Daily Bulletin | Jan. 5, 1946 The North Platte Canteen has set June 1 as the tentative closing date for operation. Mrs. Adam [Helen] Christ, chairman of the general committee, announced yesterday that the Canteen plans included continuous operation until June 1. She added that William M. Jeffers, retir- ing president of the Union Pacific railroad, has given assurance that space will be available for the Canteen’s use “until they choose to close the door.” Speaking for the committee, Mrs. Christ said the workers felt that the major traffic of the armed forces would be concluded by late spring or early summer and wanted to keep the Canteen in opera- tion to provide a welcome for the returning veterans. They pointed out that many of these returnees have spent from two to five years in the service overseas and the North Platte institution is the only one of its kind that is continuing service. At the same time, the auditing committee submitted their report for the month of December, which disclosed that nearly $1,500 more was spent than taken in. They also pointed out that January and February would probably drain heavily on finances, with many small groups unable to attend. With the closing date tentatively set, officers hoped to clarify plans for many out-of-town groups who plan serving at the Canteen this spring. It is hoped they will make arrangements for immediate dates.
memory of North Platte goes deeper and deeper. “We realize all the cooperation and hard work necessary to promote so successfully the Christmas spirit your town showed us. We want you to know that it was very moving to us. “We neither want nor expect to be served from a silver platter, nor do we think the world owes us a living, but we sincerely thank you for the spirit shown last evening …” It was signed by Pvt. Louis Stinson, of Dutton, Montana.
during the war, now came to the attention of another great wartime leader making a postwar U.S. tour. Telegraph | Jan. 24, 1946 Gene today sent a number of his picture post cards to Winston Churchill at Miami, Fla., at the Englishman’s request. Upon seeing Gene’s pic- ture, which belonged to a serviceman in Florida, Churchill expressed a desire to have one of the pic- tures. The serviceman immediately wrote Gene to that effect, and Gene is complying with the request. Telegraph | Jan. 30, 1946 The tears running down his cheeks spilled on his overseas ribbons, and the young sailor told Mrs. Adam [Helen] Christ, “You folks haven’t forgotten us — all the rest of the canteens have closed.” Not all returning servicemen are as demonstra- tive in their appreciation of continued operation of the Canteen, but most of them are just as homesick as this boy, and surely their gratitude is as deep. … Mrs. Christ today pointed out that fewer people are volunteering to serve at the Canteen, throw- ing the burden of extra work on the regular daily workers and officers of the day who have been serving regularly for the past four years. Mrs. Charles [Jessie] Hutchens added that Canteen bank funds have dwindled from the $8,000 or $9,000 carried during the [height] of the war to $5,600 or $5,700 at present.
Telegraph | Jan. 1, 1946 (published Dec. 31, 1945)
At the Canteen, representatives of the Potter com- munity and the regular Monday officers-of-the- day will serve, as long as trainloads of servicemen continue to arrive. The general Canteen hospitality will carry through tonight and January 1, spreading good cheer to all to enter. There are no holidays at the Canteen — every- day is just another day, until our service men and women get home. But how much longer would — or could — the Canteen go on? Winter weather always had played havoc with staffing. And now that the cal- endar had turned to 1946, the understandable fatigue of four years of unceasing operation was setting in.
Gene Slattery, who had successfully solicited President Roosevelt’s $5 Canteen contribution
116 CANTEEN: AS IT HAPPENED
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