The couple now lives in Bellevue. Young also told of a woman who put her name on the bottom of one of the birthday cakes she baked. The recent letter said she, too, married the recipient and now lives in Lodgepole. “There’s not a week that goes by that we don’t hear from somebody about the Canteen,” Young said. “People love to share their memories and experiences.” … Tidbits also were shared by Nebraskans during the Sunday program at the museum. Third District
[U.S.] Rep. Virginia Smith and Lt. Gov. Don McGinley [of Ogallala] both told of their Canteen experiences. Smith, who farmed with her husband at Chappell, brought hard-boiled eggs, fried chicken and angel food cakes to the Canteen. McGinley, who passed through the Canteen on June 30, 1943, received a birthday cake and food. “The Canteen has become loved and remem- bered by our troops in that beautiful stop in North Platte,” McGinley said. … Smith praised the hard work of the volunteers and the 125 communities that contributed to the Canteen. “We did it ourselves,” she said. “The work, the food, the organization — we did it all.” … Also during the program, [host Ed] Launer read a message from President [Ronald] Reagan and played a taped message from Gov. Bob Kerrey. A few months earlier, author James J. Reisdorff had gathered the Canteen’s basic facts and memories from such surviving leaders as Rae Wilson Sleight, Rose Loncar and Edna Neid in “North Platte Canteen: An Account of Heartland Hospitality Along the Union Pacific Railroad.” Originally released in April 1986, four months before Rae’s death, it was in its eighth printing in 2013 and remains for sale in North Platte. North Platte organized another Canteen Reunion for Sept. 16-18, 1988. A World War II play, big-band dance, USO-type show, parade,
The North Platte Telegraph
concert by North Platte’s Heartland Singers and Lincoln County Historical Museum reception were part of the festivities. The weekend’s headliner (above) — like his long- time sidekick Bing Crosby, who had come look- ing in vain for the Canteen in March 1953 — had never visited North Platte during the war. Telegraph | Sept. 18, 1988 Sunny skies and cheering crowds turned out to welcome entertainer Bob Hope to North Platte on Saturday.
The North Platte Telegraph
Continued on page 144
1946–2019 143
Made with FlippingBook - PDF hosting