Wisconsin State Teachers College - Meletean Yearbook (River Falls, WI)

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TXS JAMES GORDON FLATHE James Gordon FlaThe was born in Winnipeg. Canada, The son oT Mr. and Mrs. John FlaThe, who came To The SouTh Fork disTricT near River Falls in l938. He had enTered The Teachers College in I937 Trom The Pepin High School and remained unTil I939. He enTered The army in January, I943, and served in The Reconnaissance division-armored Cavalry. He was senT overseas and ToughT on The Tields oT Normandy, where he was wounded July 4, I944, and succumbed To his wounds The nexT day. His broTher, STaTT SergeanT George FlaThe, was lcilled in acTion in Belgium, January 3I, l945, aTTer having been in service Tive years. AnoTher loroTher, Gerard, was in The Royal Canadian Air Force in England. LieuTenanT JOHN D. FRANK John D. Frank oT Phillips came To River Falls in I939 and spenT Two years aT The Teachers College in The AgriculTure deparTmenT, enlisring in The Naval Reserves in AugusT, l94l. He received his wings aT Pensacola, Florida, and was as- signed To aTrol duTy aT Panama and laTer aT Jamaica. He was Transferred To a TighTer plane, and his Training con- Tinued unTil The carrier USS Kaason Bay was senT inTo acTion in July, I944, in The invasion oT SouThern France, He Tlew a carrier-based navy TighTer plane in This invasion, and was reporTed missing AugusT I7, I94-4. He had been awarded The Air Medal and received The Purple HearT. A broTher, Bernard, served wiTh The armed Torces in The SouTh Paciiic. ln 1944, LieuTenanT Franlc married Miss Eleanor CurTis aT Pleasanhfille, N. Y. His parenTs are Mr. and Mrs. Disrnas E. Frank oT Phillips, Wisconsin. Privaie CHARLES L. GANSKE Charles L. Ganslce, son oT Mr. and Mrs. Charles Ganslce OT CheTelc, graduaTed Trom The CheTek High School and came To River Falls in I939. He remained here Through I939- l94O, majoring in science. SepTember 29, l94I, he joined The armed Torces and Thus was in service before Pearl Har- loor. He wenT overseas and served in The Philippine Islands. He was missing aT BaTaan and died in CabanaTuan prison, SepTernber 28, l942.

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Yi- , . . SH., .. l we - hw jx' 5 552155552223 AKC DUANE LEON DOOLITTLE Duane Leon DooliTTle, son oT EdiTor and Mrs. l-l. F. DooliTTle oT EllsworTh, meT his deafh TogeTher wiTh a friend, Donald L. l-larlander, in an airplane crash near EllsworTh, Memorial day aTTernoon, I944. Duane had iusT compleTed his basic Training aT Wold-Chamberlain Tield May 22, and was To have reporTed aT Corpus ChrisTi, Texas, Tor advanced Train- ing, June 2. l'le enlisTed in The Navy V-5 program in I943, aTTer compleTing his sophomore year aT River Falls. While in high school and aT college he played on The baskeTball Teams and, aTTer enlisTing, played wiTh The MankaTo Teachers College Tive while Training There. l-le played drums in his home school band Tor eighT years, was a member oT The college band. and was drummer wiTh The Navy band aT NorThTield, MinnesoTa. T-le was an Eagle ScouT. Duane's sisTer, Audrey lMrs. Graydon C. Woocll, also aTTended The River Falls College and his broTher, 'l'fSgT. STanley E. Doo- IiT+Ie, was wiTh The army in Korea. J . F, A Pfc. CARL G. DAHL, JR. Carl 6. Dahl, Jr., son oT Mr. and Mrs. Carl D. Dahl oT Bald- win, graduaTed Trom The Baldwin High School wiTh The class of I942. l-le aTTencled The Teachers College aT River Falls in I942-43, enTering The army March 5, l943. l'le served in The inTanTry and was senT overseas, where he was killed in acTion in Normandy, July 3l, I944. LieuTenanT LESTER E. DYER LesTer Eugene Dyer, son of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Dyer oT Fond du Lac, spenT Tour years, I939-I943, aT River Falls, and in looking over The college annuals oT Those years one Tinds Thar he parTicipaTed in almosT all college acTiviTies. l-le was class presidenT, member oT FFA, STudenT SenaTe, Flonor SocieTy, numerous commiTTees and acTive in aThleTics. l-le graduaTed wiTh The degree oT B.S. in agriculTure in l943. T-le enTered The service ThaT year in The Marine Corps and served in The CenTral PaciTic TheaTer. l-lis deaTh occurred February 24, I94-5. aT lwo Jima, when he was killed ins+an+ly by a sniper. All oTTicers in his company were killed excepT one, and he was wounded. LieuTenanT Dyer received The AsiaTic-PaciTic TheaTer-Ribbon, Sharp ShooTer's Medal, and Purple l'learT.

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Second LieuTenanT THOMAS H. GILL Thomas Hopkins Gill was The son oT LieuTenanT Colonel and Mrs. Dewey R. Gill oT WauwaTosa, Wisconsin. He aTTended River Falls Teachers College during i939-I94O. He enlisTed in January, l942, and served in The Army Air Forces in The European TheaTer oT operaTion. He received The Purple HearT and recogniTion oT The excellenT way in which he handled his plane, saving The lives oT all crew members. He meT his deaTh SepTember 26, I944, in a B-24, probably over Holland. LieuTenanT Gill married DoroThy Jane Taylor in l942, and They had one daughTer, Nancy Taylor Gill. STaFF Sergeani' ELDON GILLES Eldon Gilles aTTended River Falls Teachers College in I938- I939. Tollowing his graduaTion Trom The Plum CiTy High School. He enTered The service in OcTober, I942, and was senT overseas in OcTober, I944, in The Army Air Forces. STaTT SergeanT Gilles was an armor gunner on a B-24 in The EighTh Air Force and was sTaTioned in Shipdam, England. He had compleTed all his missions and was awaiTing passage To The UniTed STaTes when he was killed in an aircraTT crash over Gairloch, ScoTland, June I3, I945. He had received The Air Medal wiTh Two oak leaf clusTers. LieuTenanT DEAN W. GORDON Dean W. Gordon enTered The service in December, 1943, and became a piloT in The Army Air Forces in The PaciTic TheaTer. He had Tlown around IZOO hours overseas, making Trips To AusTralia and almosT all The islands in The SouTh Pacific. His plane moved supplies and Troops To The Torward areas as soon as They were Taken. IT supporTed The EighTh Army's drive inTo Mindanao and helped carry all The sup- plies used in The operaTion-The TirsT Time an engagemem' had been supporTed enTirely by air. His deaTh occurred July I7, I945, when his plane crashed on MT. CalaviTe on The island oT Mindora on a mail run. He received The AsiaTic-PaciTic ribbon wiTh Tive baTTle sTars, The Philippine LiberaTion ribbon, and was eligible Tor The Air Medal. He is survived by his parenTs, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Gordon, and Two broThers, one oT whom, Dale'Gordon, is aTTending coll- ege.