Kaukauna
Times – June 1944
By Lyle Hansen
June 2,
1944
L. C. Wolf, 85, passed away at St. Elizabeth
Hospital last evening at 7:25. He had been suffering from a heart ailment for
several years. Mr. Wolf concluded 38 years as city clerk of Kaukauna on May 1,
1936, and served under eleven mayors. He started in office in 1898 with C. E.
Raught as mayor.
James F. Cavanaugh, superintendent of
schools in the city of Kaukauna for the past 21 years, submitted his
resignation to the board of education at its meeting Monday evening. In
announcing his retirement, he stated: “After several months of careful
consideration, I find it necessary for me to retire from this job at the close
of the school year.
June 7, 1944
Mary
Oettinger Allan
Johnson Gerald Derus
Marylou Haas
Valedictorian Salutatorian Lang trophy Thilmany
Award
Impressive ceremonies marked the last
appearance of the class of ’44 at Kaukauna High School. The evening program
began with the procession of the seniors accompanied by the high school band
with the traditional “Pomp and Circumstance.” In all 104 seniors were present,
while 22 are already in the armed forces. Gerald Derus, class president, gave
the address of welcome in which he expressed regret that the absent members of
the class could not be present but hoped that the people would remember them
during the program.
View of
the Prisoner of War Camp in Appleton Wisconsin where German prisoners from Ft.
Sheridan Base Camp work on the pea harvest.
June 9,
1944
Francis J. Gilbert,
second class petty officer, is back in the states after a year in the South
Pacific during which time he participated in 10 major battles while aboard the
aircraft carrier U.S.S Yorktown. He was returning to the United States on the S.S.
Henry Bergh when it ran aground in a fog on rocky reefs and sank. He drifted on
a raft with two other men for two hours before being rescued by a subchaser. He
lost all of his personal effects when the ship went down. Francis is the son of
Mr. and Mrs. William Gilbert, town of Kaukauna.
At the meeting of post
41, American Legion Tuesday evening Al Weiss was elected the new commander.
Bond and stamp drive conducted in the public schools
from January 15 to the end of May show that the students have purchased
$20,144.40 worth of stamps and $24,025.25 worth of bonds making a total of
$44,169.65.
June 14, 1944
A doe was seen in the back yard of the A.M.
Lang home on West Wisconsin Avenue Friday. This is a very rare site.
According to an article
in a publication at King’s Point, N.Y. Naval School announced that Cadet
Midshipman John Velte of Kaukauna has won the light heavyweight championship at
the boxing school. The boxing tourney began in March with a field of 125 and narrowed
down to 14 who contested for titles in the finals. While at Kaukauna High School Velte won three
letters in boxing and his success continues.
La Follette Park will soon have a first-class
softball diamond, which will see a lot of action during the summer months. The
diamond will be appreciated by the youth who play there almost nightly.
Meeting on the deck of
a warship off the coast of France, left to right, Maj. Gen. Ralph Royce, Deputy
Commander 9th Air Force, Lieut. Gen. Omar Bradley, commanding Allied
ground forces and Gen. Dwight E. Eisenhower.
June 16, 1944
Dr, Robert T. McCarty,
Appleton, formerly of Kaukauna, who entered service two years ago as a
lieutenant senior grade in the Navy, now is a lieutenant commander. He is
stationed on the U.S. Tryon a hospital ship in the South Pacific.
June 21, 1944
The Camporee held in
Riverside Park over the past weekend was attended by more than 400 boys
representing 22 troops from cities and villages in the Valley Council District.
John Hammen, Little
Chute, was elected chef de gare of the Forty et Eight, Outagamie county voiture
at a meeting Thursday night at Little Chute. He succeeds Fred H. Frank,
Appleton.
June 23, 1944
Theodore H. Boebel, of
Sun Prairie, has been selected to assume the duties of superintendent of public
schools in Kaukauna. He will replace J. F. Cavanaugh after 21 years of service
in that capacity.
June 28, 1944
Elmer Johnson, 425
Klein Street, has completed his thirteenth year as bridge tender. He began in
May, 13 years ago when B. W. Fargo was mayor. Johnson estimates' to have opened
and closed the main street bridge over 10,000 times and the record shows over
14,500 boats have passed through up to the present time. Over the years, he has
not had one accident while handling the big structure.
Mr. and Mrs. Albert Lindstrom of Kaukauna have
received a letter from their son, John that he is safe and was rejoining his
old squadron in Italy. John had previously been reported as missing in action
on a raid over Romania on April 5th.
Two outstanding graduates of the class of 1944
will enter the armed services on the first of July. They are Gerald Derus,
class president, Lang trophy and Thilmany award winner, and Allan Johnson,
salutatorian.
James McFadden, chief
of police has issued a warning in connection with the unnecessary blowing of
horns, particularly with wedding parties. It is a strict violation of state
statutes and city ordinance. The chief warns that arrests will follow if this
practice is not stopped.
