Herb Kressel Collection

Herbert John Kressel

The very first things you noticed were his infectious smile and his warm and welcoming nature. The last thing you noticed about this man was his confinement to a wheelchair.  Herb Kressel was a Vietnam Veteran whose exposure to Agent Orange had affected his central nervous system and rendered him unable to walk.  Herb never allowed his disability to slow him down.

Herb loved nature, learning to hunt and fish as a young boy in Saint Clair, PA. He was a member of the Order of the Arrow, a Cub Scout, a Boy Scout, an Eagle Scout, a Cub Scout Master, and a Boy Scout Master.  In1956, he joined the United Sates Navy, where he rose through the ranks to Lt. Commander.  Upon his retirement, he and his wife of 60 years, Jane, settled in Virginia Beach.  He volunteered at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, the Military Aviation Museum, the Back Bay Restoration Foundation, and the Back Bay Wildlife Refuge where he was a naturalist and tram driver for fifteen years.

It was during his time at the Virginia Aquarium, he met Charlie Siedel.  Charlie was the demonstrating decoy carver at the Aquarium.  This meeting sparked a desire for Herb to learn to carve and a lifelong friendship.  Herb had always whittled as a young boy after his parents had given him a knife for Christmas; but now Charlie helped him create beautiful sculptures from wood.  He became a prolific wood carver until late in his life, when his disease robbed him of most of his vision.  Unable to see well, he focused his work on distinct bird species with simple black and white colors.  He was working on projects right up to the day he passed away.

Herb and Jane were longtime supporters of the Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum and Jane has given the museum a rare opportunity; she has offered her personal collection of Herb’s work to the museum to help raise funds for the museum’s operation. Please click here to see the collection and perhaps purchase one of Herb’s beautiful and unique wood sculptures.