Oroville Mercury
October 5, 1942
East Biggs Woman
In U. S. Waves
Louise Heilmann
Visits Home Before Entering Training Biggs
Mrs.
Louise Heilmann visited
at her home here at East Biggs before reporting for duty with the
U. S. Navy in San Francisco Tuesday. Mrs. Heilmann is a member
of the first 25 women WAVES recruits to leave from San Francisco
to report for initial training at Stillwater, Oklahoma at the A
and M College. These recruits will form the first authorized
women’s corps in the U. S. Navy. Mrs. Heilmann passed examination
Sept. 28 and was sworn in at San Francisco. She is the former
Louise Orme, daughter
of Mrs. Milo Orme
of East Biggs. She graduated from Live Oak Schools where the
family formerly resided. For the past six years. Mrs.
Heilmann has been employed as secretary at the Agricultural and
Medical Association in San Francisco. Her work in the navy
is expected to parallel her former secretarial duties and release
a navy man for active duty
Oroville Mercury
Register April 13, 1942
Koch Recovering
After Operation
James Koch, Canadian
Royal Air Force flier, is recovering at Yorkton, Saskatchewan, after
an operation for acute appendicitis performed last Saturday night,
according to word received by his parents,
Mr. and Mrs. James H. Koch
of Foothill District. Koch, Oroville high school graduate,
who was home recently on a short visit, is now stationed at Yorkton.
Paul Wood Jr.
Enters U. S. Navy
Paul Wood Jr., 21
has enlisted in the United States and will leave for San Diego Monday
for training. Wood, son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Wood, Ft. Wayne
street, is a graduate of Oroville high school, in the class of 1938.
He had been employed by his father for four years in the upholstering
business here.
Social and Club
News
Miss
Betty Boyle spoke
of the junior defense program to be held in Municipal auditorium,
Wednesday, April 15, at a meeting of the Oroville Unit No. 95 American
Legion auxiliary Thursday night at Memorial hall. She said
that the young people were anxious to do their part, that many people
wanted to buy bonds but were unable to do so. Attending the
program, she said, would give them an opportunity to do their bit.
The program will consist of over an hour of music, song, and dance,
put on by the young people of the community. It will start
at 7:30 p.m., with the proceeds to go to the American Red Cross.
Mrs. Gretta Gaylord,
Poppy chairman, announced that the time for poppy posters which
are being entered by pupils of the elementary schools has been extended
to April 24. These posters will be on display at the next
meeting at which time the judges will render their decision, choosing
those entitled to the prizes. Mrs.
Geneva Lepper, junior
group would be Saturday, April 18, at Memorial Hall. Betty
Boyle, reported on the district meeting held at Richardson Springs.
Mrs. Hannah Ford,
Americanism chairman, reported that 50 essays from the elementary
schools had been submitted, and were being judged. Winners
will be announced at the next meeting. Resolutions of respect
to the memory of Agnes Alm,
gold star mother, were adopted. The following were appointed
to assist the post in the bond drive: Mesdames
Ellen Walker, Lepper,
Ford, Meredith Petee,
Bess Phillips,
Florence Boyle, Gaylord
and Beatrice Chizlett.
Stu’s Notes: Wow! an East
Biggs girl one of the first to join the newly activated Waves.
Another Wow! an OHS Grad who joined the Canadian Royal Air Force,
before we entered the war, Dec. 8, 1941. Brave young Americans
did join the Canadian and British Air forces, see my story May 12,
2006 about Jimmy Koch. (It is on the above web site.) They
had to join on the sly as we were not in the War at the time it
was against America’s neutrality rules. Although before Pearl
Harbor, a number of Americans were killed by enemy action, both
by the Japanese and Germans. Remember the Ruben James, just
one such incident. A destroyer sunk before we were in WWII.
There are a number of Koch’s in the Butte County phone book, I must
call them. I have written in the past of Paul Wood Jr., his
wife, Ruth is a docent at the Butte Count Historical Society Museum.
Also Miss Betty Boyle Davis who recently passed away, she did so
much for her country and also our little town of Oroville.
I’m glad I had the honor of talking with her, her grandfather is
honored for his roll in WWI in the Oroville Pioneer Museum on Montgomery
Street. We met Gretta Gaylord’s stepson while we were visiting
the Hornet, air craft carrier, now in Alameda. Gold Star Mother
Agnes Alm, (Gold Star Mothers lost their son’s in the war), lost
her son many years before, while training for WWI. He didn’t
die in the War but he died at camp and had a military funeral with
the highest military honors. He will also be honored in Our
Memorial. He was listed as the First Oroville boy to give
his life for his country, in WWI Oroville Mercury December
17, 1917. Thank you
Jan Rose Bales
for that research.