J. Russell VerBrycke - Obituary

. Russell VerBrycke III (Rusty), 98, died peacefully on Wednesday March 7, 2012 in Annapolis MD. Born in Washington DC on February 23, 1914, he attended public schools there, and attended George Washington University. After graduating from GWU Law School in 1939 and passing the Bar Exam he practiced law in DC. In June 1941, with war looming, he applied for and was granted a commission in the Naval Reserve as an Ensign. He was ordered to the Board of Economic Warfare, an agency which processed applications for the export of critical war materials. After the attack on Pearl Harbor he was assigned to sea duty training at the Naval Reserve Midshipman School at Northwestern University in Chicago. Upon completion he was ordered as Lieutenant J.G. to the U.S.S.Wright, a seaplane tender engaged in search and rescue of downed pilots and crews of sunken ships in the Pacific Theatre. Commander VerBrycke's next assignment was as Executive Officer of the U.S.S. Escalante, a service squadron which refueled aircraft carriers and other ships. At the end of the war, Cdr. VerBrycke was ordered to the office of the Judge Advocate General of the Navy (JAG) in Washington DC where he drafted legislation (including the Uniform Code of Military Justice) and engaged in congressional liaison. Further assignments took him to the Office of the General Counsel in the 12th Naval District in San Francisco and to Naples, Italy where he was Legal Officer of NATO headquarters. Subsequent assignments found him back in Washington DC and on to Norfolk, Virginia as legal advisor to the Supreme Allied Commander of the eight NATO nations. A collateral duty was head of the SACLANT Briefing Team, a group of eight officers of member NATO nations who communicated NATO plans and policies to member and other national government bodies. He retired in 1962 from the Navy and accepted an associate membership with the Washington patent law firm of Watson, Cole, Grindle & Watson. Shortly thereafter he joined one of the senior partners in a new law firm, "The Law Offices of Robert F. Conrad", also in Washington DC. In 1970 the firm was dissolved and he was then employed as a senior attorney by the Federal Trade Commission and engaged in antitrust matters. During his youth, his father purchased a cottage in 1927 in his beloved Sherwood Forest, a small community just north of Annapolis, Maryland. Here he developed a great love for the waterfront, sailing, and all things nautical. He was one of the original owners of the old Chesapeake 20 class racing sloops which are still actively raced today on the West River. As an adult in Sherwood he developed a very popular Sunday afternoon racing series on the Severn River allowing all types of sailboats to compete utilizing handicaps. While competing in a 12-foot Penguin Class or 17-foot Mobjack Class sloop he routinely beat the fleet of much larger boats and participated and won many one-design local and national races. In 1984 he moved to his house in the Lindamoor community in Annapolis. He enjoyed more time with family and pursuing his interests in sailing, gardening and restoring antique furniture. He had been on the Executive Board of the Lindamoor Improvement Association, past president of the Sherwood Forest Retirees Club, and a founding member of the Anne Arundel County Taxpayers Association which was instrumental in passing the Property Tax Cap in Anne Arundel County. Capt. VerBrycke was a member of The Society of Mayflower Descendants, The Military Order of the Loyal Legion, Navy League of the United States, The Sherwood Forest Club, and Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) Fraternity. Survivors include his wife, Barbara P. VerBrycke, whom he married on September 17, 1941; his daughter, Pamela P. VerBrycke of Bethesda, MD; his son, Captain John R. VerBrycke IV, USNR Retired; four grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.A private family interment will be at Arlington Cemetery on March 22. Friends may call at his home at 1804 Lindamoor Lane on Saturday March 24 between 2:00 and 5:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation in his memory be made to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, 875 N. Randolph St., Suite 225, Arlington, VA 22203.