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Adapted from "Lieutenant Wade Herbert Armstrong, United States Naval Reserve, Deceased" [biography, dated 26 April 1948] in Modern Biographical Files collection, Navy Department Library.
 

 
Topic
  • Art
Document Type
  • Biography
Wars & Conflicts
  • World War II 1939-1945
File Formats
Location of Archival Materials
  • NHHC-Library

Wade Herbert Armstrong

29 Janaury 1904-23 April 1976

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Lieutenant Armstrong was born at Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 29, 1904. He attended Tupelo High School, before his appointment to the US Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland in 1923.. He remained there a year, resigning his appointment in June 1924. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Vandebuilt University, Nashville, Tennessee. While there he was Art Director of the Little Theater, and participated in various other school activities. He had a year’s instruction in journalism at Columbia University, New York, New York, following which he had training in life drawing at the Art Institute, Chicago, Illinois, from June to September 1927, receiving First Prize for the summer course.

In October 1927, he went to work for the J. Walter Thompson Company, Wrigley Building, Chicago, Illinois, as a Commercial layout artist, working his way up to Assistant to the Director of the Art Department, before he left that organization in 1932 to work for C.P. Clark, Inc., a southern advertising chain, as Executive Vice President and Art Director, remaining there until 1941.

In September 1942, Lieutenant Armstrong accepted an appointment as a Lieutenant (jg) in the US Naval Reserve, and was called to active duty the following month. From October 1942 to December of that year he attended Indoctrination School at Fort Schulyer, The Bronx, New York, and upon completion of the course there, reported to duty at the Section Base, St. Petersburg, Florida. In September 1943, he was transferred to the Harbor Entrance Signal Station, Egmont Key, Florida and served there until December 1943.

Lieutenant Armstrong had two months’ duty with the Inshore Patrol, Seventh Naval District, Jacksonville, Florida, followed by duty in the Office of the Chief of Staff of that Naval District. He served from March 1945 to July 1945 with the Fourth Fleet, South Atlantic Force, returning to the United States in July 1945, to report to the Commandant, Eighth Naval District, U.S. Naval Personnel Separation Center, Naval Technical Center, Memphis, Tennessee, for separation proceedings. He was honorably discharged from the US Naval Reserve on November 15, 1945.

Lieutenant Armstrong is entitled to the American Area Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory medal.

In 1937, Lieutenant Armstrong began painting portraits, one of his most important ones is a portrait of General of the Army Douglas A. MacArthur, now hanging at MacArthur Hall, Little Rock, Arkansas.

He died April 23, 1976.

END

Published: Thu Sep 24 12:35:48 EDT 2020