The Camden Public Library hosts Roger Allen Moody for an illustrated presentation about his new book, Of Watercraft Form and Function: A Biography of Naval Architect Geerd N. Hendel.
“This is the story of how a young and talented German naval architect came to America during the Great Depression, became a citizen, and went on to design some exceptionally fine yachts and commercial vessels,” says Maynard Bray, watercraft preservation expert and technical editor at Wooden Boat magazine for nearly 40 years. “Geerd Hendel worked at first for other designers such as Starling Burgess and after World War II went out on his own. This book shows by example how Hendel’s work evolved and what a remarkably wide range of watercraft left his drawing board to see fruition. Roger Moody gives us the rundown on a remarkable career that those of us interested in boats and local history should know more about.”
Hendel worked at the Camden Shipbuilding and Marine Railway Company during World War II, beginning in 1942, and created his own independent design firm in Camden in 1945. In an interview with Moody, composer Gordon Bok recalled that Geerd Hendel’s office was a light, bright office where his three essential elements of design were always at hand: drafting paper, pencil and ink, and a briar smoking pipe.
Moody has long been interested in Maine history, especially its maritime legacy. His background includes an undergraduate education at the University of Maine and a graduate degree in public administration from Syracuse University. His public service career counts many years of municipal and school management and serving for eight years as a Knox County Commissioner.
3