Rear Admiral Albert Weston Grant holds a high place in history – even if not well-known – but now his legacy is set in Stevens Point, and not just for his contributions in the U.S. Navy in World War I.

“Perhaps his most important legacy, at least for us, is the love and dedication he showed for his family,” Grant’s great-great-grandson, Navy helicopter pilot Lt. Richard Weston Grant, III, said Friday, April 7.

“As a young junior officer aboard the U.S.S. Trenton, his letters bore a deep longing for his wife and newborn son,” he said. “Throughout these letters, he seemed to dismiss the historical significance of his assignment, focusing more on the fact he had to be separated from his loved ones.”

The former Stevens Point resident’s many accomplishments and achievements in the Navy during World War I were unearthed during a two-year project focusing on Portage County’s role in the war. It moved project organizers Tim Siebert and Sue Koehl to recognize him in some way.

Friday, April 7, park land on the southeast side of Clark Street Bridge was dedicated to the Admiral along with a plaque including information about him and his accomplishments. In hearing stories about “The Admiral,” as his descendants so fondly refer to him, it is fitting that he, too, was recognized for his commitment to family.

“It is a great honor to the family that Stevens Point has recognized the Admiral with this dedication,” said Richard “Rick” Weston Grant, Jr., the Admiral’s great-grandson and one of 17 Grant family members attending the dedication. “We are especially thankful to Sue Koehl who first located the Grant family and has been working on this effort for well over a year. We can’t thank Sue enough.”

“This recognition by Stevens Point is a very proud moment for the family,” said Richard Weston Grant Sr., grandson of the Admiral, who unveiled the park plaque, which was donated by the Grant family. “His great-grandchildren and their children will learn of Stevens Point and Admiral Grant and our contribution to this great country.”

Richard Weston Grant’s father and Admiral Grant’s son, Richard Southall Grant, published a manuscript “The Making of an Admiral” that has been carried through the family for years, outlining and describing the Admiral’s life, his years growing up in Stevens Point – “It sounded like a fascinating place for the Admiral to grow up” – insight into his thoughts and actions, and a detailed, first-hand historical account of life in the Navy.

“Through that manuscript we were able to read of Stevens Point and become familiar with the Admiral,” said Richard Weston Grant Sr.’s wife, Anastasia.

Admiral Grant, son of a Stevens Point pioneer family, left Stevens Point for Annapolis in 1873. When he graduated from the Naval Academy in 1877, Thomas Edison had not yet invented the lightbulb, so early deployments as a newly commissioned officer were aboard wooden ships with no electricity, his great-great-grandson said. Interestingly, the Admiral, aboard the U.S.S. Trenton in 1887, was tasked to develop the first electric plant ever installed in a warship.

Grant went on to serve as a Lieutenant during the Spanish-American War, Chief of Staff to the Commander of the Atlantic Fleet – more famously known as Teddy Roosevelt’s “Great White Fleet” –  and as Commander of Battleship Force 1, Atlantic Fleet, while reaching the rank of Vice Admiral during World War I. Grant also served as an instructor; penned “The School of the Ship,” which became a standard textbook for the Naval Academy students for many years; in July 1917 was given command of the Battleship Force ONE, Atlantic Fleet, with the rank of vice admiral; and he was instrumental in development of the U.S. submarine fleet.

Stevens Point Mayor Mike Wiza, who spoke at the dedication and considers himself a history buff, admitted he didn’t know much about the Admiral until a few months back.

“I didn’t realize the significant impact he had not only on the country, but on this community,” he said. “It’s mind boggling.”

Bill Jenkins, retired Navy captain, called Admiral Grant “an extremely progressive leader,” saying he would be surprised by the technological advancements today, and remarked that he played a large role in those advancements.

“Admiral Grant’s life story is remarkable,” Jenkins said. “How in heavens name did he find the time and energy to get so much accomplished?”

Not just in his profession, but in his family and community roots, dedication attendees said.

“Family means a lot to us, as you can see by the Grant turnout today, and it is a family steeped in Navy tradition – aside from my grandfather, the sole defector who served in the Army,” said Lt. Richard Weston Grant, III.

Though laughter rippled through the crowd Friday, the Admiral’s great-great-grandson’s words brought tears to family members’ eyes as well as they recalled stories and the family commitment of the Admiral that today is so evident in his grandson’s – the Army man’s – life, too, as it was he who made sure his dad’s words about the Admiral were known throughout the next three generations.

“It is love of family and pride that bring us here today, and I’d like to (recognize) and (thank) a man who embodies that better than anyone I know,” the Admiral’s great-great-grandson continued. “(He is) a selfless, proud individual, who probably wouldn’t want me to mention him at all, but I’m going to anyway.

“He is an inspiration to us all, and his love of family and pride in our history have brought us here today. I’m talking about my grandfather, the Admiral’s grandson, Richard Grant Sr. There is no one here more deserving of the honor of unveiling the plaque to dedicate this park,” he said.

Richard Weston Grant Sr. moved deliberately, humbling lifted the drape, then paused. And his soft touch along the edge of the plaque – just for a moment as he looked down – perhaps said the most of anyone about the life and legacy of The Admiral.