Wayne Harold Page (September 25, 1922 – March 26, 2001) was a Vermont military officer and business executive who served as Adjutant General of the Vermont National Guard.

Early life Wayne H. Page was born in Hyde Park, Vermont on September 25, 1922.Vermont Birth Records, 1909–2008, entry for Wayne Harold Page, retrieved December 30, 2013 He was educated in Hyde Park, and graduated from the University of Vermont with a degree in electrical engineering in 1943.University of Vermont, Bulletin of the University of Vermont, March 1942, page 314

World War II Page joined the United States Army for World War II, enlisting in 1943 and receiving his commission after completion of Officer Candidate School in 1944. He served in Europe as a member of the 398th Infantry Regiment, 100th Infantry Division and attained the rank of captain before being discharged in 1946.National Guard Association of the United States, The National Guardsman, Volume 21, 1967, pages 37-38

Post-World War II After the war, Page became a mining engineer, manager and executive with the Ruberoid Corporation, responsible for overseeing operations at an asbestos mine in Belvidere, Vermont.Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, The Canadian Mining and Metallurgical Bulletin, Volume 60, 1967, page 947

He was also active in politics, including serving as Chairman of the Lamoille County Republican Committee.Associated press, Bennington Banner, Lamoille County Elects Two, October 17, 1963

He also maintained his affiliation with the military as a member of the Vermont Army National Guard.

He was activated for the Korean War as a member of the 43rd Division, but was released before the division deployed to West Germany, acceding to a Department of Defense request to return to his civilian job, which was regarded as more important to the war effort.Vermont Adjutant General, Annual Report, 1955, page 69United Press International, Bennington Banner, Appointment Pleases Gen. Page, December 2, 1966

By the mid-1960s, Page had attained the rank of brigadier general as commander of the 86th Armored Brigade and then Vermont's Assistant Adjutant General for Army.National Guard Association of the United States, National Guard magazine, 1966, page 43United Press International, Bennington Banner, Stebbins Named Assistant Adjutant General, January 6, 1965

Adjutant General In September 1966 Adjutant General Francis William Billado died. From September until December of that year his deputy, Reginald M. Cram acted as Adjutant General.Associated Press, Portsmouth Herald, New Commander, September 15, 1966

In November, Page announced that he would be a candidate for the position during the election scheduled for February, 1967.North Adams Transcript, Two Vie for Adjutant General, November 18, 1966 (Since the 1860s the Adjutant General is selected for a two-year term by the Vermont General Assembly. At the time, elections were held in February of each odd-numbered year, and terms began the following March. The Governor of Vermont can make a temporary appointment to fill a vacancy if it occurs when the legislature is not in session.)Vermont General Assembly, Acts and Laws, Passed by the Legislature of the State of Vermont, 1965, page 136

On November 30, 1966, Governor Philip H. Hoff appointed Page to serve as Adjutant General until the new term began in March, 1967. Though both Cram and Page were Republicans and Hoff a Democrat, Hoff indicated that he made the decision to appoint Page after other Vermont National Guard officers expressed to him their preference for an Army officer (Page) over one from the Air Force (Cram), given that most Vermont National Guard units were Army organizations.United Press International. Bennington Banner, Hoff Will Appoint Page as Head of National Guard, November 30, 1966United Press International, Bennington Banner, Cram remains Candidate for Guard Post, December 6, 1966

After Page's appointment, Cram resigned as Deputy Adjutant General and campaigned for a full two-year term.United Press International, Bennington Banner, Hoff Accepts Cram resignation as Acting Adjutant General, December 1, 1966 In an upset, Cram defeated Page in the election, ending Page's three-month tenure as Adjutant General.United Press International, Bennington Banner, Legislators Elect Gen. Cram Adjutant and Inspector General, February 17, 1967 (Cram served until he retired in 1981.)

Page served again briefly as Assistant Adjutant General for Army after losing the election, and retired from the military in mid-1967.United Press International, Bennington Banner, Former Adjutant General Finds "No Vacancy" in Guard, March 8, 1967 He continued his career with the Ruberoid Corporation, which later became part of GAF Materials Corporation, accepting positions outside Vermont and rising to vice president and member of the board of directors.United Press International, Bennington Banner, Asbestos Mine Owners Predict it Will Close, April 27, 1974A. H. Chidester, A. L. Albee, W. M. Cady, U.S. Geological Survey, Petrology, Structure and Genesis of the Asbestos-Bearing Ultramafic Rocks of the Belvidere Mountain Area in Vermont, 1977, page 4Fairchild Publications, Fairchild's Textile & Apparel Financial Directory, 1978, page 74

Retirement and death Page continued to live in Lamoille County after retiring in the late 1980s. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, and numerous other civic, professional and fraternal organizations. In addition, he was an active volunteer at Morristown's Centennial Library. He died in Burlington, Vermont on March 26, 2001, and was buried in Hyde Park's Hooper Cemetery.Vermont Death Records, 1909–2008, entry for Wayne Harold Page, retrieved December 30, 2013U.S. Veterans Gravesites, c. 1775 – 2006, entry for Wayne Harold Page, retrieved December 30, 2013

Awards Page's awards included the Bronze Star Medal (2) and the Combat Infantryman Badge.U.S. Army Adjutant General, Awards and Decorations, 398th Infantry Regiment, 1946, posted by George C. Marshall Foundation, 2007, page 162

Family In 1942 Page married Sylvia F. Ward (March 22, 1923 – June 25, 1999).Vermont, Marriage Records, 1909–2008 for Wayne Harold Page and Sylvia F. Ward, retrieved December 30, 2013Vermont Death Records, 1909–2008, entry for Sylvia W. Page, retrieved December 30, 2013 They had three children: Chandler S. who died in 1963, Karen Hoke of Allentown, Pennsylvania and Nancy Zaphiris of Arlington, Massachusetts.Morrisville News and Citizen, Obituary, Sylvia W. Page, July 13, 1999

References

External links , retrieved December 30, 2013