room and the kitchen. All this at no expense to the Canteen. The official board today expressed their appreciation for the fine cooperative spirit of Jeffers and the Union Pacific railroad. “Prowler,” Daily Bulletin | Jan. 14, 1944 Bill Jeffers dropped in for a short visit at the Canteen yesterday morning on his way East … In addition to remodeling the room and fixing it up and installing a dish washing machine, he told Canteen workers yesterday that he would pay for the service of two janitors — to keep the place in apple pie order. To date the women have had to do their own janitor work, so it is easy to imagine how welcome Jeffers’ announcement was to the women workers. The Canteen didn’t merely sell nationwide service members on North Platte. As this letter shows, sometimes it sold North Platte soldiers on their own hometown. Telegraph | Jan. 15, 1944 A letter was received at the Canteen from a North Platte boy, Gene A. Killham, S2/C, now stationed in Hawaii, which said in part: “Since I have been over here I have thought about those soldiers back home, and it sure makes a fellow all warm inside to know that there are lots of these front line soldiers from good old North Platte. “I have met so many fellows who have been
through North Platte and they all admit it is a darn swell place and that you have shown them that well-known ‘Western Hospitality,’ and be- lieve me that means a lot to me and others here. “I used to think a small town like ours did not do much good or amount to anything, but I have learned different now. I wish I could ex- press myself as to how proud I am to know that you ladies are my friends and to know that you are doing a darn swell and important job. “I am enclosing a money order, maybe it will help some one who is not as lucky as myself.” Nebraska winters often challenged communi- ties outside North Platte in taking their regular turns serving at the Canteen. But Chappell, the Deuel County seat nearly 100 miles west on the U.P. line, regularly found ways to make sure their donations showed up even when they couldn’t. (As will be seen in Chapter 8, one of Chappell’s regular Canteen volunteers was Virginia Smith, Nebraska’s 3rd District congresswoman from 1975 to 1991.) Telegraph | Feb. 11, 1944 A fine example of the cooperation and the “never say die” spirit of the many communities in this region that are regular supporters of the North Platte Canteen was demonstrated yesterday when the storm and bad roads made it impossible for the Chappell group that was scheduled to work to reach the city.
Some believe this dishwasher, donated to the Canteen in 1944 by the Union Pacific Railroad, was the first automatic dishwasher in the state of Nebraska.
The present board of the Canteen was re-elected for the duration of the war. They are: Mrs. Helen Christ, chairman; Mrs. Edna Neid, purchases; Mrs. M. [Mayme] Wyman, kitchen; Mrs. Jessie Hutchens, secretary; Mrs. Opal Smith, platform. Dave Fredrick was elected treasurer. Telegraph | Jan. 10, 1944 When he says that he is interested in the North Platte Canteen, William M. Jeffers, Union Pacific president, is not fooling; he means just what he says. The Canteen has been completely redecorated, new serving tables have been installed and a large dish washer has been placed in the kitchen. A battery of new coffee urns have been ordered and will soon be in place. The magazine tables have been replaced with racks, and many other improvements have been made in the large serving
72 CANTEEN: AS IT HAPPENED
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