Oroville Mercury Register
August 23, 1943
Hit In Mid-Air; Local Flyer Safe
Two second lieutenants, one of them flying from Oroville Army
Airdrome, landed their planes successfully Sunday after they had
met in mid-air collision near Marysville. The flyer from Oroville
was Edward K. Simpson, 21, of Hampton, N. J. The other flyer was
Glenn A. Hubbard, 21, of Hayward, Calif., who had taken off from
Marysville Army Airdrome. They were flying single-seater fighting
planes. The announcement came from Hamilton Field.
OMR
February 14, 1948
Weiss Named As Deputy
Jerry Weiss, a graduate of Oroville Union High School, has been
appointed a deputy sheriff by Sheriff Forward. Weiss will fill the
vacancy caused by the resignation of Ray Head of Chico. Head resigned
at the time of the appointment of Gordon R. Fairchild to the post
of undersheriff. A veteran with six years service in the navy, 30
months of which were overseas, Weiss is married and has one daughter,
2 ½ years old.
OMR
July 12, 1943
In The Fight
Feather Falls Girl Qualifies As Driver
Fort Des Moines, Ia. Auxiliary Wilma I. Hartman of Feather Falls
has completed training in the motor transport school of the First
Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps Training Center here. Auxiliaries attending
Specialist schools are enrolled either in the bakers and cooks school,
the motor transport school or the administrative specialist school.
Relatives Gather To Honor PFC Leo Moak
Pfc. Leo Moak of Nelson, formerly of Richvale, is now a radio
technician stationed at Camp Williston, Florida. He recently visited
in Nelson, where his wife is a member of the school faculty. During
Moak’s stay at Nelson, twenty-five of his relatives gathered to
honor him at a family dinner. Moak is the son of Mrs. William Comstock
of Richvale.
George Flatter Home On Leave From Navy
George R. Flatter of Oroville, who recently completed his training
at the navy training station at Farragut, Ida., was here recently
on a short leave. Flatter qualified to take up navigation, or work
in the navy supply department. The son of Mrs. J. M. Flatter of
West D street, he left Oroville April 1 to enter the service. He
was attending the University of California as an electrical engineering
student at the time of his enlistment. A graduate of Oroville high
school in 1941, he played on the high school football team. At one
time Flatter was a Mercury carrier.
Mrs. Huston’s Grandson Stationed In Hawaii
Private Jimmie L. Keyes, a graduate of Oroville High School
in 1942, entered the service Feb. 16, 1943 and was sent to Walters,
Texas for training and is now stationed in the Hawaiian Islands.
He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. L. Zander of Oakland. Zander was a
sergeant in World War I. Keyes is the grandson of Mrs. Carrie Huston,
West A Street and made his home with her prior to his military service.
He was formerly employed at a local grocery store.
Lt. Kepple Writes To Oroville Friend
Miss Alice Hecker has received a card from Lieut. Clyde D. Kepple
who was employed in Oroville about a year ago. Lt. Kepple wrote
that he had just received his commission at Gulf Coast Training
Center, U. S. Air Forces, Brooksfield ,Texas.
Stu’s Notes: There were close to 30 crashes out of our Oroville
Army Airdrome from 1942-1945. Four brave young men died flying those
hard to fly old P-39’s. Mid air collisions usually had deadly results.
We know their names and will honor them on our Memorial, someday.
You can see that plane on a mural on the City Hall by Lee Frank,
local artist.
Jerry Weiss must have served in WWII this is all I know of him and
the other service men and women listed above except for George Flatter.
He joined the Navy in April 1943, less than one month later his
father John M. Flatter, a WWI Veteran and WWII was lost at Sea,
May 3rd 1943. Thank you, Doug Krause, for that information
years ago. I will check to see if I’ve done a story on John.