Namesake:
Senator John C. Stennis
Former U.S. Senator John C. Stennis served with eight presidents,
beginning with Harry Truman in 1947 and ending with Ronald Reagan in
1988.
The senior Senator from Mississippi, he was elected President Pro
Tempore of the Senate for the 100th Congress. As Chairman of the Senate
Armed Services Committee from 1969 to 1980, Senator Stennis
consistently supported a strong U.S. military and gained the honorary
title of "the father of America's modern Navy."
Born August 3, 1901, eight miles south of DeKalb, Mississippi, Senator
Stennis was an 18-year-old farm boy when he entered Mississippi A
& M (now Mississippi State University). He graduated in 1923.
Senator Stennis took his seat in the Mississippi House of
Representatives in 1928, the same year he received a law degree from
the University of Virginia. It was in Virginia that his namesake ship
was built by Newport News Shipbuilding.
The following year he married Miss Coy Hines; they moved to DeKalb and
had two children, Margaret and John.
In 1932, John C. Stennis was elected district prosecuting attorney and
five years later he became a circuit judge.
John C. Stennis was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1947. Courage,
integrity, dignity, honesty and an unwavering commitment to public
service characterized his 41 years in the U.S. Senate.Senator Stennis
retired from the Senate in 1988 and returned home to Mississippi. He
passed away on April 23, 1995 and was buried near his place of birth in
DeKalb, Mississippi.
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Ship's Crest:
 Description of Coat of
Arms:
The USS JOHN C. STENNIS (CVN 74) seal was produced from the combined
efforts of several crewmembers with historical help from the Stennis
Center for Public Service, the John C. Stennis Space Center and the
United States Senate Historian. The Seal implies peace through
strength, just as Senator Stennis was referred to as an "unwavering
advocate of peace through strength" by President Ronald Reagan, when
the ship's name was announced in June 1988. The circular shape
signifies the NIMITZ class aircraft carrier's unique ability to circle
the world without refueling while providing a forward presence from the
sea. The predominant colors are red, white, blue and gold, the same as
our country and our Navy. The outer border, taken from one version of a
U.S. Senate crest, represents the strength through unity of the ship's
crew. The four gold bands and eight ties denote John C. Stennis' four
decades (41 years) in the Senate and the eight presidents with which he
served from President Truman to President Reagan. The seven stars in
the blue border represent his seven terms in the Senate and
characterize USS JOHN C. STENNIS as the seventh NIMITZ class aircraft
carrier. The red and white stripes inside the blue border represent our
flag and the American people USS JOHN C. STENNIS serves. They also
honor the courage and sacrifice of our country's Armed Forces. The
eagle and shield is a representation of the gilt eagle and shield
overlooking the Old Senate Chamber, which Senator Stennis' dedicated
efforts helped to restore. The shield represents the United States of
America, the country USS JOHN C. STENNIS and her Air Wing serves and
protects. The twenty stars represent our twentieth state, Mississippi,
the home of John C. Stennis. The three arrows in the eagles' talons
symbolize the Ship and Air Wing's awesome ability to project power.
They also represent Senator John C. Stennis over three decades on both
the Senate Armed Service Committee (37 years) and Appropriations
Committee (33 years), where he oversaw our country's military
capabilities and earned the title "Father of America's Modern Navy."
The burst of light emanating from the shield, representative of the
emergence of a new nation in the United State Senate Seal, portrays the
birth of over 25 major Aviation programs under Senator Stennis'
leadership, including all aircraft carriers from USS FORRESTAL (CV-59)
to USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN 75), and aircraft from the F-4 Phantom to
the F/A- 18 Hornet. The eagle is representative of John C. Stennis
stature in the U. S. Senate where he was respected and admired as a
"soaring eagle" by his colleagues. It also symbolizes independence and
strength and depicts the constant readiness of USS JOHN C. STENNIS and
her Air Wing to preserve, protect and defend freedom. The carrier,
cutting her powerful swath through the sea, exemplifies Senator
Stennis' philosophy of "Look Ahead." Embodied in the ship are the
principles of honor, courage and commitment, principles that John
Cornelius Stennis constantly upheld in his service to America, and
values the ship's crew will uphold in their service. The carrier's path
also evokes John C. Stennis' pledge to "plow a straight furrow down to
the end of my row," just as the ship will steer a steady course to
complete all missions in the preservation and defense of freedom.
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