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Thomas J. Hughes, Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.), passed away on Tuesday, January 13, 2009, at Fauquier Hospital in Warrenton, Virginia. VADM Hughes died of congestive heart failure after a short stay in the hospital. He had the pleasure of spending Christmas with his second wife, Nancy, his eight children, fifteen of his seventeen grand children, his two great grand children and his stepdaughter.
Admiral Hughes was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1926. He enlisted in the Navy and was selected through the NROTC program to attend Harvard University in 1944. He graduated with the class of 1947 with a BS in Engineering Science. Other education included Armed Forces Staff College, 1959, and an MS degree in Operations Analysis from Naval Post Graduate School, 1962.
Forty-three years in the U.S. Navy was just the start of VADM Hughes' long career in service to our country. He often said he would not trade one day of his Navy service, even the tough ones, for any other experience.
VADM Hughes served combat duty in both Korea and Vietnam. His command assignments included the USS John King, USS Thuban, and USS Chikaskia as well as Destroyer Squadron Thirty-six, Gunline Commander off South Vietnam, and Commander Service Group Two. While serving duty as Assistant Chief of Naval Personnel for Financial Management Information he was elected as Chairman of the Board of Navy Federal Credit Union, a financial institution dedicated to support of all of our service men and women. VADM Hughes served on the Joint Chiefs of Staff and three tours in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations with oversight on budget, personnel, and logistics. His awards include Legion of Merit with 5 Gold Stars, 2 Joint Commendation Medals, a Bronze Star with V (combat), Korean Service Medal with 4 bronze stars, Vietnam Service Medal, and United Nations Service Award.
On his retirement from the U.S. Navy, VADM Hughes became President/CEO of the Navy Federal Credit Union. In his nine years in this position, he focused the business on the members, products, services, and staff. If you worked under him, you probably have heard him sing 'Happy Birthday To You'. VADM Hughes was presented a Distinquished Public Service Award from the Chief of Naval Operations for his contribution to the Navy as a civilian. He served on the Thrift Advisory Board of the Federal Reserve, on the Board of Directors of the Baltimore Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Federal Credit Unions, on several advisory committees to the Credit Union National Association, and as an advisor to the VISA USA Board of Directors.
Retirement from the Navy Federal Credit Union brought a new offer to serve in a teaching position as the Conrad Chair for Financial Management at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey California. Five years of teaching post-grad students in Department of Defense, Navy, and Congressional budget practices and procedures earned VADM Hughes a Meritorious Civilian Service Award and a Distinguished Civilian Service Award from the Secretary of the Navy. He was also presented with the Distinguished Alumnus Award by the school president.
Obituary: Thomas J. Hughes Navy Vice Admiral
Date
Jan 20, 2009
Last Updated: Jan 13, 2010
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Obituary: Thomas J. Hughes Navy Vice Admiral Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Thomas J. Hughes, 82, a retired Navy vice admiral who later was president of the Navy Federal Credit Union, died Jan. 13 of congestive heart failure at Fauquier Hospital in Warrenton. He lived near Jeffersonton in Culpeper County.
Adm. Hughes was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and enlisted in the Navy in 1944. He graduated from Harvard University while serving in the Navy and received a master's degree in operations analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1962.
He had combat duty in the Korean and Vietnam wars and was the commander of the USS John King, a destroyer; the USS Thuban, an attack cargo ship; and the USS Chikaskia, an oiler. He also commanded a destroyer squadron off South Vietnam.
Adm. Hughes served on the staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the mid-1960s and had three tours in the office of the chief of naval operations, with oversight on budget, personnel and logistics. He retired in 1987 as deputy chief of naval operations for logistics.
His decorations included six awards of the Legion of Merit, a Bronze Star and two Joint Service Commendation medals.
After his Navy retirement, Adm. Hughes became president and chief executive of the Navy Federal Credit Union. Upon his retirement from that position, after nine years, he received the Navy's Distinguished Public Service Award.
He also served on the Thrift Advisory Board of the Federal Reserve and on the boards of the National Association of Federal Credit Unions and the Baltimore branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. He was also an adviser to the Visa board of directors.
He lived in Alexandria for many years before moving in 2002 to Monterey, Calif., where he taught financial management at the Naval Postgraduate School for five years. While there, he received a distinguished alumnus award and other honors for his service. He settled in Culpeper County in 2007.
His first wife, Hazel Hughes, died in 1992.
Survivors include his wife of 13 years, Nancy R. Hughes of Jeffersonton; eight children from his first marriage, Thomas Hughes of Bodega Bay, Calif., Alex Hughes of Little River, S.C., Kevin Hughes of Jeffersonton, Theresa Hosch of Springfield, Mo., Kathleen Olsen of Rosemont in Montgomery County, Patricia Craddock of Jacksonville, Fla., and Mark Hughes and Michael Hughes, both of Fairfax City; a stepdaughter, Lisa Vesper of Santa Fe, N.M.; a brother; two half brothers; two half sisters; 17 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
