2 Omaha Boys in Eng. Battalion in Italy Receiving Commendation
by S-Sgt, Julius C. Thomas ^
With the AAF Engineer Command
In Italy—Just a year ago a battal
ion of Negro aviation engineers de
barked at an Italian port. To its
members it was the beginning of
the adventure of war. They well
knew their mission—to construct
and maintain airfields. But they
did not know the myriad related
duties they would have to pegform
to keep the Mediterranean Allied
A,ir Forces on the wing.
dqq:^=ioqo01=1000O[^=1000
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Two Omaha hoy". Pvt. Richard
Hibson. 2212 Charles Street, aail
T-5 Raymond E. Coleman, 2S08
Miami Sl,t hoth setve tvllh the a
hove outfit.
The first assignment came immed
iately following the landing. One
company was sent to a base soon to
be enlarged by them into one of the
most important bomber fields in It
aly. Another company learned that
this is not just an American war
when they were located at a Royal
Air Force base needing recondition
ing. The balance of the unit start
ed repairs on hangar and building
installations at one of the large
Nazi-abandoned airfields.
If they had expected glamor and
excitement they were disappointed
for it was hard, unromatic work —
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mining dirt, eating dust, battling
mud. But when, ahead of schedule
their individual assignments were
completed and they saw mighty
bombers roar down the runways
they had built, they realized the
significant role they had been chos.
en to play.
Maturing with successive assign
ments, the unit later proved itself
in the face of emergency. Heavy
rain coupled with a sudden snow
storm wrecked the steel mat sur
face of an important 15th Air Force
base. It was in the midst of an all
out aerial offensive and every base
was needed.
Organizing into 17 hour shifts,
they worked around the clock, roll
ing back the steel mat piece by
piece, and compacting the earth un
derneath as they went with the ad
dition of fresh earth and sand. By
the time 600 truckloads of sand had
been added to the sub-surface the
job was completed and the field was
once again operaional. Only a few
days had been lost.
A personal inspection by Major
(Jeneral Nathan F. Twining, comm
anding the 15th Army Air Force,
brought the unit a commendation.
Garment Workers Pres.
Dubinsgy, Backs FEPC.
New York, N. Y. March 15, 1945
11 was announced by' A Philip
Randolph, Co-Chairman of the Nat
ional Council for a Permanent FE
PC that David Dubinsky, President
International Ladies Garmen work
erst Union which is composed of
Jewish Itallian and Negro workers
has supported the fight for the
Bills in Congress. S 101 and H. R.
3222 for a permanent FEPC finan
cially and morally from the very
beginning of the effort to get an
FEPC law passed. Brother Dubin
sky did not only have the Union
contribute five thousand dollars to
the National Council for a Perman
ent FEPC last year but has given
of his time in attending conferences
and developing plans to put over
this important bread and butter
measure for the minorities of which
the Negro people are the largest in
the country.
21st Special Battalion
Seabees Send $3,136
To the NAACP.
New York—The largest check ev
er received from a naval group
was sent into the national office
NAACP from the 21st Special Con
struction Battalion in the amount
of $3,136. The memberships were
the result cf a campaign directed
by L. D. Brown, Y2-c, chairman,
and his assistants Walter High
tower. Jr., Y3-c; P. J. Key, MAM 2c
and S. O. Allen, BM 2c.
Especially creditable is the report
—
t ha t the Battalion is "one of the
few with mixed ersonnel pand has
never had any serious racial dis
turbances.’' It boasts also more
rated Negro personnel than any
other Special Battalion. The entire
' recreational set-up including oper
ation of a movie fncatre is manag
ed and run by Negro enlisted men.
These achievements are attributed
mainly to the fairness of the com
manding officers, Lt. Commander
IF M Poole, and L,t. D. W. John
; son, executive officer.
Facts about the men who brought
in 547 new NAACP memberships is
as follows AC D Brown, Y2e, a na
tive of St Petersburg, Florida, was
formerly Civilian occupation school
teacher at iGbbs High School, as
sistant director of the NAACP
Youth Council and is now besides
an assistant to the Chaplain, a tea
cher in the Armed Forces Institute,
21st Special Bn.
Walter Hightower, Jr., Education
al yeoman 3c, is a native of Hen
derson, Texas, and a former student
of Bishop College; P. J. Key MAM.
2c, Bn. mail clerk, is from Cora
opolis, Perm., is a former mail car
rier and an active NAACP member;
S. O. Allen BM 2c, Bn., master-at
Arms, lived formerly in Savannah,
Georgia.
, HENRY R. MEISSNER
f Lawyer and President,
South Omaha Merchants Association
ASKS A QUESTION
On the Omaha Power Controversy
Why Should L. B. 20i
Be Repealed?
