July 22, 2005
Oroville Mercury February 10, 1944
8530 Pounds Of Tin Gathered By Elementary School Pupils
Children of the Oroville elementary schools have collected 8530
pounds of tin cans in a drive they conducted under the direction
of their teachers and Superintendent Clarence Fylling, salvage director
for Oroville. Fylling announced the total poundage today, saying
that these drives will be continued one month, at the request of
the state salvage organization, “which is very anxious to get more
tin.” The school collections were: East Side, 1965 pounds; Burbank
2204 pounds; and Bird, 8530 pounds. Four boys of the Burbank school
collected 714 pounds and average of 178 per boy. They were Dale
Duley, Ronald Turner, Donald Lawson and Donald Meyer. At the East
Side School, Shirley Becker collected 175 pounds, Royne McGinnis
145, Richard Turner 116, and Virginia Randolph 115. The 8th
grade class of Mrs. Ellen Jones at Bird average 35 pounds of tin
cans per pupil. Three girls of that school, Beverly McKillop, Anna
May Henry and Joyce Fylling, collected 402 pounds, working together.
Jack Kemper with 155 pounds topped the list at Bird. Others there,
collecting large quantities, were Mervin Cannon, 132 and Donald
Frazier, 138 pounds. Residents are asked to continue to take their
tin cans to the grocery stores, from which they will be collected.
The difficulty in getting cars for the tin has been solved, Fylling
said, by pooling Oroville’s cans with those of Chico. Collection
difficulties also have been ironed out he said.
PVT. LUCY PRADO OF MARINES ASSIGNED TO RIFLE DETAIL
Pvt. Lucy G. Prado of the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve, recently
completed her “boot” training at Camp Lejeune, New River, N. C.
and was assigned to duty with the rifle range detail at the Marine
Corps base in San Diego She was among the first group of women to
be assigned to that base. Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. B. Prado, Pvt
Prado is a graduate of Oroville Union high school class of ’39.
Until her enlistment last September she was employed by the state
criminal investigation department at Sacramento. Her brother, Cpl.
Luis Prado is serving overseas in the army. Pvt. Prado last visited
here during the Christmas holidays.
CPLS. WEST AND LA VOY MEET ON ALEUTIANS ISLAND
Cpl. Joe La Voy and Cpl. James (Red) West , formerly of Oroville
and now of the U. S. Army, recently got together again on one of
the Aleutian Islands after an absence from each other of nearly
two years. The two young men entered the army together and took
their basic training together at Camp Wolters, Texas. La Voy was
then stationed in the Aleutians and West at the Presidio of San
Francisco. Later West was sent to the Aleutians and at the time
of the invasion of Kiska, both men were on the same island. Each
knew the other was there but they were unable to arrange a meeting.
They corresponded and a short time ago Cpl. West, en-route to a
new station, was given a 7-day stopover on La Voy’s island. West
made a 7 mile hike to have the reunion with his friend and the two
had a great time talking over the home town and their experiences
since they entered the army. The wives of La Voy and West are cousins.
Mrs. La Voy is the former Laura Dickenson and Mrs. West, the former
Mildred Richter. La Voy is the son of Mrs. Joe La Voy of Oroville.
West is the son of Mr. and Mrs. J. R. West of Washington, formerly
of Oroville.
Stu’s notes:
Tin cans; I grew up with them they were harder than the cans
of today. They would stick to your American made tennis shoes for
miles as we walked around Thermalito. No T. V.’s, computers etc.
Then a kid could go to a movie for 20 cents under 12 or 50 cents
over 12 and see two full-length movies, a cartoon, a serial (Flash
Gordon etc.) and a newsreel and you could watch it all twice or
more. We had real fun. During WWII the whole community got involved
supporting the troops and the war effort. I wrote about Marine Lucy
Prado in the past, nobody seems to remember her.
Our committee is always open to new members one of our most recent
couples to join us is Jan Robertson and Bill Pliler. Jan lost her
father in WWII, Pvt. Carl Robertson an Oroville man who I will soon
write about. If you are interested in joining us, please come, we
meet the third Monday of each month at 6:30pm at the Oroville Veterans
Memorial Hall on Montgomery.