World War II veteran Henry Anderson of Lakeport has stepped up to help Sutter Lakeside Hospital purchase its mobile medical unit. Courtesy photo.

LAKEPORT – Wherever Henry Anderson has traveled in life, whatever problems he has encountered, his first question has always been, “How can I help?”

Service is a value he absorbed from his father who served in the Army during World War I and his mother, a Red Cross social worker.

A defining moment in the life of Anderson, 90, was surviving the attack on Pearl Harbor. Serving in the US Navy aboard the USS Tennessee, he worked tirelessly to save his fellow servicemen.

Later, while serving in India, Anderson followed his impulse to help, feeding hungry strangers living in poverty.

After serving in Pearl Harbor, Henry met and married Mary, a non-commissioned clerk in the Navy, and later lived in the Bay Area with their sons Terry and Norman.

Returning to his favorite childhood vacation spot, Anderson bought land in Clearlake Park on Monitor Point, where he would bring his sons to enjoy swimming, fishing and the natural beauty of Lake County.

After retirement, Henry and Mary Anderson moved to the waterfront home in Lakeport that they have lived in for the past 30 years.

Henry Anderson had his first hip replacement at Sutter Lakeside Hospital, and after his surgery, he worked with physical therapist, Steve Glazier.

He was impressed with his doctors and caregivers, but saw a need for new therapy equipment. The same impulse that nudged Anderson to buy food for strangers in India moved him to remedy the situation, so he made his first donation to Sutter Lakeside Hospital with a gift of a new ergometer.

Seeing the impact his gift made on fellow recovering patients, Anderson wanted to do more. He made sure we received needed “audiometric” equipment that is used at the Family Birth Center, offering screening and early detection of hearing problems for infants and babies in our community.

When the Lakeside Wellness Foundation decided to take up the challenge of raising $250,000 to purchase a mobile medical unit, hospital officials said they knew they had to ask Anderson.

They sat down with him at his favorite hang-out, the Shoreline Café in Lakeport, told him their story, and Anderson promptly stepped up with a $10,000 gift.

Sutter Lakeside Hospital reported that Anderson's gift was the lynch-pin of the hospital's community fundraising efforts which raised the bar for future supporters.

They said he stands as the perfect model of community philanthropy and they thank him for his continued support.

Anderson also made a generous donation last year to Operation Tango Mike, as Lake County News has reported.

To read more about Henry Anderson, see Remembering Pearl Harbor: Former sailor recalls Dec. 7 attack .