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Any photos not otherwise credited are from the personal collection of Frank Passic, Albion Historian.
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Morning Star, May 13, 2018, pg. 3 We pause here to take note of the passing of the last surviving member of Albion High School’s 1939 Class B state basketball championship team, Elton Amsden (1920-2018), who passed away of April 23 at the age of 97. A 1939 graduate, Elton spent his adult years in Farmington, but kept in touch with his Albion friends throughout his lifetime. That team earned the only state basketball championship in the entire history of Albion High School. I recently acquired a set of Albion High School "The Breeze"newspapers covering the years 1939-1944 during World War II. This is historically significant because although many saved their "Breeze Annuals,"(yearbooks), few saved the monthly Breeze newspapers published during the school year. Take into account the newspaper drives held during the War, and one can see how scarce any remaining issues are today. The Breeze issues during this period reflected the patriotism and citizen participation need in those days to "help win the War."The October 20, 1942 issue which we are featuring this week, illustrates a cartoon on page 1 entitled "From Willie to Adolph. Save, Serve, Conserve. A bomb for Adolf from Willie Jones, U.S.A."On the right is a column about the War Savings Stamps program presented by the U.S. Treasury Department. It states that cloth insignias were needed for servicemen, and that a ten-cent War Savings Stamp would pay for a set for one soldier. These were stitched on the sleeves/shoulders/collars of servicemen. An editorial on page 2 of this issue discussed practicing air raid drills and having student air raid wardens. A Defense Council was being organized at the school, and the editorial mentioned a scrap drive that was held a couple of weeks earlier. Such were those times at Washington Gardner High School. The Breeze was mailed to former Albion students serving in the military as a way of reminding them of home and the school from whence they came. We quote the article on page 1 entitled, "This Breeze Is Being Sent To—u8221 "Pvt. James L. Snyder, M.S.M., M.C.B. Rifle Range, San Diego, California; Pvt. Robert E. Ruffin, Co. B, 5th Reg., T.M., F.R. Fort Francis E. Warren, Wyoming; Pvt. George Wright, 8th Inf. Tr. Bn., Co. D., Camp Wheeler, Georgia; Raymond Stromer, S. C. 3, % Fleet, Post Master, San Francisco, California; S. F. 3 c Oliver K. Burns, U.S. Receiving Station, U.S. Destroyer Base, Fleet Welding School, San Diego, California; Corp. Joe Manino, 20637202, A. P. O. 948, Postmaster, Seattle, Washington." Continuing, "Pvt. Norman Hull, 35th Plt., Co. A. Parachute Train. Bat., Camp Gullespie, Santee, California. PFC Floyd A. Sadger, A. S. N. 365164953, Co. B., 706th Tank B. N. (M), Ft. Benning, GA. Pvt. John Zasucha, David Rankin School, 4431 Finney Avenue, St. Louis, MO. Pvt. John Ivanski, Headquarters Co. Amphibious Corps, Camp Elliott, San Diego, California. Pvt. Russell Elushik, Plt. 654, R. D. M. C. B., San Diego, CA. Pvt. George Pollman, Co. B., 1st Platoon, 31st Med. Training. Br. Camp Grant, IL. From our Historical Notebook we present the top front page of the October 20, 1942 issue of The Breeze, October 20, 1942. Volume XXXVIII, No. 2. How many of our readers still have The Breeze newspapers?  Breeze newspaper, October 20, 1942
All text copyright, 2024 © all rights reserved Frank Passic
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