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

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Ensign JEROME SOBOTTA Jerome SoboTTa graduaTed Trom River Falls in l94O, wiTh The degree B.S. in agriculTure. He TaughT agriculTure Two years in The Channing, Michigan, High School. In February, I942, he enlisTed in The Naval Reserve and received his commis- sion in The Tall of ThaT year. He was assigned on The seas The nexT year and saw acTion in The SouTh PaciTic unTil July I8, I943, when his ship was Torpedoed as iT was nearing The island oT Rendova in The Solomon Sea. Among Those who losT Their lives on The ship was The Tamous arTisT and illusTraTor, LieuT. Commander McClelland Barclay. Ensign SoboTTa is survived by his moTher, Mrs. Emma SoboTTa. His broThers served in The Pacific also. Pfc. RUSSELL SOLHEIM Russell Solheim, son OT Mr. and Mrs. Oswald J. Solheim oT Hudson, graduaTed Trom River Falls in l927. Music was one oi his chieT hobbies and he was a singer oT unusual abiliTy. AT The Time of his enlisTmenT, OcTober, I943, he was work- ing Tor The Cudahy Packing Company as a salesman. PrivaTe Solheim served in The lnTanTry and was senT To The European TheaTer. He ToughT in The baTTle oT ST. Lo and losT his liTe in France on The Tields oT Normandy, July I I, I944. Lieu+enanT KEITH SOLVESON KeiTh Solveson enTered The Army Air Forces February 24, l942, aTTer aTTending The college Trom I937 To l94l. He became bombardier Tor The crew oT The Sky WoIT, ac- counTing Tor more Than TwenTy German TighTers beTore going down over Oschersleber, Holland. l.ieuTenanT Solveson losT his liTe AugusT 20, I943. He was awarded The Air Medal wiTh Three oak leaT clusTers and The Purple HearT.

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Capiain MALCOLM H. ROCKWELL Malcolm H. Rockwell aTTended The college during I937-I938 and MarqueTTe UniversiTy during I938-I94-O. He enIisTed in The service November 26, I94I, a Tew days beiore Pearl Harbor. He served in The ArTiIIery and ToughT overseas in The European TheaTer. He losT his IiTe in Germany, De- cember I7, I944. He received The Bronze STar Medal and The Purple HearT. CapTain Rockwell was The son of Mrs. VVinnona Rockwell and is survived by his wiTe and his moTher. His broTher John died in France Two monThs beTore his own deaTh. ii iii , iiii I 748: il' III 5' SN LieuTenan+ OLIVER R. SCHULTZ Oliver R. SchuITz was a sTudenT in The AgriculTural deparT- menT aT The college in l94O-I94I. He Then enTered The UniversiTy oT Wisconsin and enIisTed while There in February, I942. He IeTT Tor overseas in December, I943, going TirsT To Africa and Then To ITaIy. He was missing in acTion May 26, I944. LieuTenanT SchulTz received The Air Medal and was awarded The Silver STar Tor aTTack on a concenTraTion of enemy moTor vehicles in lTaly in which he seT Tire To and damaged ThirTeen Trucks before his plane bursT inTo Tlames and he parachuTed To sea near enemy land. LieuTenanT RICHARD SHEA Richard Shea aTTenoIed The Oshkosh Teachers College in I94-O-I94I and enTered River Falls The nexT year in The AgriculTure deparTmenT. He enlisTed in The Army Air Forces in December, I942. He IeTT The UniTed STaTes Tor overseas service and became a PiIoT in a P-5I plane, engaged in combaT duTy in England. He losT his IiTe November I, I945, in Karlsruhe, Germany. He was awarded The Air Medal and The Purple HearT. LieuTenanT Shea was The son of Mr. and Mrs. John F. Shea oT PickeTT.

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LieuTenanT PETER STENE, JR. PeTer STene was a sTudenT in The college Trom I936-I9-40, enlisTing in The Army Air Forces in June, I94I. He served in The European TheaTer and was in The assaulT on Regens- burg, Germany, in AugusT, I943. He meT his deaTh while reTurning Trom a bombing mission To Franl4TurT, Germany, February I7, I9-45. JusT oTT The coasT oT OsTend, Belgium, The aircraTT oT which he was Command PiloT caughT Tire Trorn an explosion in The nose oT The plane. IT crashed inTo The sea, and only one survivor was rescued. The Air Medal wiTh seven oalc leaT clus+ers and The DisTinguished Flying Cross were awarded To him. LieuTenanT DARRELL KEITH STOYKE Darrell KeiTh SToylce came To River Falls Trom CheTelc, srludied here in preparaTion Tor a business course, l939-l94O, and Then wenT To The UniversiTy oT MinnesoTa, which he aTTended Trom l94O To l942. He enlisTed in July, IQ43, in The Army Air Forces. He became a FighTer PiloT and was senT To The European TheaTer. On AugusT l9, l944, he was lcilled in acTion in SouThern France. He received The Air Medal wiTh Three oaln leaT clusTers. LieuTenanT SToyl:e was The son oT Mr. and Mrs. E. F. SToylce oT Sheldon. Ensign ROBERT THORESON RoberT Thoreson enlisTed in The Naval Reserve as an aviaTion cadeT in December, 1940. He was in his senior year aT The college, majoring in agriculTural educaTion and science. He had been acTive in college liTe and was business manager oT The MeleTean aT The Time oT his deparTure. He was com- missioned an ensign in l94l and assigned To duTy as a naval Tlying insTrucTor wiTh The paTrol bomber squadron aT The Naval Air STaTion aT Pensacola, Florida. He conTinued aT This duTy unTil his deaTh, due To a landing crash, SepTember 7. I942. His TaTher, Toby R. Thoreson, lives in River Falls. A broTher, KenneTh, was wiTh The Army Air Forces in lndia.