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

Page 15 text:

Technical SergeanT EUGENE GOSSEN Eugene Gossen, The son oT Mr. and Mrs. J. Gossen oT Bessef mer, Michigan, graduaTed Trom The River Falls Teachers College wiTh The degree OT B.E. in I937. He TaughT in The River Falls High School unTiI his inducTion in February, I942. He served in The Army Air Forces in The 394Th Bombardmeni Squadron in The AsiaTic-PaciTic Area. ShorTly aTTer his ar- rival aT his base in The PaciTic he was killed in a crash landing wiTh live bombs which exploded. He received The Purple HearT and CiTaTion oT Honor. SergeanT Gossen was much inTeresTed in Boy ScouTing and The River Falls ScouT home has been named The Eugene Gossen Lodge in his honor. ln June, 1943, he married Marian Tracy, also a sTudenT oT The college. LieuTenanT WALTER GUIN N VV'alTer Guinn aTTended The Teachers College Trom I933 To 1936, majoring in hisTory and The social sTudies. He was especially acTive in YMCA and in The men's chorus and a cappella choir. He enlisTed in The Army Air Forces in January. l942, and was commissioned lieuTenanT. He meT his deaTh December 29, I943, aT Deming Field, New Mexico, where imperTecT venTilaTion and heaTing TaciliTies in Their Trailer home caused his deaTh by asphyxiaTion, TogeTher wiTh ThaT oT his wiTe, Genevieve Kondrasuk Guinn, and Their Tive- year-old son. LieuTenanT HOWARD E. HTNES Howard E. Hines enlisTed in The Army Air Forces SepTember 29, I942, aTTer aTTending college one year, l94O, and be- came a piloT oT a B-24 LiberaTor in England, where he en- gaged in combaT over Germany wiTh The 445Th Bombard- menT group. He had compleTed more Than TwenTy-eighT heavy bombardmenT missions over Germany, had been shoT down Twice, buT had each Time broughT his plane back To England. On April 22, I945, he was killed in a plane crash near HoningTon, England, while on a non-combaT mission. He was awarded The DisTinguished Flying Cross and The Air Medal wiTh Two oak leaT clusTers. LieuTenanT Hines was The son oT Mr. and Mrs. ErnesT M. Hines oT EllsworTh. A broTher, Tf5 Willard L. Hines, served in The PaciTic in Okinawa. ln I94l he married Frances A. Brookshaw oT EllsworTh.

Page 14 text:

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.

Page 16 text:

' Pfc. RICHARD M. R. HYLKEMA Richard M. R. Hylkema, The son .of Mr. and Mrs. Ben Hylke- ma oT TurTle Lake, graduaTed from River Falls in I934 in The Three-year group. He enTered The Army in December, I943, serving in The lnTanTry. He was senT overseas and ToughT in France, Belgium, and Holland wiTh The TimberwolT Divi- sion. He was killed in November, I944, in Holland close To The birTh place of his parenTs. PTC. Hylkema wore The European TheaTer ribbon wiTh Two baTTle sTars and received The Purple HearT. Two sisTers, Mary ideceasedl and Ger- Trude, and a broTher, Bernard, were also sTudenTs aT River SergeanT RUPERT ISAACSON RuperT Isaacson was in The AgriculTure deparTmenT Trom I938 To l94l. He was acTive in aThleTics, playing on The TooTbalI Team during The Three years. He was inducTed in June, l?4I, and served in The Field ArTillery. He wenT overseas in SepTember, I944, and ToughT in souThern France where he was killed in acTion againsT The enemy November 22, I'-744. SergeanT lsaacson was The son oT Mr. and Mrs. R. L. Isaacson of Nye. Fa l ls . ' LieuTenan+ GORDON JACKMAN Gordon Wayne Jackman of River Falls leTT wiTh The NaTional Guard in OcToloer, l94O, aTTer aTTending college one year. He was chosen Tor oTTicers Training and was graduaTed as a lieuTenanT in The Field ArTillery. He wenT overseas in SepTember, I944, and served in The European TheaTer as Torward observer in a Field ArTillery uniT. He losT his liTe aT KrinkelT, Belgium, in The BaTTle of The Belgian Bulge in acTion againsT The enemy, while wiTh exTraordinary heroism he proTecTed The wiThdrawal of a friendly inTanTry baTTalion unTil his posiTion was overrun. He was ciTed Tor bravery and awarded The DisTinguishecl Service Cross. LieuTenanT Jackman was The son oT Mr. and Mrs. Will Jackman. Two broThers were also in The service, Lynn in lTaly and Duane in The UniTed STaTes. In December, l942, he married Lois Webb, a graduaTe of River Falls in The class oi I942.