Notes from the Armed Forces
Sgt. Henry Vanderwyst is home on furlough after
being wounded at Buna. He served in the southwest Pacific for over two years
together with a number of other Kaukauna boys, Sgt. Dougherty, Arps, Jirikowic,
McGinnis and Van Drasek. He said he also
saw Carl Kloehn, Red Koehne, Monroe Romenesko and Don Milton. Sgt. Vanderwyst was
wounded as result of being shot by a Japanese sniper.
Richard P. Grapentine, 17, son of Mrs. and Mrs.
W. Grapetine is currently receiving navel training at Great Lakes, Ill.
Private Ambrose L. Berken, Kaukauna will attend
armored school at Ft. Knox, Ky.
James Gertz, who is serving on the USS Mosley
has received a citation for his crew performance during the action in which the
ship he was on was sunk.
Local and area men were inducted at Milwaukee,
May 29. The Army men are, Gerald M. Keller, Percy R. Spaulding, William Jansen,
Bernard H. Haen, Elroy A. Aerts, James F. Busse of Kaukauna and Jerome W. Evers
of Little Chute.
The Navy men are Mark W. Kilgas, Oliver J.
Wheaton, Clark G. McCormick, Marvin P. Kempen, Donald F. Vaubel, William F.
Siebers, Charles D. Gorchals and Robert J. Voet of Kaukauna. Other men from the
area are Jerome J. Helf of Kimberly and Glen F. Jansen and Clyde M. Koehn of
Little Chute.
Sgt. Clarence P. K. Kiffe, who has been
overseas for over two years, met his brother Harold who has been overseas for
six months, in the Marshall Islands, in the South Pacific. They are the sons of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph
Kiffe of Kaukauna.
Howard Brill, seamen second class, is spending
a seven-day leave with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Brill.
Private Paul Nagan, who is serving with the Marines,
completed his course at Texas A & M College with a mark of 93 to lead his
class. He is now stationed at Cherry
Point, N. C.
Dr, Robert T. McCarty,
Appleton, formerly of Kaukauna, who entered service two years ago as a
lieutenant senior grade in the Navy, now is a lieutenant commander. He is
stationed on the U.S. Tryon a hospital ship in the South Pacific.
Private
Frank Effa surprised his parents Mr. and Mrs. Peter Effa main Ave. Sunday when
he came home on a 30-day furlough after having served over a year in Italy.
Sgt.
John W. Taylor, who was home on a convalescent furlough, left today for Camp
McCain, Miss. He had been receiving treatment for a severe eye injury.
Frank Merckx, who entered the maritime service
on June 2, is now stationed at Avalon Catalina, California. He likes the life
very much and has put on 17 pounds and grown two inches since joining.
Staff Sergeant Bernard E. Haessly, 24, of
Kaukauna has been awarded the third Oak Leaf Cluster to his Distinguished Air
Medal. Sgt. Haessly is the radio operator on the Flying Fortress “Poisonality
Kid”. He has completed 30 missions over Germany and occupied territory. The
award was made at the Eight AAF base in England. He is currently spending a
22-day leave with his parents Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Haessly.
Captain
and Mrs. Russel Toms are enjoying a 17-day furlough at the home of his parents
in Kaukauna. Captain Toms has just finished a navigation school at Chanutt
Field, Ill. and is now returning to Tonapah, Nev.
Paul
Green has sent a letter to his parents, Rev. and Mrs. L. F. Green of Kaukauna.
He is stationed in England as a waist gunner on a B-17 flying fortress. He said
he had visited his aunt in England, Mrs. Green’s sister.
Sgt. William R. Schmitz, Jr. of Kaukauna was awarded
the Good Conduct Medal at the 276th Infantry 70th
division at Camp Adair, Oregon.
Corporal
Ralph Doering states that he is in Anzio in Italy and as safe as he was in
Kaukauna. He says the war has moved
north and now is having a private battle with the mice trying to live in his
foxhole.
Two Kaukauna boys meet in England. Earl
Treptow wrote home that he met John Kramer. Earl has been in the army 3 years
and has recently been promoted to staff sergeant.
Corporal
Edward J. Kramer has arrived safely in England, according to word received by
his parents Mr. and Mrs. Ed Kramer Sarah Street Kaukauna.
James
A. Egan, 17 and Donald R. Stegeman, 18 are receiving their initial “boot”
training at Great Lakes Navel Base, Ill.
Private
John D. Burns, Kaukauna, has been assigned to the AAF Training Command Radio
School at the Sioux Fall Army Air base.
Pvt.
John H. Rieth has arrived safely somewhere in England.
Sergeant Edward Kaphingst, who is in the air
corps in Lake Charles, La., is spending a 15-day furlough with his father
Edward of Kaukauna.
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