Exhibition honors World War II veterans and their stories
By Tim Gallaghertgallagher@siouxcityjournal.com | Posted: Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Wilbur Whitebeaver of Winnebago, Neb., holds a photo of himself when he served with the U.S. Coast Guard in World War II. Whitebeaver and 13 Siouxland veterans of World War II will be featured in an exhibit that opens at noon Sunday at the Betty Strong Encounter Center in Sioux City. Submitted photo by Don Doll
SIOUX CITY -- Following two tours of duty in World War II, Seaman 1st Class Wilbur Whitebeaver of Winnebago, Neb., came home.
To an empty house.
"My family was all up near Sturgeon Bay picking cherries," he says. "They did that every summer to make a little extra money."
Sgt. Wesley Goodwin got off the train at Cherokee, Iowa, after two years fighting overseas. He walked three miles toward his home at nearby Quimby before anyone stopped to offer a ride.
These two men and 12 other Siouxland veterans of World War II may experience a more rousing "welcome home" Sunday as an exhibit opens at noon at the Betty Strong Encounter Center on the Missouri Riverfront.
"Our Stories: World War II Veterans Remember Extraordinary Times," consists of portraits and stories of 14 veterans, all local men and women who did their part in the war effort. Following the war, they came home and went to work, toiling as everyday heroes, raising families, building companies and serving their communities.
A 2 p.m. opening program Sunday includes a live big band program by the Bob Dowdy Orchestra and a World War II-era flag display. Award-winning photographer Don Doll, S.J., of Creighton University and I are featured speakers. Admission is free.
Aim to share stories
More than 60 years later, 14 Siouxland veterans from Pender, Neb., to Holstein, Iowa, shared details of their war experiences with me. Their stories accompany portraits of each by Doll, a photographer whose work has been featured in National Geographic magazine. Doll, the 2006 Nebraska Artist of the Year, designed the exhibit with Carol McCabe of Magis Productions.
War images from the National Archives complement the exhibit.
"World War II embodies stories of world-shaping leaders and world-changing events. But it also holds countless quieter stories that even those closest to the veterans may never have heard. Those are the stories that inspired this exhibition," says Marcia Poole, director of the Center.
Oh, the things I learned. Emanuel Stolpe of Obert, Neb., traveled to Sioux City one day in 1944, seeking a piece of leather. A store merchant looked at Stolpe when he asked if the store carried leather. The store had none due to shortages caused by the massive war effort.
"Mister? Don't you know there's a war on?" the clerk asked.
Stolpe was keenly aware. He had five sons at the time, all in uniform. All in battle overseas.
One of those sons, Cpl. Eldon Stolpe, now 85 and a longtime Sioux Cityan, is featured in this exhibit. He tells of his return to Normandy five decades later to observe 9,300 white crosses displayed there.
"Those 9,300 men paid the way for me to go in," he says. "I knelt there to thank them all."
That's the kind of detail many veterans failed to share for years. The focus of this exhibition is to encourage all of us to share our stories with family members and our communities.
"It inspires us to care for those stories as much as we care for precious objects and artifacts we hand down to our children and grandchildren," says Poole.
The two men who got a quiet welcome home six decades ago did catch up with their families. Whitebeaver smiles and recalls hopping a bus to reach his family in Wisconsin.
"I went up there, hung around and let my family feed me," he says with a laugh.
Goodwin joined his wife and their son in Quimby that afternoon. Little Gary was almost 2 by then. That day marked the first time this father held his son.
If you go
What: "Our Stories: World War II Veterans Remember Extraordinary Times"
When: 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Betty Strong Encounter Center, next to Sioux City Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center on Missouri Riverfront
Admission: Free
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday
Information: Call (712) 224-5242
To an empty house.
"My family was all up near Sturgeon Bay picking cherries," he says. "They did that every summer to make a little extra money."
Sgt. Wesley Goodwin got off the train at Cherokee, Iowa, after two years fighting overseas. He walked three miles toward his home at nearby Quimby before anyone stopped to offer a ride.
These two men and 12 other Siouxland veterans of World War II may experience a more rousing "welcome home" Sunday as an exhibit opens at noon at the Betty Strong Encounter Center on the Missouri Riverfront.
"Our Stories: World War II Veterans Remember Extraordinary Times," consists of portraits and stories of 14 veterans, all local men and women who did their part in the war effort. Following the war, they came home and went to work, toiling as everyday heroes, raising families, building companies and serving their communities.
A 2 p.m. opening program Sunday includes a live big band program by the Bob Dowdy Orchestra and a World War II-era flag display. Award-winning photographer Don Doll, S.J., of Creighton University and I are featured speakers. Admission is free.
Aim to share stories
More than 60 years later, 14 Siouxland veterans from Pender, Neb., to Holstein, Iowa, shared details of their war experiences with me. Their stories accompany portraits of each by Doll, a photographer whose work has been featured in National Geographic magazine. Doll, the 2006 Nebraska Artist of the Year, designed the exhibit with Carol McCabe of Magis Productions.
War images from the National Archives complement the exhibit.
"World War II embodies stories of world-shaping leaders and world-changing events. But it also holds countless quieter stories that even those closest to the veterans may never have heard. Those are the stories that inspired this exhibition," says Marcia Poole, director of the Center.
Oh, the things I learned. Emanuel Stolpe of Obert, Neb., traveled to Sioux City one day in 1944, seeking a piece of leather. A store merchant looked at Stolpe when he asked if the store carried leather. The store had none due to shortages caused by the massive war effort.
"Mister? Don't you know there's a war on?" the clerk asked.
Stolpe was keenly aware. He had five sons at the time, all in uniform. All in battle overseas.
One of those sons, Cpl. Eldon Stolpe, now 85 and a longtime Sioux Cityan, is featured in this exhibit. He tells of his return to Normandy five decades later to observe 9,300 white crosses displayed there.
"Those 9,300 men paid the way for me to go in," he says. "I knelt there to thank them all."
That's the kind of detail many veterans failed to share for years. The focus of this exhibition is to encourage all of us to share our stories with family members and our communities.
"It inspires us to care for those stories as much as we care for precious objects and artifacts we hand down to our children and grandchildren," says Poole.
The two men who got a quiet welcome home six decades ago did catch up with their families. Whitebeaver smiles and recalls hopping a bus to reach his family in Wisconsin.
"I went up there, hung around and let my family feed me," he says with a laugh.
Goodwin joined his wife and their son in Quimby that afternoon. Little Gary was almost 2 by then. That day marked the first time this father held his son.
If you go
What: "Our Stories: World War II Veterans Remember Extraordinary Times"
When: 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Betty Strong Encounter Center, next to Sioux City Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center on Missouri Riverfront
Admission: Free
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday
Information: Call (712) 224-5242
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H wrote on Oct 21, 2008 6:10 PM:
Charlotte wrote on Oct 21, 2008 10:12 AM: