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June 10, 2011

Oroville Mercury Register
October 1969
Money, Vines Donated By Gold Star Unit

Several donations were made Thursday afternoon when Butte County chapter, Gold Star Mothers of America Inc., met in Memorial Hall with Mrs. Charles Van Campen, vice president, in the chair. It was decided to buy two wisteria vines to be planted at the Chinese Temple and to donate $10 to American Red Cross. A donation of $25 was also made to Feather River Opportunity Center, a sheltered workshop for the handicapped and retarded. During the session it was decided to hold installation of officers at the Dec. 6 meeting. Mrs. Van Campen will be seated as president. Next meeting of the chapter will be Nov. 15, when members will travel to Chico to attend that chapter’s installation of officers.

Oroville Mercury Register
June 6, 1944
Local Churches Open Doors To Day of Prayer
Doors of all Oroville churches were opened wide this morning to remain open throughout the day and evening and residents of the community were invited to enter at any hour for prayer and meditation. Chimes rang out and prayer hymns for worship were played from noon until 1 o’clock on the organ at the First Congregational Church. Similar music will sound there between the hours of 5 and 6 pm. And from 7:30 pm., Through out the evening. Prayer sheets will be given for guidance in their worship to all who enter the church. Special prayer services will be conducted at 7:30p.m. at the Assembly of God Church. Special D-Day services, with an hour of prayer, will be held in St. Thomas Catholic Church at 7:30p.m. The Rev. Father Patrick Donnelly announced. A mass to pray for success of the invasion will be held at 7:45 a.m. tomorrow, and the church will be open every day for private prayer.”

Stu’s Notes: Well, Memorial Day has come and gone, so has D-Day. Memorial Day in Oroville is put together by a small group of our Veterans Memorial Committee. It takes a lot of meetings to get it right. Chaired by Vene Thompson and Sherry Morehouse we get it all together usually a week or two before “The Day”. I am very proud to be a member of the group that consists of Bill Fox, Daryl Autrey, Marti and Jim Holton, Bob Morehouse, Helen Thompson, Joan Lee (Van Campen), Helen Sellers, Susan Sharon, Bob Hedrick, Bernice Hughes, Manuel Johnston, Ben Webb, and Sam Bebout. Every year I think well it will be easy this year, we have done it many years but wrong, it goes like this, is so in so going to do this again, well no, maybe many, many phone calls and then on “The Day” it all comes together, somehow it amazes me. This year the weather was great, just enough wind to make the thousands of flags look a beautiful. A sight that everyone in the Oroville area should see. As I looked around that day I am always amazed at seeing so many wonderful people in the program always more that those watching, but that’s OK we don’t do it for them we do it for America’s true heroes, our Veterans. The ceremony on the bridge was fantastic. Almost 20 kids in the Thermalito Band directed by Bob Christensen, whose brother Jim directed the community choir earlier in the day up at the cemetery. Those kids start asking Bob way before “The Day” can we go to the Bridge again this year. Bob Morehouse rung the ships bell again when Sherry read each name of those Oroville area Veterans that died this last year, she would read a name and Bob would Ring the bell and say, “No Answer”. I’m sure it is an old Navy tradition. I recognized some of the names, one was my friend and Veterans Memorial Committee Member Darby Miller almost 100 names were read. There were speeches by some Navy men and we all sang “O Beautiful for Spacious Skies” written by Katherine Lee Bates. It is also known as “America”. Pastor Donna Van Maanen, of the First United Church of Oroville again came out on the bridge to give an opening and closing prayer. Oroville
Veterans Memorial Park for all of Butte County Committee member, Wayne Brock did a great job cooking for the American Legion Bar B Que. The Old Time Fiddlers played at the Cemetery and also at the BBQ, they always sound great. Council Member Cheri Bunker did a terrific job as Master or Mistress of Ceremony at the Cemetery. She kept the program running smoothly.

Mrs. Charles Van Campen lost her son in Vietnam
. I will go by and try to find those wisteria vines.

D-Day, The long awaited Invasion of Europe. It was the biggest Invasion in the History of Mankind. There were 5 beaches with the Americans invading two of them, the worst and best defended of the 5 Omaha and Utah, but by night fall all 5 were in the hands of the Allies. The Prayers of All of American were answered. D-Day is getting forgotten like Bataan, I didn’t read anything about it this year. There was a short bit about it on the News and my favorite channel The Military Channel ran stories all day on D-Day.