'Politics' and Polio

Monday, October 14, 2002

The McCook Daily Gazette of October 6, 1942, reported that condemnation actions were to be started against lands used for McCook's Army Air Base. U.S. Attorney Joseph Votava said that the action would be filed as soon as the description of the property to be taken over was received. Preliminary negotiation with owners of some of the land involved in the construction of the McCook Army Air Base had resulted in price offers regarded as too low by the landowners.

Negotiations for all of the land involved would probably be put in the hands of the court. Similar action had been taken at most of the satellite air base installations in Nebraska.

Gazette columnist, "The Bystander" noted that, "Almost every fan in the stands at Thursday night's football game would pay a small fee to know who was aboard the plane which circled above in the dark and flashed greetings before winging off somewhere into the night." He said it wouldn't be long now with the air base at McCook until the sound of a night flying plane would be no cause for great interest...unless they dropped something that made a loud bang!

Sen. George W. Norris, Independent, of Nebraska announced also on October 6, 1942, that Grand Island and Kearney would be getting air force installations also.

Work at the McCook Army Air Base made the front page of the Friday, October 9, 1942, Gazette..."More Labor Is Cry Here". Capt. William E. Grubb said that they could probably use 500 more men to do all kinds of work but that work was still on schedule. No concrete had been poured yet on any of the runways but surfaces were being prepared and pouring would start soon.

In the Personals of the Gazette on Tuesday, October 6, 1942, was a notice that Mr. and Mrs. Rolland Larmon had left on the train the previous evening for Washington, D.C. to attend the wedding of their son, Harold to Marion Patten, which was scheduled to take place during the upcoming weekend. Happy late anniversary, Harold and Marion!!

Montgomery Wards at 319-21 on McCook's Main Street had a large ad urging people to mail their presents to their serviceman early. They also had copies of special requirements in order to address and wrap packages for overseas shipments. The ad included a long list of gift suggestions which had been rated as "Swell, Fair or Junk" by both Army and Navy men. High on the "Swell" list of desired items by both Army and Navy were waterproof watches and portable radios. Not in great demand were chess sets, cribbage boards, diaries and portable phonographs.

Poet Ogden Nash had an appropriate contribution in the October 6th Gazette too entitled "G-Nashing the Axis". "Buy your stamps a dime at a time, Or a quarter, or even a dollar, Whichever you do won't hurt this rhyme, Hilter's the one who'll holler."

The McCook Canteen Service went into October of 1942 with a balance of $289.68. This was a great improvement over their usual financial state and was heartening for workers. Canteen officers expressed their thanks for the work of ladies from Bartley and Indianola who had taken a turn at servicing troop trains and to Mrs. Elmer Egle of Stratton who donated cards for troops.

The McCook Canteen received a thank you from San Francisco from James F. Stewart, Jr. of Company "B". He wrote, "Ours was the second colored troop train to pass through on Tuesday, September 28, and was the group which came out to do some calisthenics; just in order to establish who we were." Stewart added his "sincerest gratitude for the fine way we were all treated when our train passed through your town. I understand that the cooperation of all citizens of the community was voluntary and I wish, through your possible publication of this note, to thank every one of them."

An American Legion convention scheduled for Cambridge on October 7, 1942, was postponed because of fears that infantile paralysis (polio) might be spread in this area.

Seven towns in this area of the state already had one or more cases of polio each and Cambridge reported six or seven cases.

McCook reported their first case of polio in the October 7, 1942, Gazette. The McCook victim of infantile paralysis was Douglas Eugene Gray, the four-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Norris Gray of 404 East 4th Street. Because he was below school age, no particular threat was feared for the school-age group. School Superintendent Dr. Earle Wiltse said that they were checking pupils in every room of every building each day to detect the faintest signs of the illness though. Little Douglas was taken ill on Sunday and by Thursday, had been transferred to an Omaha hospital.

John Callan, An REA lineman was injured in a 21-foot fall from the top of a power line pole. Callan was part of a crew dismantling the M.R. Johnson power line near Stockville which the REA had taken over. The pole snapped off sharply in the middle when Callan released a wire. The REA worker was in St. Catherine's Hospital in McCook with a fractured bone in his foot although full extent of his injuries were not certain.

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