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.