Combining passions for volunteerism and a lifelong love of the sea, Gerald “Gerry” Egan, a retired Navy captain, takes great pride in serving his community and country as a lead volunteer for Bremerton’s Puget Sound Navy Museum and its supporting foundation board.
The museum, one of 10 federally funded and administered institutions nationally, along with the Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, forms Navy Museums Northwest, a unit of the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington, D.C.
“We work to foster a deep appreciation for the region’s naval heritage and the individuals who contributed to it,” said museum manager Danelle Eaton.
The museum is housed in the historic “Building 50,” which was erected in 1896 as the first administration building for the U.S. Naval Shipyard. The entire structure was moved three times over the ensuing years and is now located on First Street.
The museum is a nonprofit, with a mission to “collect, preserve and interpret the naval heritage of the Pacific Northwest from 1841 to the present.” The museum’s foundation is an all-volunteer organization led by a board of directors specifically charged with raising funds for supplies and services, as well as conducting educational programs, improving museum artifacts, and fabricating exhibits not funded by allocated federal dollars.
Much of the foundation’s success can be attributed to Egan, a lead volunteer who over the past decade has served as the foundation’s secretary, fundraising lead, and even in the museum itself as a greeter and store operator.
“Eighty percent of the visitors are from outside Kitsap County, and 6 percent are international,” Egan said. “As a volunteer greeter, I enjoy chatting with the visitors. As a board member, I perform an important function by assisting in financing the museum.”
Egan was educated in a one-room schoolhouse until eighth grade in rural Minnesota, where he also grew up working on his family’s farm. In high school, his principal encouraged him to apply for an appointment at the U.S. Naval Academy. Armed with a recommendation from his local congressman, Egan was accepted into the academy. He graduated with honors in 1959 and commissioned into the U.S. Navy as an ensign.
Egan’s three-decade-long career took him to posts on both mainland coasts, Hawaii, and Scotland. When he received his submarine qualifications, he was tapped to command the USS Lafayette and eventually supervised the training and operation of nuclear-powered ships’ crews undergoing overhaul at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. His final post was as chief of staff at Submarine Group Nine at Bangor. He retired in 1988.
Today, Egan is one of the museum’s more visible ambassadors. And a proud one at that.
“The Puget Sound Navy Museum’s exhibits provide a history of the Navy in the Northwest. This information is uniquely available here,” Egan said.
Egan’s fellow volunteer and current president of the museum foundation, George E. Bieda, speaks highly of Egan’s work.
“Gerry is one of the most respected members of the foundation,” Bieda said. “His work in fundraising has provided the PSNM Foundation with the ability to support the Puget Sound Navy Museum’s education, interpretive, and volunteer programs, and to communicate those programs to the communities it serves.”
Egan’s love of the sea and his naval career have been ongoing. He has served as president of the Navy League and the Military Officers Association of America. He also served as one of the Coast Guard’s licensed captains of the Sea Scout Ship Odyssey, a 90-foot, 100-ton yawl, and is an active member of the Bremerton Rotary Club.
Egan has been married for 64 years and has three adult daughters and four grandchildren. In addition to his many hours of volunteer work for the foundation and museum, he enjoys scuba diving, snorkeling, sailing, cruising, and “lots of family stuff.”
The Puget Sound Navy Museum is located at 251 First Street in Bremerton and is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays-Sundays. Admission is free. Visit pugetsoundnavymuseum.org for more information.