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Simpson’s Loyal Sons & Daughters in World War II

– from Simpson College 1944 Zenith Yearbook

Photos of each of these service men and women in their uniforms and the writeups listed below were shown in the 1944 Zenith, Simpson College Yearbook, found at the Warren County Historical Society Library, Indianola, Iowa.

CHARLES ABRAHAMS – has completed his training in the Naval Air Corps at Corpus Christi, Texas.  He has been transferred to the Marine Air Corps.

RAY ACKLEY – is located at the Ottumwa Naval Base in Ottumwa, Iowa.

HOWARD ADAMS – is a Chaplain’s Assistant in the 42nd Field Hospital at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

MAX ANDREWS - is stationed at Maryville, Missouri, and is takign officers' training. He will receive his commission after a year.

FRIEDA AXTHELM - is now Mrs. Robert Earl, and is a Lieutenant (j.g.) [junior grade]. She is a personnel officer in the communications office at Norfolk, Virginia.

DONALD BANNING – is now serving in the New Guinea area of the South Pacific.

DICK BARKER - was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant and sent overseas. He recently flew over the mountains in India to "somewhere in China" where he is now stationed.

GEORGE BARNETT – is now somewhere in the South Pacific having been both in New Guinea and Australia previously.

BURL BEAM – received his wings and bar in March.  He pilots a B-17 and is now stationed at Roswell, New Mexico, for specialized training.

MAX BEAM – is a member of the Navy Band in the Naval Training school.

CHARLES BLACK – is a plotter in the range section of the heavy Coast Artillery guns.  He is at present located at Manhattan Beach, California.

CHAD BOLTZ – graduated from Boeing Aeronautical School at Oakland, California, and is now in the ground forces of the Air Corps stationed at Kearns, Utah.

RED BOUGHTON – trained at Santa Ana, Thunderbird Field, and the Marana Air Base at Tucson, Arizona, where he received his wings and 2nd Lieutenant’s commission.  “The old school certainly brought back some cherished memories, but it wasn’t quite the same without the fellows.”

LARRY BOUNDS – received his Ensign’s commission at Columbia University in New York City, He is now somewhere in the South Pacific.

HELEN BOWERS – was recently made a Lieutenant (j.g.) as a Spar and is a member of the Coding Board in New Orleans.

BERNARD BRENNAN – is in the Naval Training School at Liberty, Missouri.

HOMER BRENT – is in the supply depot of the Marines at Seattle, Washington.

KEITH BREWER - is now taking basic pilot training at Goodfellow Field in San Angelo, Texas.

GENE BROCKER – is in the Headquarters Squadron of the Army Air Force training school at Amarillo, Texas.

DALE BRUBAKER – is an Air Corps Cadet stationed in school at Marfa, Texas.

WILLARD BUZZARD – is stationed at Notre Dame in Marine training.

IVAN BYS – is taking Army engineering at Manhattan College in the Bronx.

KEITH CAMPBELL – is a Chaplain’s Assistant with the 572nd training group at Camp Chaffee, Arkansas.

RICHARD CHAMBERLAIN - is a Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps stationed at Lubbock, Texas. He has been singing for Army Shows. Chamberlain was formerly a member of Simpson's faculty.

MAHLON COLLINS – is with the Machine Gun Battalion at Camp Roberts, California.

MAX COLLINS – received his commission as Midshipman in New York. He is now located on the west coast, hoping soon to find living quarters to make it possible for his wife, the former Pat Rushing, to join him.

LYLE COLLOGAN – is a Lieutenant in the Marine Corps.  At latest notice he was still at Quantico, Virginia.

JOHN COOPER – is in the Army Air Corps and is attending college at Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

VIRGINIA COTTER - is in the WAVES.  She is taking her training at Sampson, New York.

JOHN CREES – received training in the Hospital Corps and was an honor graduate from the U. S. Naval Hospital at San Diego.  He is now located at Long Island in New York.

MYRON CRISWELL - is stationed in the Southwest Pacific with the Amphibious command of the Navy. He is on the staff of Commander of the Flotilla L. S. T. 243.

LOREN CROW – spent two and one-half months in Puerto Rico and is now an instructor in meteorology at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California.

JERALD CUNNINGHAM - is in the Headquarters Offices of the 3rd Army.

JOHN CUNNINGHAM - is a Lieutenant in the Marines.

CHARLES DAUGHERTY – is an E. M. 2/C in the Navy.  He is overseas.

LORAINE DAVIS – is in the Naval Training School at Corpus Christi, Texas.  He is a Naval Air Cadet.

