Project 888
Name: Earl ODell HENRY
Rank / Rating: LCDR (DR.)-Lieutenant Commander (DR.)Service #: 113708 DOB: Nov 08, 1911 From: Knoxville, TN Parents: Horace and Arletta Henry Went Aboard: July 25, 1944 Age When Ship Went Down: 33 years, 8 months, 22 days Spouse: Jane Covington Henry Children: Earl Henry Jr. Grandchildren: Bio Submitted By: Earl Henry Jr. and Marilyn Northcutt Henry |
 HENRY, Earl O |
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Indianapolis was anchored in the harbor at Tinian, P.I. The crew watched as a large wooden crate was lifted off the deck and two canisters carried off by two passengers. This ended Indy's secret mission and the crew mingled around still guessing about the contents of the items they had just delivered. Mail was then taken on board and delivered to the crew.
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 Dr. Earl Henry’s interest in the activities of the day was overshadowed when he opened his mail to find a photo from his wife, Jane. For the first time Dr. Henry saw his infant son.
Dr. Mel Modisher and Dr Lewis Haynes were captured by Dr. Henry who insisted they see the photo. He beamed from ear to ear as he described his beautiful baby boy.
The same day, at Guam, Dr. Henry mailed this letter to Jane:
Thursday Night
Dearest Jane-gal,
Baby angel, those two wonderful pictures came today, and I am delighted as can be over them! Considering that he is a premature baby, he looks mighty good - As Lew Haynes remarked, "all pre-matures look like the wrath of God." But he looks good (Lew didn’t say that in reference to the picture - he said it a few days ago when I was telling him about you thinking that Earl's legs were so thin). He thought our baby looked grand, and so did Mel. Angel, I'm really gone on those pictures, and I tell you their value to me lies as much in the fact that I got a wonderful picture of you as it does getting a good picture of our sassy little boy! For, honestly, it is the most natural picture I have ever seen of you, and I love the setting. Thanks a million for sending them and being so danged smart as to have them made early. Oh happy day.
Must close, sweet ones - Love to all,
Earl
Dr. Henry wrote a message to his son on the back of his officer's card., shown below. Both this letter and card were mailed from Guam as Indy sailed out of port towards her destiny.
August 13th - In Mayfield, Kentucky, Jane Henry picked up the upstairs phone receiver to hear her Uncle Buck ask:
"Did you get a telegram?"
Speaking on the downstairs phone, Jane’s father replied, "No, no telegram."
Uncle Buck: "The Indianapolis sunk. Earl is missing."
Jane let the receiver fall, turning in bewilderment to her mother.
Jane’s father walked to the post office where he was Postmaster. He found the telegram which had arrived after closing time. He returned home carrying the small rectangular-shaped paper, having already called two of Jane's friends to come to the house to console Jane.
WESTERN UNION 1945 Aug 13 AM 8:24
MRS JANE C HENRY=
I deeply regret to inform you that your husband LIEUTENANT COMMANDER Earl Henry is missing in action 30 July 1945 in the service of his country. Your great anxiety is appreciated, and you will be furnished with details when received. To prevent possible aid to our enemies please do not divulge the name of his ship or station unless the general circumstances are made public in news stories=
Vice Admiral Randal Jacobs
The Chief of Naval Personnel.
EARL O’DELL HENRY was born in Clinton, TN in 1911 but grew up in Knoxville graduating from Knoxville High School and from the University of Knoxville. He completed his doctorate in dentistry at the University of Tennessee, Memphis, TN campus.
Dr. Henry practiced dentistry for seven years in Knoxville before WWII. Miss Jane Covington had moved to Knoxville to teach school and was referred to Dr. Henry for a dental appointment. Records show he charged Jane for her first three appointments, but no charges for others. Was it love at first sight?
Jane Covington and Earl Henry married in October 1941 in Mayfield, Kentucky where Jane was born and grew up.
Dr. Henry joined the Naval Reserve in early 1941. He went on active duty in February 1942, serving as a dental officer at Parris Island, South Carolina, for 12 months and living in nearby Beaufort in a cottage with Jane. He was transferred to the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. Feeling he owed his country a more active part in the war, he asked for sea duty. He joined USS Indianapolis at Saipan on July 25, 1944 serving as Indy’s dentist until its tragic sinking.
