Hartford — While most people are turned off by the smell of diesel, for Marcy Pillsbury the pungent petrol odor was a welcome scent while she was growing up. 

"There's a really odd smell to a guy's uniform when he's been on a submarine for months at a time and most people would say' oh that's terrible.' ... I know women who say they make their guys strip down out in the garage, but I remember as a little girl I loved that smell because it meant he was home," Pillsbury said of her father, Glenn Neal Arthur Jr., a Navy veteran who was inducted into the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame Monday night.

The 83-year-old Arthur, who lives in Gales Ferry, was among 11 veterans inducted during a ceremony in the atrium of the Legislative Office Building.

When a woman from the Department of Veterans Affairs called Arthur to let him know of the induction, his wife of 18 years, Barbara Arthur, said she answered and passed him the phone.

"He said, 'Well, I didn't do anything.' He said, 'Who gave you my name?'" Barbara Arthur recalled of her husband's conversation with the woman.

"I didn't realize I had that much of a reference," Arthur, who's been wheelchair-bound for the past several months, said softly while waiting for the induction ceremony to begin.

Arthur spent 22 years in the Navy, including time as commanding officer of the USS William H. Bates. He served on ballistic missle submarines during the Cold War, of which he said, "You're responsible for keeping the missiles ready to go anytime. I had a lot of that." 

His last assignment with the Navy was as deputy chief of staff of Submarine Squadron Ten. After leaving the Navy, he served five terms as a state representative.

Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman gave Arthur a special shoutout during her remarks, saying that she'd known him for a long time. The two served in the Connecticut General Assembly at the same time.

"We didn't always agree on issues at all, but Glenn would always talk to you, always listened to what you had to say, and you could discuss it back and forth. He had a great sense of humor, loved to laugh and kept you on your toes," Wyman said after the ceremony. "To be able to honor him today is extra special to me."

Each year at least 10 inductees are selected. This year's committee selected inductees from a pool of dozens, assessing those who continued to contribute to their community after they completed their military service. The Hall of Fame was established 10 years ago to raise awareness about veterans who fit that bill.

Those who were inducted in addition to Arthur include Army veteran Peter Beckwith of Manchester; Navy veteran John DeBisschop III of Naugatuck; Navy veteran Elliott Donn of Windsor; Air Force veteran Thomas Heath of Somers; Marine Corps veteran Allen Lawton Jr. of Bolton; Navy veteran PW Louthain of Deep River; Army veteran Daniel Riccio of North Haven; and Navy veteran Michael Skelps of Middlefield. Air Force veteran Richard Fuller was honored posthumously.

State Veterans Affairs Commissioner Sean Connolly said during his remarks that as he's traveled the state as commissioner these past eight months he's observed much of what he's read about veterans, which is that they vote more than the non-veterans, volunteer more than non-veterans and opt for public service jobs.

At the close of the ceremony, Connolly unveiled a permanent plaque with the names of all the Hall of Fame inductees over the years. The plaque will be a fixture in the Hall of Heroes inside the LOB, he said.

 J.bergman@theday.com

 Twitter: @JuliaSBergman