Telegraph | June 18, 1942 Dale McCannon, Cozad, is just a name appearing on the register at the Canteen along with many more that register every day, but following the name and address is a line which states, “survivor of the Lexington.” Dale was one of five boys from the ill-fated Lexington that passed through the Canteen yes- terday on their way home for a visit with relatives and friends. The boys would talk but little about their experi- ence in that great naval battle in which they were forced to abandon their ship. Canteen workers knew they were emulating their World War I predecessors (a few of whom were working alongside them). Now they were visited by one of that first Canteen’s first customers. Telegraph | July 3, 1942 A middle-aged soldier walked into the Canteen and after looking around a few minutes said to one of the ladies: “My, how things change in a few short years. Twenty-four years ago I went through North Platte on a troop train and was serviced at the Red Cross Canteen. Things look much different.” … As he finished, this North Platte lady, not so young, now married, and the mother of a fine fam- ily, but with that fine American spirit for those in our armed forces, spoke up and said: “Twenty-four years ago I was working in the Red Cross Canteen in North Platte.”
scrap bound for the factories and donate all or most proceeds to the Canteen — a strategy that paid off handsomely in stabilizing its income. But as rationing took hold and people were asked to buy war bonds, implicit criticism of the Canteen surfaced. Telegraph | July 14, 1942 Those in charge of the North Platte Canteen wish to correct a seeming misunderstanding about the contributions credited to persons in the community. Many people in reading the list of donors each day in the press think that these contributions are all in cash. That is not true, as a check of the daily record sheet will show that only about one in every five of the contributions are cash; the rest are items of food or reading material. The ladies of the Canteen need financial help regularly, and some means of a steady income must be provided if the Canteen is to continue to operate. … The books at the Canteen are open for inspec- tion by the general public at any time, and Mrs. Adam [Helen] Christ said today you are urged to look them over. Telegraph | July 24, 1942 The ladies in charge of the Canteen Thursday had two interesting experiences. First, a brigadier general on leave from Australia walked in and introduced himself and said he was Continued on page 44
Japan had cut off the United States’ East Indies rubber supply, and production of tanks and other fighting vehicles was depleting factories’ iron supplies for making steel. Following the suc- cess of a nationwide scrap-rubber drive, Omaha World-Herald Publisher Henry Doorly sponsored a statewide scrap-metal drive (held July 19–Aug. 8). It would help the World-Herald win a public- service Pulitzer Prize — and give The Telegraph a new idea for Canteen fundraising. Telegraph | July 13, 1942 George L. Luedke, chairman of the Lincoln County salvage committee, today received full particulars regarding the state-wide contest for scrap salvage of all kinds that is being sponsored by the World-Herald. … [A] $1,000 War bond will be awarded to the county reporting the greatest total poundage of scrap metal and rubber collection per capita. … The Telegraph wishes to suggest that the [county] committee give the NORTH PLATTE CANTEEN every consideration when they make their choice [of beneficiary]. There are many worthy projects in the county, but this is war time and there is no organization that is doing more to help with the county war effort than is the Canteen. The committee accepted the suggestion. Grant and Hooker counties won the World-Herald’s top prizes, but North Platte leaders decided to sell
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