of intense dedication, suffering from (or claiming) burn-out.  But Sandy never slowed down, and definitely never stopped working for NNOA, locally and nationally.

I remember Sandy Pollard at the NNOA Registration desk, checking us in at some annual conference somewhere.  Pick a city, pick a year, pick an NNOA conference…Sandy Pollard was a consistent presence.

Sandy will be missed tremendously.  But I will remember Sandy Pollard.  I’m sure that most of you will as well.

Ed Gantt, CAPT, USN (Ret.)

Orion M. Kidd, Sr – Son of CAPT Don Flowers, USN (Ret.)

by | Mar 22, 2019 | Announcements, Memoriam

Condolences to our CAPT Don Flowers, USN (Ret.) for the loss of his son Orion M. Kidd, Sr.  CAPT Don Flowers, USN (Ret), is a long time member of NNOA who served as the Western Region VP and Symposium Chair.

Funeral arrangements for family and friends are as follows:

*April 1, 2019 – Viewing

Wiggins-Knipp Funeral Home
524 Capitol Street
Vallejo, CA 94590
3:00 pm – 6:30pm, Viewing of Body
6:30 pm – 8:00pm, An opportunity for Family & Friends to provide Comments and/or Reflections on the Life of Orion Kidd, Sr.

*April 2, 2019 – Funeral Service & Repast

Union Baptist Church
128 Encerti Ave
Vallejo, CA 94589
11:00 am, Funeral Service

Repast immediately following the Funeral Service at the church

*April 3, 2019 – Burial

Sacramento Valley National Cemetery
5810 Midway Road
Dixon, CA. 95620
10:30am, Burial

Ms. Margaret Oliver – Mother of NNOA President, RADM Sinclair Harris, USN (Ret.) – 2018

Ms. Margaret Oliver – Mother of NNOA President, RADM Sinclair Harris, USN (Ret.) – 2018

by | Jan 2, 2019 | Announcements, Memoriam

Margaret Oliver lived a life filled with love, overflowing in joy, and of great faithfulness to her Lord Jesus Christ for all of her 83 years. She went to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on 26 December 2018. Margaret was generous to a fault, gracious to everyone, and effervescent in her sense of humor. Margaret served her country with pride, both in uniform and as a civil servant. She was devoted to her son, family, friends, and coworkers. Hers was a life very well lived.

Margaret Joyner Moore was born in Farmville, North Carolina (Pitt County) on 29 October 1935 to James Herbert Joyner and Arthelia Moore. Margaret was raised in a home where faith in God, hard work, patriotism to country, and education were revered. From an early age, Margaret began to write speeches and poems that were well appreciated by many. Margaret won awards for her speeches and poems from the American Legion Post in Farmville, NC, and she was the Valedictorian of H.B. Suggs High School (formerly Farmville Colored School).

Upon graduation, Margaret moved to Washington DC to live with her favorite Aunt, Vestal Moore Askew, or “Auntie”, as we knew her. Growing up in North Carolina, Margaret always loved coming to Washington DC and claimed it as her city early in her life. Soon after coming to Washington DC, Margaret decided to join the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) and served as a Private First Class (T). All of her brothers served in World War II, and her cousin, Virginia, had also been a WAC. After serving her enlistment as a Postal Clerk, Margaret returned to Washington DC, where she attended Howard University, majoring in English. Margaret always excelled in her studies. Because of Margaret’s beauty and her grace, she quickly caught the eye of an upper classman at Howard, Gerald Mischal Harris. They were married for two years, then divorced. She later met Robert Lee Oliver, to whom she was married for 11 years. 
Margaret went to work for the United States Postal Service on a temporary assignment in 1956, which led to a career that lasted over 31 years. Working for the Postal Service was in her blood, as her grandfather, John Spurgeon Moore, had been appointed Postmaster of Beaufort, North Carolina on September 5th, 1892 by the then Postmaster General, John Wanamaker. Margaret rose quickly in her career through her diligent work and fast study of personnel and labor relations issues to become a well-respected expert in the Postal Service’s Labor Relations Department, Grievance and Arbitration Division. Margaret also represented the Postal Service management in arbitrating labor relations, overseeing the National Rural Carriers’ contract, working with its labor management personnel.

After retirement, Margaret returned to her love of writing and published six books of poetry. She wanted to be the “Norman Rockwell” of poets by writing poems that were easy to understand and meaningful to readers. Margaret read her poems at many venues over the years, and her poetry was always highly praised. Frequently, her poems could be found in the Southwester, a local newspaper of Southwest, Washington DC, and she read her works at Arena Stage, a theatre and arts venue in Southwest Washington, DC. When she was not writing poetry, Margaret could be found enjoying time with her friends, especially the ladies of the “P-9 Club”, with whom she played pinochle for decades.

Always a woman of faith, Margaret attended many churches over the years, and she became a proud member of Garden Memorial Presbyterian Church. She was also a faithful supporter of many charities, including her favorite, So Others Might Eat (SOME). Margaret never turned away any family member or person in need. She did her very best to live a life according to God’s will and the teachings of the Holy Bible. 

Margaret is survived by her son Sinclair and his wife Cora; her sisters Mary Elizabeth, Barbara Ann; her “adopted brother”, Charles and his wife Delores; loving nieces Paula and Gwen; and nephew Maryland Carmel and his wife Tammy.

A celebration of the life Margaret’s life will be held at the Fort Myer Chapel, located at Joint Base Fort Myer – Henderson Hall in Arlington, VA on Friday, January 11th, 2019. A viewing will be held from 11:00 am to noon. Services will follow, beginning at noon. On Saturday, January 12th, 2019, 11:00 am, a private burial service will be held at National Harmony Memorial Park, located at 7101 Sherriff Road, Hyattsville, Maryland. 

In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to make donations to Margaret’s favorite charity So Others Might Eat (SOME). https://www.some.org/give/donate-now#!