Rear
Admiral Harley D. Nygren, NOAA (Retired), was born
in Seattle, Washington, in 1924. He began his Government career
in 1941 as WS 1, laborer in an Army warehouse. At the age
of 17 he enlisted in the U. S. Naval Reserve and was assigned
to the wartime Navy College Training Program as an Apprentice
Seaman.
He
received his commission as an Ensign USNR and the B. S. degree
from the University of Washington in 1945. His last active
duty tour was as Damage Control Officer on the target destroyer
USS HUGHES at Bikini, during the Atom Bomb tests of 1946.
He returned to the University of Washington and served for
a year in the Submarine Battalion of the Organized Reserve
while earning a B. S. M. E. degree.
In September 1947 he joined the U. S. Coast & Geodetic Survey
as a Deck Officer, and was commissioned as Ensign USC&GS in
1948. During his career Admiral Nygren served aboard numerous
ships, but in particular the Survey Ships EXPLORER, PATHFINDER,
PIONEER, SURVEYOR AND HODGSON, in various capacities, including
Oceanographer and Commanding Officer. He was also assigned
to field parties conducting Hydrographic, Geodetic and Gravity
studies. This included three years of assignment to the United
States Arctic regions. At one time he was the Chief of a Geodetic
Party assigned to the US Air Force Missile Test Center at
Patrick AFB, Florida.
Admiral Nygren was United States representative on the British
Antarctic Survey Expedition in 1962, and was a member of the
U. S. Inspection Team to Antarctica in 1970. Twice a temporary
Captain, Admiral Nygren was promoted in 1968 to the permanent
rank of Captain, then to the temporary rank of Rear Admiral
(Lower Half) in conjunction with his appointment as Associate
Administrator of the Environmental Science Services Administration
(ESSA).
When NOAA was created he was promoted to the permanent rank
of Rear Admiral (Upper Half) and was chosen as the first Director
of the new NOAA Corps. He served for ten years in this position,
through two Administrations, and retired in 1981 with 36+
years active service and 38+ years of total service.
Admiral Nygren received commendations from the US Navy and
the US Air Force. In 1961 he received the Karo Award of the
Society of American Military Engineers and a Unit Citation.
He was awarded the Department of Commerce Gold Medal and the
Department Bronze Medal. Admiral Nygren served on a number
of panels of the original Interagency Committee on Oceanography
and the Marine Council. He was a founding member of the Advisory
Committee on Undersea Features of the Board on Geographic
Names. He served many years on the Committee on the Delimitation
of the US Coastline, as well as numerous other committees,
panels and Task Forces. He is a Life Fellow of The American
Society of Civil Engineers, a Fellow of the Society of American
Military Engineers, a Fellow of the Marine Technology Society,
an Emeritus Fellow of the Explorers Club, a Fellow of the
American Congress on Surveying and Mapping, and a Golden Life
Member of the U. S. Naval Institute. He is a registered Professional
Engineer (inactive) and a Certified Hydrographer . He has
a Certificate of Achievement in Oceanic Education from the
University of Virginia. He is a past member of The Board of
Directors of the Retired Officers Association, an active member
of the Board of the National Association for Uniformed Services,
and a member of the Board of Directors of Friends of the NOAA
Library, a non-profit organization devoted to supporting the
NOAA Library.
A canyon on the U. S. Continental Shelf and mountain in Antarctica
were named after him. Admiral Nygren resides in Vienna, Virginia
with his wife Janice. Four sons are involved in marine related
activities. Three stepchildren reside in Northern Virginia.