CLARENCE H. DENHART – has his pilot wings. He is flying a B-17 for the Army Air Corps.

DON DENHART - is aboard an L. C. T. (L) [Land Craft Tank] seeing action in the Pacific. He is a navigation officer.

JIM DICKENS – received his commission as pilot at Lubbock, Texas.

CAROLINE EDLER - at present is in Officers Training School at Smith College, Northampton, Massachussetts.

MERRILL EWING – was stationed at Bloomington, Indiana, finished his course there, and is now located at Camp Campbell, Kentucky, in the A. S. T. P.

BYER FARNHAM – is a Lieutenant in the Marines at Le Jeune.

PAUL FARNHAM - was stationed in Granville, Ohio, in the V-12 Marine Detachment.

BOB FARR – is training at the University of Dubuque in preparation to be a chaplain.

LARRY FICKLE – is stationed at the Naval Training School at the University of Wisconsin.  He is studying radio.

CHARLES FLESHER – is a 2nd Lieutenant in the 314th Infantry at Camp Philips, Kansas.

VIRGINIA FLESHER - took her training for the WAVES at Hunter College, New York. She is now doing code work in Washington, D. C.

BOB FLINT - is an officer in the Port of Directors in Wilmington, North Carolina, and is associated with the Ordnance and Supply.

DICK FLINT – was commissioned an Ensign.  He is now stationed in San Francisco, California, and recently married the former Miss Elmerine Sherman.

LARRY FOX – graduated from Maryville, Missouri, in March.  While there he took officer’s training and was also chosen as first tenor in the V-12 male quartette.

HERBERT FRANK – entered pre-flight training in San Antonio and is continuing his primary at Muskogee.  He expects to receive his wings sometime in May.

MARILYN GEORGE – was one of 28 WAVES out of 900 who were chosen for recruiting.  As a Specialist Third Class she has been assigned to the Naval Procurement Office in Cincinnati.  “I’m coming back when the war’s over.”

FRANK GEYER – has finished his training at Bruce Field, Texas, and is now located at San Angelo, Texas.

ED GILBERT – is attending Denison University in Ohio taking V-12 training.

KEITH GIMSON - received wings and was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant and 1st pilot in April 1943. He pilots a B-25 medium bomber and is now somewhere in the African theatre.

CHARLES GODWIN & LEROY GODWIN – are still together at Denison University getting their training for the marines.

DICK GRANT – is taking pre-medicine at St. Ambrose in Davenport, Iowa. He is with the Navy V-12 Unit.

LUCINDA GRAVES – is a Lieutenant with the Army Nurses Corps and has been through most of North Africa, across Sicily, and as far into Italy as the Army has progressed.

VIC GUNN – is a meteorologist in the Army Air Corps.  He is serving as Adjutant at the commanding weather base somewhere in England.

MAUDETTA HALDEN – is a Corporal in the Marines.  She instructs both Marines and WAVES in Naval coding.  “Give my regards to the Simpsonites.”

BILL HALE - is on the receiving staff of the station hospital in Camp Phillips, Kansas.

JERRY HAMMOND – received training in the aerial gunner school at Laredo, Texas, and is now stationed at Midland for advanced work. “…many happy memories of Simpson.”

JACK HARVEY – is with a hospital unit of the Navy and is located in Brooklyn, New York.

HARLEY HEEREMA – received his training at Harvard University and was commissioned an Ensign.  He is now serving in the Pacific.

NANCY HEFLEY – is a Corporal in the Marine Corps.  She is now located at Mojave, California.

RALPH HENERY - is in the Navy, stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

DICK HILLIS – was commissioned a Navigator and sent to the African theatre.  His plane was shot down over Tunisia; he parachuted to safety, and was taken captive by the Germans.  After spending several weeks in transit camps he was permanently located at Stalag Luft III where he writes he has been well treated.  He is in a man’s quartette, touring the nearby compounds with a swing band giving shows.

DICK HOBBS – received his training at San Diego and from there was sent overseas.  Since September, 1942, he has served as a gunner on one of the newer battleships in the South Pacific.  He has participated in several major battles in that area.

CLARENCE HOLDEN – is stationed somewhere in the South Pacific.  “Here’s hoping I don’t miss any more Homecomings at Simpson.”

TOM HOPLEY - received his Ensign's commission at Northwestern. He is receiving further training in Sub-chaser command at San Diego.

CHARLES HORSLEY – is a member of the office staff doing clerical work at the Prisoner of War Camp at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri.

