Oroville Mercury July 1943
Coast Guard Man Visits Relatives Here
Jack Stevenson of the U. S. Coast Guard was a
recent visitor here at the home of his uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs.
W. R. Hayes of Yard Street. Stevenson, whose home is in Salt Lake
City, Utah, entered the service three years ago. He was on convoy
to the Solomon Islands before taking his present post at Furlong
Island.
Wells To Get Wings At Tuskegee
Alabama Aviation Cadet James E. Wells, son of Mrs. Doc Williams
of Oroville, will get his wings in September upon his graduation
from the Army Air Force Basic and Advanced Training School at Tuskegee,
Alabama. Today, W. Wells was Graduated from Oroville High School
in 1934. He was later employed by a motor company at Reno Nevada.
He enlisted in the Air Force in 1941. Prior to his entry into the
service, he and his wife, the former Helen Anderson of Redding,
made their home at Reno.
Lionel Wixom, Now a Private First Class
Deming Army Air Field - Deming, New Mexico-
Lionel M. Wixom of Oroville, California has recently been promoted
to the grade of private first class. Wixom is engaged as a mechanic
and is assigned to the 977th bombardier training squadron. Prior
to entrance into the Army October 31, 1942, Wixom was employed at
Plumas Box Co. at Twain, California. Wixom is the son of Mr. and
Mrs. Ira Wixom of Oroville, California. Stu- Lionel is related to
Oroville Veterans Memorial Park Committee member Alan Wixom.
Oroville Mercury Register September 23, 1929
Log Kills Ira Hoke
Oroville Man Dies of Skull Injuries When Log Hits Him Accident Happened
at Madera Lumbering Plant
A skull fracture and a broken back received when a log rolled on
him while he was working as a hook tender for the Sugar Pine Lumber
company in Madera County, proved fatal Saturday night for Ira Hoke,
33, of Oroville. Funeral services will be held at 2 o’clock Wednesday
afternoon in the Masonic Temple here, with burial in the Oroville
cemetery. Arrangements are in charge of Hamilton and Riley’s. Hoke
was taken to the company’s hospital at Mineral following the accident
Thursday afternoon. His brother, A. R. Hoke of Oroville, Mrs. A.
R. Hoke and his wife, formerly Effie Darby of How Addition, were
at his bedside when he died. Saw War-Service Hoke was a first sergeant
in the marine corps during the world war. He survived several offensives,
was in the battle of the Argonne, and once was wounded. After the
war he was with the army of occupation in Germany. He left Oroville
last spring to work for the Sugar Pine Lumber Company. He previously
had worked for the Swayne Lumber company. Hoke was a member of the
Oroville Masonic and Odd Fellows lodges. He is survived by his widow,
four brothers, A. A. Hoke, Oroville; J. F. Hoke, Portola; George
Hoke, Portola and Delbert Hoke, Minarets, and by a sister Mrs. Maud
McElroy of Durham.
Stu- Note the World War, it got the 1, 25
years later.
Stu’s Notes; I bet Jack Stevenson was glad to get off of Convoy
Duty. The Pacific Ocean was not a safe place to be during WWII especially
before mid 1943. Wow I just received the above information on Aviation
Cadet James E. Wells to think a small town like Oroville was back
then had two Oroville Union High School men become Tuskegee Airmen.
As my readers know after much research and almost giving up I found
Samuel Broadnax Tuskegee Airman and he came to Oroville, several
times. We made him Grand Marshall in the Veterans Day Parade, a
few years back. You can read quite a lot about him on our website.
Thanks Daryl. The story of Cadet Well was given to me by Historian
and dedicated Butte County Historical Society Researcher Bill Berg.
He has helped me before. You can find him most often down at our
Butte County Historical Society Museum. The Archives there at 2335
Baldwin Avenue are open Thursday and Friday 9am to 12pm. Stu- Come
join us History is Great!
I’ve written before of Lionel Wixom and his relative, T/Sgt Wilton
Wixom who was a POW in Germany. Nancy Brower, President of Butte
County Historical Society got me in contact with Bob Trownsell of
Chicago, we talked for some time. He does research on Veterans and
wanted to know more about Ira E. Hoke. He said Ira was up for a
Silver Star medal but that the paper work wasn’t completed, what
a hero all this lead to the above story. Stay tuned for a story
from Oroville Historian James Lenhoff, it has in it a train, cannons,
bayonets, soldiers, V I P’s, Wild West Orovillians celebrating along
with those from Marysville. I give his story an AAA rating.