Although I did not know this gentleman, his obituary was in my local paper. From the description of his life, he deserves to be recognized for his service and dedication. It is an impressive resume. Thomas N. Broaddus The Intelligencer T. Nash Broaddus passed away in Irvington, Va., on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009. Born on Oct. 18, 1918, he lived a life of accomplishment, in the military, the business community and in philanthropic work. He was a native of Richmond, Va., and the son of Dr. T. Nash Broaddus and Louise Eubanks Broaddus. He was educated in the Richmond Public Schools, where his mother taught and would become the first female principal in the school system. He graduated from the University of Richmond, Class of 1939, just as war clouds were forming over Europe and the Far East. After working briefly in various businesses, he joined the U.S. Navy in 1940. In the Navy he would rise from seaman apprentice to the rank of commander while serving in both World War II and the Korean War. Mr. Broaddus was a "sailor's sailor" with a natural affinity for the sea and ships. The Navy recognized his leadership ability and he rose rapidly through the ranks to become executive officer of USS Moonstone, a patrol craft assigned to the Panama Canal Defense Force. When Pearl Harbor was attacked on Dec. 7, 1941, Moonstone transitioned to wartime footing. The ship immediately began convoy escort duty in the Caribbean. In August 1942, Lieutenant Broaddus was assigned as executive officer of the Submarine Chaser (SC-679) engaged in anti-submarine patrols and convoy duty in the South Atlantic. In the fall of 1943, Lieutenant Broaddus was assigned as executive officer of USS Cates, an escort destroyer. In June 1944, Cates escorted the amphibious ships carrying the first troops to go ashore at Normandy. Lieutenant Broaddus then took command of Cates and became the youngest commanding officer of a commissioned Navy warship at age 25. Upon cessation of hostilities, Lieutenant Commander Broaddus returned to the United States and began a highly successful business career. He was recalled to active duty in 1951, promoted to commander and served as executive officer of USS Charles S. Sperry until July 1952. Mr. Broaddus began his long business career in 1945 as an innovator and cutting edge leader in the textiles fibers division of the DuPont Co. He left DuPont in December 1965 to take over as chief executive officer of the textile conglomerate Duplan Corp., headquartered in New York, and in January 1971, left Duplan to serve as director of Koracorp Corp. of San Francisco. In 1975, Mr. Broaddus acquired Prodesco Inc., a small textile development company in Perkasie. Under his direction, Prodesco would become a world leader in the development of highly specialized fabric components for the aerospace and medical device implantation industries. In 1999, he became chairman emeritus of Prodesco and its wholly owned subsidiary Secant Medical LLC. This allowed him to devote more of his time as a director of the National Defense University Foundation and subsequently as chairman of its board for six years. In recognition of his service to the country and the National Defense University, Mr. Broaddus was awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service. Mr. Broaddus is survived by his wife, Gloria Moncur Broaddus of Irvington; his two children, Elizabeth Culbertson of Atlanta, Ga., and B. Kirk Broaddus of Austin, Texas; and five grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son, T. Nash Broaddus III. A funeral service will be held on at noon Saturday, Feb. 7, at Historic Christ Church in lrvington, with interment in the church Burying Ground. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Rappahannock Westminster-Canterbury Foundation, Parkinson's Support Group, 132 Lancaster Drive, lrvington, VA 22480. Currie Funeral Home, Kilmarnock, Va.
