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Meet the Artist--Larry Nowell
Larry Holmes Nowell was born in Dothan, Alabama, November 12, 1939.
He was raised by his mother and at age thirteen he went to work to help
with the family expenses.
While in the Navy he served aboard three ships: The USS Hamner, 1959-1960; USS Mahan, 1960-1966; and USS Chicago 1971-1974. While aboard the USS Chicago operating in the Tonkin Gulf, December 1971 to July 1972 he was involved in more than one hundred engagements between US fighter aircraft and Vietnamese MIG aircraft. The Navy credits him with assisting in the interception and destruction of 13 enemy aircraft. In addition, his timely, forceful and skillful direction of U.S. Air Force airborne tankers resulted in refueling of four U.S. Air Force F-4 aircraft desperately low on fuel. Without refueling the F-4s would have been lost. |
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Master Chief Nowell later toured at the Navy's Southeast Training
Command
Over the next 10 years he worked in the private sector for two different training system providers. He worked on major research projects for the development of speech recognition in training systems. During this time he also earned a Bachelors and Masters degree in Education with an emphasis in Curriculum Development. In 1987 Larry and his family, moved to Pensacola, Florida. It was during this time in Pensacola that he discovered his interest in wood-carving by taking a class from Ralph Gaither, a retired fighter pilot who was a prisoner of war for six years. In 1998 Larry retired from his civilian career. In 1999 Larry and his family moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, where he continued to pursue his new found hobby of woodcarving. Soon he was teaching woodcarving. He has taught classes for the John C. Campbell Folk School, for Woodcraft in Knoxville and by invitation he teaches classes for carving clubs throughout the south eastern part of the United States. He also teaches wood carving classes at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. When he is not on the road he holds open carving classes each Tuesday at Woodcraft in Knoxville. Some of his more notable works of art include the
following wood carvings: A bust of navy fighter ace Congressman
Randy "Duke" Cunningham currently on display in the Naval Historical
Center Museum in Washington D.C. In January 2005, Mr. Nowell was inducted into the Navy Surface Warfare Hall of Fame. His induction represented the ultimate honor the Surface Navy could bestow upon him. Click here to see information about his induction.
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In June
of 1958 he graduated from Dothan High School and one month later he
joined the United States Navy. 
In October 1972 Master Chief Nowell was awarded the Distinguished
Service Medal for his singularly outstanding service aboard the Chicago.
He became, and remains today, the only enlisted Navy man in history to
receive the Distinguished Service Medal for combat action. 
where he visited with thousands of Navy enlisted men and women. He
was honored by his selection as the first enlisted Reviewing
Official of a recruit graduation at the Recruit Training Center in
Orlando, Florida. He was later posted to the Fleet Combat Training
Center Pacific in San Diego, California. As the Leading Chief in
charge of Air Intercept Controller training courses, he rewrote the
curriculum to reflect what he had learned from his first hand
experiences in Southeast Asia. He retired from the Navy in 1977. 
A bust of James Weir, great
grandfather, 7 times removed, of President George Bush. The bust
was presented to President George W. Bush in the Oval Office by
Tennessee senator Lamar Alexander on March 1, 2004. He also
carved a bust
of John Alexander, great grandfather (3 times removed) of Tennessee
senator Lamar Alexander.