L.B. 204 never has had its constitutionality tested in the courts. Naturally, bank
ers would hesitate to buy bonds of a public power district established under a
law whose constitutionality has not been tested. A decision from the courts
may not come for years. That delay is costing you, the users of electricity, over
Two Million Dollars every year.
Under L.B. 204, the Peoples Power Commission, with the exception of two
members, is appointed by the Mayor and City Council. That leaves the possibility
that the Power Company may always be a political football for city politicians.
Under S.F. 310, the General Public Power Law, directors of the power district
are chosen by a vote of the people, as soon as the terms of the first directors
expire.
3. L.B. 204 has failed in the past to give us public ownership. The Peoples Power
Commission, created under L.B. 204, was unsuccessful in its attempts to nego
tiate the purchase of Nebraska Power Company for the purpose of turning it
into a public power district. Since it has already proved unsuccessful, why try to
proceed under it further when delay is so costly?
«
Repeal of L.B. 204 and procedure under S.F. 310, the General Public Power Law,
would permit all of the State of Nebraska, including Omaha, to operate under
the same law. Why must Omaha be forced to proceed under special legislation
when our problem of generating electric power is not much different from that
of the rest of the state? Let’s repeal L.B. 204 and proceed under S.F. 310, which
has been found to be constitutional.
L.B. 204 absolutely prevents public ownership under any other plan. Since L.B.
204 has failed in the past, let’s repeal it so public ownership can proceed under a
workable plan.
OMAHA ELECTRIC COMMITTEE, Inc.
(A NON-PROPIT CORPORATION)
TEMPORARY OWNERS OF THE NEBRASKA POWER COMPANY,
LAST RITES HELD
FOR MRS. OORDON
Succumbed before She
Could Get Back Home
Funeral services were held for
Mrs. Nora Mary Gordon, 65, of 2932
North 28th Street. Thursday after
noon from Pilgrim Baptist Church,
wih burial in Forest Lawn.
Surrounded by many beautiful
floral pieces, showing the respect
and admiration for her, held by her
neighbors and many friends, the
body laid in state at her home. Wed
nesday until the funeral hour.
Mrs. Gordon died Friday after
noon at the Union Station just
shortly after she had been assisted
off the train on her return home
from a visit in Wynne, Arkansas.
She is survived by her husband,
John; daughers, Johnie, Mrs. Thear
is Wiley, Mrs. Lummie Jones, Mrs.
Ida Wiley; son, Booker; sisters, Mrs
Lily B Stewart, all of Omaha and
one sister, Mrs. Sarah Hobbs, Colt,
Ark.; brothers, Johnny Nunn, Gary
Ind., and Archie Nunn of Colt, Ark.
and grandchild, Mrs. Mildred Dil
lard of Omaha.
Myers funeral home was in charge
□ □□□□□□□□□□□
THE LIVING
I SOUTH :
(BY HAROLD PREECE) □
(Copyright, 1945, by New South
Features)
S. 1
m
MR. HAROLD PREECE
Three Noble Senators
During 34 years of nip
and-tuck down here in
Dixie, I’ve run around
with a lot of folks. Most
of ’em were good folks
and it is because of them
that I write this column
every week.
I’ve run with Saints
and I’ve run with sinners
But nobody efer saw me
gallivanting around with
the South’s senators.
Whene'er I’ve met a Southern
senator—whether he held his seat
in the state legislature at Atlanta
or Austin or in the ongress up in
Washington—I’ve gone over to the
window- and opened it up for a lit
Nebraska Power Co.
Stockholders Hold
Annual Meeting
REELECT 15 MEMBERS TO
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
FOR COMING YEAR
Omaha, Nebraska, April 3—At the
annual meeting of the stockholders
of Nebraska Power Company held
in Augusta, Maine, yesterday, the
fifteen members of the,Board of Di
rectors were elected to serve for the
coming year. Th company, a Maine
corporation, was sold last Decem
ber 26 to Omaha Electric Commit
tee Inc., a non-profit corporation
chartered in Nebraska.
Three out-state Nebraskans, and
two Augusta men were elected.
Omahans chosen are: J. E. David
son, who is president of the com
pany; T. H. Maenner, insurance
broker and present board chairman
Gerald Collins, South Omaha Law
yer; State Senator Sidney J. Cul
lingham, real estate broker; Gould
Dietz, retired; Dennis Radford, Jr„
State agent for Lincoln National
Life Insurance Company; and W
C. Fraser, W W Wenstrand, Bern
ard Stone and Edward F Leary,
Omaha attorneys.
