January 4, 2013

Oroville Mercury Register
January 3, 1944
Spanish War Veterans Sing Out Old Year At New Year’s Party
Members of the United Spanish War Veterans, Camp 109, and the USWV auxiliary, No. 95, watched the old year out and the New Year in at a party given at the home of Mrs. Nan Smith at the corner of Oak and High Streets. Group singing was the main diversion of the evening, and according t o members, the men out sang the women and created an evening of outstanding entertainment with their renditions of old favorites. Their songs included; “Sweet Adeline,” “Drink to Me Only,” “Tenting Tonight,” and the old Spanish war song, “There’ll be a Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight.” Star performers, members said, were Fred Ulrich, George Critchett, Sam Unfried, and Miles Marders,Sr.. Games were played by the group at small tables in the living room, which was gaily decorated with large bouquets of chrysanthemums. “Po-Ko-No,” a new card game, was played and small prizes given to the winners. Coffee and cake were served by Mrs. Smith, following the “singing in” of the New Year and the party adjourned at 1:30 a. m. It was announced that an installation dinner would be held for the USWV and the Auxiliary Thursday at 7 p. m. at Memorial Hall. The installation will not be “open, it was said.

Oroville Mercury Register
January 3, 1944
Military Dances New Year In At Gala Recreation Center
Dance One of the outstanding local New Year’s eve entertainments was held at the Recreation Center where service men from Marysville and Oroville gathered with young women of the community to dance the old year out and the new year in. Noise makers and paper hats were distributed to the large crowd at midnight, just before the appearance of little Gatrel Gibbs, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Homer Gibbs as Miss 1944. Coffee and homemade cakes were served to the celebrants by members of the Red Cross Motor Corps. The cakes were furnished by the W. T. Sherman Relief Corps. A clock design, made by Miss Alma Ghianda, and festooned with serpentine, formed the central table decoration. Music for the dance was played by Miss Edna Row’s orchestra.

Oroville Mercury Register
February 23, 1951
News From Oroville Men In The Service
Charles W. Moss, son of Mr. and Mrs. Wayman Moss of Biggs, has enlisted in the Army and is stationed with an armored field artillery battalion at Camp Roberts. Moss enlisted Feb. 7 with his cousin, Kay Shadd, son of Mr. and Mrs. E. L. Shadd of Biggs, Shadd is stationed with an infantry regiment at Fort Ord. Both are 1950 graduates of Biggs High School, where they were outstanding athletes, and both had attended Yuba College during the fall semester.

Jack Nielsen, 21, was inducted into the Army this week at Fort Ord and has commenced his recruit training at the base. Nielsen graduated from Oroville High School and for the past two years has been working as an apprentice for a Los Angeles sheet metal concern. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Nielsen, of Thermalito.

Lewis Clark, Oroville, now stationed with the 63rd Infantry at Ford Ord, has won the light-heavy-weight boxing team, is now engaging in bouts at various army posts in the Northern California area. He is a graduate of Oroville High School, class of 1946. His wife Dolores and two daughters Rebecca and Susan live here.

Stu’s Notes:
The Spanish War, I wonder when “American” was added as in the Spanish American War, as we seem to know it now. As you know I always wonder. Well all of those people that lived during that long ago war are gone now. 16 million men served in WWII and maybe 1 million women. I wonder, did the single women soldiers get to come to those many dances held all over America in which the Young High School Girls came as dance partners. I can’t imagine young 16 and 17 year old boys being invited to dance with the young lady soldiers, just something to wonder about. As we know Chuck Yeager met his young high school girl Glennis Dickhouse here at a dance and after the war came and took her away for a life of adventure.

The Korean War was settled somewhat by a truce, which somewhat still holds today, although, many “incidents” along the border between North and South Korea have happened. The Veterans of Foreign Wars calendar states Korean War ended July 27, 1953 and that Day is National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day. This July it will be 60 years, let’s not forget. Oh, not being a veteran, I get the Calendar through donations. Willows did a most Beautiful and Patriotic Float for the Rose Parade good job.