Dr. Henry did not survive.
Dr. Lewis Haynes thought that Earl had been killed instantly from the explosion which blew away his sleeping compartment. Dr. Mel Modisher suggested the possibility that Earl was in the dental lab that night working on projects such as his six-foot model of Indianapolis - a present for his infant son. There are no reports from survivors of Dr. Henry being seen in the water.
Dr. Earl Henry led a full life prior to boarding Indianapolis.
He had a passionate love for birds beginning at age twelve. He learned taxidermy through a correspondence course. At a later age he received a coveted specialized license - a rare permit to collect one bird of each species for study. He collected a remarkable collection of more than 100 beautifully mounted birds, most notable for birds of prey and waterfowl.
Note: Dr. Henry's Collection can be viewed at the Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville, TN. Dr. Ijams and Dr. Henry had both been members of the bird club in Knoxville.
A dentist and passionate birder, Dr. Henry is best known for his detailed paintings of birds. His first paintings were for a friend's sporting goods window display in downtown Knoxville. He painted ducks to accompany guns and other hunting accessories that were sold to hunters.
Dr. Henry began to paint songbirds, birds of prey, and waterfowl, other than ducks, at Jane's suggestion after they were at Parris Island and Annapolis. He was a prolific painter of birds over about two and a half years.
The dates on each painting verify where he was stationed when Dr. Henry painted each bird. A selection of Dr. Henry’s bird paintings are posted below.
Dr. Henry carried his passion for birds and painting aboard Indianapolis. He combined his sense of humor with his ability to imitate approximately 60 bird calls.
During talent night, Dr. Henry presented a Chalk Talk, sketching birds such as a dove, a Baltimore Oriole, at bluejay and replicating the "call" of each bird.
"Bird calls!" Other officers feared he would embarrass the officer corps, but his program was an instant success. The men loved it, possibly because of Henry's lighthearted humor, and because the bird calls reminded them of home. In one of Earl’s letters to Jane, he wrote that Captain McVay asked him to perform bird call imitations over the speaker system so that everyone on the ship could hear.
Dr. Henry completed two of his best paintings while on board the Indy:
American Eagle in the Pacific: a war-poster featuring an American Bald Eagle protecting a 48-star American flag while clutching a bleeding serpent with a tattered Japanese war flag tied to its tail. It was symbolic of America's expected defeat of Japan. Painted in August 1944, Earl Jr. and his mother, Jane, reproduced American Eagle in the Pacific in conjunction with the dedication of the USS Indianapolis National Memorial in 1995, offering it as a fundraiser for the memorial, though the money was not needed.
Kentucky Cardinal was painted in March 1945 and mailed to Jane for her birthday. A pair of cardinals is shown on a window ledge of her parents' home in Mayfield, Kentucky. That was Earl Henry's last painting.
See below for photos of these two paintings.
Earl, Jr. sold bird prints and note cards of his father's art at USS Indianapolis Survivors' Reunions with proceeds donated to the organization. He donated numerous American Eagle in the Pacific prints as gifts to keynote speakers and dignitaries.
Prints are available through the website: www.earlhenrybirdprints.com
Jane Henry died at the age of 91 in November 2008 having been the keeper of 48 bird paintings and her husband's story for 53 years. Jane never remarried and wore her engagement ring and wedding band until she died. Jane was always Mrs. Earl Henry.
Earl Henry Jr. continues the legacy of his father through speaking engagements in which he narrates his PowerPoint presentation about his father. See below for his biography and for more information.
In 2018, Dr. Henry was honored in VOICES OF THE LOST AT SEA. To view, click from Time Stamp 8:35 - 10:04.
Earl Henry Jr. can be reached at henrybirdprints@aol.com.
Earl married Marilyn Northcutt in July 2009. Marilyn serves as the Chair of the Education Committee of the USS Indianapolis CA-35 Legacy Organization. The Education Committee developed this Project 888.org website honoring the 888 men killed aboard Indianapolis in 1945.
Earl O’Dell Henry - Rest in Peace; We’ve Got the Watch. Earl and Marilyn |
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