Out-state members are Emil E
Wolf, North BeDd Banker; Dr. B
H Baer of Ashland, and Reed O'
Hanlon, State Commander of the A
merican Legion.
Also elected were Ernest L. Mc
Lean and George H Hunt, Augusta
lawyers
r -
Bargains
In Unredeemed
• Diamonds,
• Watches and
• Jewelry.
Special
89®o bridal SET 2405
MARCUS
Loan & Jewelry Co.
320 North 16th Street
“Sec Marcus for
Bargains”
tie fresh air.
Well, brothers, I want to tell the
congregation that I’ve been a sin
ner for thinking that ever Senator
got hatched out of the same rotten
egg. I reckon that I fell into the
error of judging every Southern
Senator by Bilbo as my Negro fel
low-Southerners sometimes fall in
to the error of judging every white
man by the riding boss.
I want to introduce to my fellow
Southerners three senators whom
the whole South can feel mighty
proud of. In this day when Dixie
hears the shots fired on the Rhine
and turns its face toward democ
racy, they are speeding up democ
racy by fighting for right of black
Southerners to vote.
SENATOR SPEARS
I want you to meet Senator J.
Franklin Spears of San Antonio,
Texas who is not only sponsoring a
bill to outlaw discrimination a
gainst the brown-skinned Mexican
Americans numbering one-sixth of
the state's population, but who is
leading the fight in the state leg
islature to prevent passage of a
measure which would get around
the U. S. Supreme Court decision
permitting Negroes to vote in the
Democratic primaries.
The words that Senator Spears
spoke on the floor of the Texas
Senate will be heard over Dixie
as long as the shots that were fired
at Bunker Hill were heard all over
the world:
“The question of Negroes voting
hns been pretty well settled. I
have no ohjeetion to Negroes vot
ing.”
Dater on, I understand, Senator
Spears was heard to say that
“Negroes walk around on two
feet, and paid two taxes like every
body else. Therefore, they ought
to vote like everybody else.”
SENATOR ROGERS
Next I want you to meet Senator
' Woodville Rogers who also comes
from San Antonio but who used to
pick cotton with my mother when
they were kids growing up in the
North Texas blackland. Dixie fash
ion, we still call Woodville Rogers
"senator” although he is no long
er a member of the legislature but
is serving as chairman of tne legis
lative division of the Democratic
state committee.
"The only way to disfranchise
the Negro is to fight the Civil
xvur all over again." so Woodville
Rogers told a newspaperman in
Austin last week. And Woodville
Rogers has been faithful to democ
racy in Dixie by leaving his law
practice to come down to Austin
and lobby against the “lily-white"
vote bill.
SENATOR McGINTY
L-ast but not least, meet State
Senator J .Roy McGinty of Calhoun,
Georgia, who co-authored the bill
that repealed Georgia’s poll tax
just a few weeks ago. Speaking
for the right of Negroes to vote in
the primaries, McGinty is recorded
by Norfolk Journal and Guide Col
umnist Albert Hinton as saying:
“ it is neither justice nor de
)mocrncy to require of the Negro
nil the obligations of citizenship
and deny him the rights of citiz
enship."
Pretty soon, all of us are going
to be exercising all the rights as
well as all the obligation of citiz
enshp. And let Bilbo mark this
well: that men like him are going
to step down and men like these
three are going to step up.
IVRURO ARCHITECT WINS FIRST
PRIZE IN NATION WIDE
CONTEST
by V'eraa Arvey
(Exclusive!) Hollywood, (Calvins
News Service). . . First prize in a
nation-wide competition for the
Practical Miracle Post-War Home
has gone to Ralph Vaughn, young
colored architect who is now a sen
ior set designer at MOM studios in
Culver City, California.
The contest was held by THE
PRACTICAL BUILDER, a trade
journal published in Chicago for
contractors, realtors and so on,
and the first prize amounted to one
hundred dollars, n article about
Mr. Vaughn appeared in the Febi -
uary issue of the magazine. For
this contest, Mr. Vaughn simply
sent in photographs of the home he
designed and built for himself and
his family, along with sketches of
what he intends to do to it after the
war is over. This home is located
at 2171 West 26th Place, in Los An
geles.
Immediately after the announce
ment of that prize, Mr. Vaughn won
honorable mention in a nation-wide
competition held by the Colotyle
Company (in Seattle) for a glam
orous and yet practical bathroom.
Ralph Vaughn came to Los Angel
es from Washington DC.., and was
for a time associated with Paul R
Williams, architect of established
reputation. I>ater, he began his
work at the Culver City film stud
io, and while there has designed the
tallest building on the MUM lot,
and the longest scenic backing ev
er made at MOM.
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