BOB HOYMAN – took his pre-flight at Santa Ana and gunnery at Kingman, Arizona.  Because of illness he was sent to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he was reclassified.

BUZZ HUNGETT – studied RADAR as a civilian in the Signal Corps Reserve and then was sent to RADAR school at Palm Beach as a corporal in the Army.  At present he is studying civil engineering at the University of Alabama.

BILL HUNSICKER - is stationed at Ames, Iowa, with the Naval V-12 Unit. He is a student in electrical engineering.

BOB HUNT – is in training for the Army Air Corps in New Mexico.

BERTTENE JENKINS – is in the Post Exchange Office of the Marine Corps in San Diego.

WAYNE JENSON – is commissioned as a pilot in the Army Air Corps and is now at Mather Field, Sacramento, California.

HAROLD KENT – is an apprentice seaman at Maryville, Missouri.

BYRON KERN – earned his wings in the Naval Air Corps and served overseas.  He was reported missing in action after an airplane accident in November 1943, while on duty in the Caribbean.

JOHN KERN – is now serving overseas as an Ensign in the Navy Air Corps.

RUSSEL KING – is attending the University of Southern California where he is in the Naval Reserve.

WYLIE KING – was commissioned an Ensign in Chicago, went to the west coast, and from there was shipped out to the Pacific.

PAUL KIRBY – has been attending Texas A. & M. taking a course leading to electrical engineering.

DEAN KNIGHT - is "somewhere in England, wishing I were somewhere in Iowa."

BERT KRUSE – is playing with the Army Band at Pampa, Texas.

NELDA KURTZ – is working in the recreational division of the American Red Cross.  She is now stationed in England where she is living in a private home when she isn’t traveling to the various canteens.

BOB LAFOLLETTE – formerly was stationed at Staten Island, New York, but has been given an honorable medical discharge.

JIM LAFOLLETTE – is attending Denison University and is a member of the Marine Corps Reserve.

STARR LEITCH – has finished RADAR training at San Diego.  He is now in Virginia and is 2nd class R. D. M.

CHARLES MARKEY – was trained with the Military Police Battalion and the Army Administration School.  He is now assigned to Combat Military Police Duty and shipped out from San Francisco.

BOB MAYNARD – is a gunner with the air-borne reconstruction crew in the Pacific Area.

BOYD MCCARTNEY - was originally with the armed guard but has been transferred to the Fleet. He is now at Norfolk, Virginia, taking destroyer training and expects to be sent across soon.

IRVIN MCCLURE – attended Maryville State Teacher’s College and from there was transferred to Columbia University where he is now located.  He should receive his Ensign’s commission in July.

JOHN MCDONALD – took training as an Aviation Cadet at Greenville, Texas, and is now stationed at Frederick, Oklahoma, in advanced twin-motor bomber training.

JOHN B. MCDONALD – is a Second Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps.  He is a pilot.

BOB MCGEE – is a weather observer at Bowman Field, Kentucky.

LELAND MCGRAW – spent eight months in the V-12 Unit at Maryville, Missouri, and is now at Columbia University in New York.  He will receive his Ensign’s commission in July.

MORRIS MCKEEHAN – is an Ensign in the Navy and is serving overseas in the South Pacific.  He was formerly a professor of Biology at Simpson.

IVAN MCKIRGAN – is attending Arizona State Teacher’s College and will be sent to Santa Ana for classification in the Army Air Corps.  “A lot of fellows are attending a great many colleges across the country but we still can’t seem to find any of them comparable to Simpson.”

DICK MCMULLEN – took a commando course at Camp Hood, Texas, and is now at Syracuse University in A. S. T. P.

BOB MCNELLY – received his wings and was assigned to piloting a B-26.  He is now stationed at Ft. Myers, Florida.

BOB MEANS – was stationed in England as a tail-gunner on a B-17.  He went on his first mission January 4, 1944, and was recently reported missing in action.

BERNARD MICK – is in Navy V-12 training at Wellesley College

MICK, MCCLURE and MCGRAW – have been together at Maryville, Missouri.  Each has now gone on for further training.

BRUCE MILLER - is located at Camp Douglas, Arizona, where he is an instructor of physical training.

BOB MOATS – is an instructor in electrical engineering at Annapolis.

JOHN MOORE – is located in England with a mechanized unit of the Cavalry.  He is associated with the Medical Detachment.

RAY MOORE – was stationed at Lincoln, Nebraska, for a specialized course in Aviation Mechanics. He is now serving overseas.

SUMNER MORRIS - is studying RADAR in radio school at Albion, Michigan, "... glad to refresh those fine memories of Simpson."

