When Wendell Keith "Bud" Hendersin was born on May 17, 1921, in Portland, Wisconsin, his father, Walter, was 28 and his mother, Marie, was 24. He married Lillian Edith Jensen on December 2, 1942, in California.

Wendell joined the Navy after graduating from Sparta High School. He was a member of the expedition who lost his life in the 1946 Antarctica PBM Mariner crash. This occurred on December 30, 1946, on Thurston Island, Antarctica, when his plane, United States Navy Martin PBM-5 Mariner, crashed during a blizzard. Buno 59098 was one of 4 aircraft lost during Operation Highjump.

The aircraft, Bureau Number 59098, callsign "George 1", hit a ridge and burned while supporting Operation Highjump. The crash instantly killed Ensign Maxwell A. Lopez and Petty Officer Wendell K. Hendersin. Two hours later, Petty Officer Frederick Williams also died. Six surviving crewmembers, including Aviation Radioman James H. Robbins, pilot Ralph "Frenchy" LeBlanc, and co-pilot William Kearns, were rescued 13 days later by an aircraft from USS Pine Island (AV-12). Hendersin, Williams, and Lopez were buried at the crash site, and their remains have not been recovered. There are memorial stones for Hendersin in the Arlington National Cemetery, VA, and the Leon Cemetery, WI. There is a place on Thurston Island, Antarctica, named for him that is called the "Hendersin Knob."

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov, en.wikipedia.org. www.ancestry.com