At the beginning of the great depression, when he was ten years old, Henry O. Wendler’s family moved from California to Seattle. With the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 he entered the Naval Services. Wendler graduated from Ballard in 1942 and served in the Navy for six years. By 1951, he had earned a BS in Fisheries from the University of Washington, landing on the Dean’s List of Exceptional Students in his senior year.

His first job following graduation was with the Washington Department of Fisheries where his work on salmon fisheries formed the basis for regulatory actions by the state for preservation of the valuable coastal gill net fisheries for this species. Among other research projects, his investigation into the many “splash” dams left in streams during early 1900 logging practices resulted in opening hundreds of miles of historic spawning area for several species of salmon.

Wendler also managed the vast Columbia River commercial and sport fisheries for salmon, shad, smelt and sturgeon for nearly 10 years. Thereafter, he was appointed to manage all salmon and fish ground resources of the state from Olympia. His last assignment with the state was assistant director of Fisheries for intergovernmental affairs. He retired from state service in 1979.

Following his retirement, Wendler was hired by the Pacific Marine Fisheries Commission, a five state organization whose function was to coordinate various fishery research projects. Wendler was chief editor of all reports and research papers submitted for publication. These subsequently were submitted as an annual report to the Federal Government for inclusion in the Federal Register. While in this job he was contracted to the Federal Government to develop a fishery management plan for the American Territory of Samoa. His plan was accepted and salient parts were included in an overall Western Pacific Fisheries Management Plan.

As a result of this work, Wendler was selected by the Pacific Fishery Management Council to be in charge of marine species aspects of fishery management plans of the United States’ 200-mile fishery zone.

Wendler finally retired in 1986. He lives with wife Lucy in Corona, California