HOWARD MYERS - is in the Signal Corps of the Army. At present he is stationed somewhere in the South Pacific.

NORMAN MYERS – has trained as Naval Aviation Cadet in Hutchinson, Kansas, Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, and is now located at North Platte, Nebraska.

DON OSBORN – is attending medical school at the University of Nebraska with the Army Medical Reserve.

BOB PAYNE - is stationed at Denison University, taking a regular college course with concentration on speech. "Tell everyone 'Hello' and keep the Simpson homefires burning."

BILL PEMBLE – received his commission at Pensacola, Florida.  He is now serving at Santa Barbara, California.

BOB PIFFER – is at Camp Le Jeune where he is taking training for the Marines.

ESTHER POTTS - is in charge of recruiting in two counties of western Pennsylvania, with offices in Kittanning and Butler, and district headquarters in Pittsburgh.

JIM PRATT – is located at Denison University, Granville, Ohio, where he is attending college preparatory to receiving his commission in the Marines.

VIRGINIA STURM PUGH – is in the WAVES and has a very confidential position in an office in New York City.

EVERT RABUCK - is in the Army.

MIKE REED - was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant at O. C. S. [Officer Candidate School] at Quantico, Virginia. He spent a month at Pearl Harbor and was shipped out to his present position in the South Pacific. He is now a 1st Lieutenant.

IVAN RICHARDS – is now stationed somewhere in the South Pacific with the Navy.

TOZZ ROBINSON – received his wings at Albuquerque, New Mexico, as a bombardier.  He is now stationed at Lincoln, Nebraska, for advanced training.

BOB ROGERS – has been stationed at Indiana University and was among the first 34 Cadets to complete the basic engineering course of the A. S. T. P.  He is now located at Camp Roberts, California.

BILL SCHOOLER is at Northwestern University for further training in the Navy V-12.

DALE SEVERTSON - is an aviation cadet; as a navigator and bombardier he is receiving training at Santa Ana.

KENNON SHANK – is an Army instructor at Buckley Field, Denver, Colorado.

BUZZ SHANKLAND - has been stationed with the ground crew at the Stinson Army Air Base at San Antonio. He was married on January 8th to the former Barbara Bates of San Antonio.

WES SHARP – received his wings at Douglas, Arizona, and is now in training in New Mexico before going overseas.

ERNEST SHAW – has been in Panama Canal Zone since January 1943, where he is serving in the Medical Corps.  He was formerly the Simpson College physician.

SHERLEY SHEARER – is attending the School of Medicine at the University of Iowa.

WARREN SIMPKINS – was trained at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Camp Wheeler, Georgia, before leaving for overseas in October 1942.  At present he is stationed in England as a Chaplain’s assistant and also as an entertainer.  He was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action in North Africa.

EVO SJEKLOCHA – was commissioned a second Lieutenant at Parris Island, South Carolina.  He is now stationed with the Amphibious Tractor Detachment and is being sent to San Diego for overseas duty.

BILL SMITH – took training at San Antonio, Coleman, Sherman and Eagle Pass, all in Texas, and received his commission on January 7th.  He is now at Randolph Field in San Antonio preparing as an instructor in advanced flying.

BOB MAX SMITH – took preparatory flight schooling at William Jewell College at Liberty, Missouri, and is now at Yankton College (War Training School) and expects to enter Pre-flight at Iowa City.

DICK SMITH – is at Midshipman School at Columbia University.

GORDON SMITH – took his training at the Marine Base in San Diego, and is now on ship duty somewhere in the Pacific.

JOHN SPENCER – is attending the college of medicine at the State University of Iowa in Iowa City.

KENNETH TAKEHARA – is studying for service in army intelligence.

DUANE VANPATTEN – was stationed at Ellington Field, Texas, where he received his bars in the Army Air Corps.

TOM VINER – is receiving medical training at the University of Nebraska.  He is in the Army.

JAMES VLASSIS – was flight training in California when his plane collided unavoidably with another.  He died in October 1943.

JIM WEINMAN – received training in the Infantry Replacement Anti-tank Division.  He has been recently sent overseas.

VERNON WETTER – took his basic training in anti-aircraft and is at Camp Hulen, Texas, awaiting appointment to A. S. T. P. “It brings back memories to hear of college activities in which I once participated.”

DWAYNE WIGGINS – is stationed in Camp Campbell, Kentucky, in the Engineering Battalion.  One of his older brothers, Jim, is traveling abroad with the Army show “This Is the Army.”