Last year, Cayuga County historian Shelia Tucker sent a newsletter to all town historians on the benefits of €clipping€ news articles and saving them. She gave as a example how 30-year Aurelius historian Ruth Probst had accumulated a extensive collection of pictures, newspaper articles and stories of her town.
My friend, former Niles historian Mable Crosby, had done this. Before she passed away, she gave her collection away to museums and gave me all the material about Owasco. Another friend, Ira historian Dorothy Southard (who also this summer celebrated 30 years as a historian), has a room full at her town hall of files, books, pictures of people, farms and businesses in Ira.
I am grateful for clippers, the scrapbook collectors of years past and present. Before computers, data sheets and spread sheets and the indexing done now with a flourish by pressing a key, the old way was to clip, cut and paste. They also did the time consuming task of writing eons of index cards. Yes, I must admit to adhering to these practices to save items about Owasco some of the time and using a computer the rest.
The Cayuga-Owasco Lakes Historical Society in Moravia has a vast collection of indexed scrapbooks. While researching my son€s 1805 home, think of me poring over the 1837 Betsy Ann Church scrapbook. I found the first owner of his farm in Moravia, had purchased at the country store the pigments needed to mix with other ingredients to make the yellow paint color for the old farm house. Many scrapbooks are old store ledgers with poems and obits glued over a ledger page.
Waste not and want not was the motto then.
While working on collecting the names of the service men and women of Owasco who served our nation during war time, I had two special visitors in December at the town hall. They brought in two scrapbooks preserved during war time.
Sgt. Marjorie A. Bodine Pearce Rowoth from the Women€s Marine Reserve Corp. showed me the book she had diligently kept. In the beginning, it revealed the flurry of Western Union Telegrams she and her beau had exchanged back and forth. Marjorie worked at the Pentagon and had security clearance for the top secret work she performed. She later married her beau, and her scrapbook contains matchbook covers, napkins of places they visited, pictures of review marches of her Woman€s Reserve Unit and the happy times spent with other service members. Her scrapbook and picture in uniform is on display in the town hall showcase.
Another unknown commendable clipper collected news items about every serviceperson (men and women) in the southern end of Cayuga County! They faithfully glued each item into a 11 x 17 inch 136 page book. Dick Nye of Moravia brought the book in with other items from his collection. He wanted to share with Owasco residents the record of a true Owasco hero.
Dick briefed me on the history of the 7th Air Corp from several books he brought. He provided me with the background to share about Capt. Thomas W. Denman, along with his silver wings, patches and lieutenant bars for display.
He was born Jan. 28, 1924, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Denman of Owasco. He graduated from Skaneatles High School in the class of 1941. While at Skaneateles, he was an all around athlete € captain of the basketball team and also golfed, played football and baseball. In May of 1942, he enlisted in the Army Air Force.
After extensive training at the Sixth Air Force Fighter Command in Panama, he was commissioned a first lieutenant at age 19. He was assigned to the prestigious tactical fighter squadron of P-51 Mustangs. He served first defending the Panama Canal installations, and later transferred to the South Pacific area.
While based at Iwo Jima, he piloted his Mustang in the first American Air Force fighter strike against the main Japanese Island of Honshu. He was credited with another pilot in a bold low level sweep in downing two enemy planes while flying escort for B-29 super fortresses during a Tokyo bombing strike.
The week he was reported missing in action, the American planes were attacking the Atsugi Airfield, 25 miles southwest of Tokyo. Other pilots in the squadron reported seeing his plane hit by strafing flac and his parachute open when he left the burning plane.
Peter DeBellis shared with me the importance of these highly trained fighter bombers. Lt. Denman€s squadron on the day his plane was hit, downed 21 Japanese planes in a sky fight over Tokyo, and damaged or destroyed 58 planes on the ground. While I was typing this story with my research in front of me, Peter called me to ask the location of the cemetery so he could visit the grave of our hero Tom Denman. We agreed this was surely providence that we were thinking and mourning the loss of this extraordinary young man and the way he died € both at the same time, hour and day. If he had lived, on Jan. 28th Capt. Denman would have been 84 years old.
He was captured by the Japanese and put in a prison of war camp. He never knew or was aware that his promotion to the rank of Captain was received three days after he was reported MIA. It is recorded that in retaliation after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki all captured American pilots were lined up and executed. Capt. Tom Denman nicknamed €Toy€ was one of the pilots.
The Japanese official unconditional surrender was Aug. 14, 1945.
Tom Denman€s death occurred on Aug. 15, 1945. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters and Purple Heart.
His body was brought home to Owasco, and buried in Owasco Rural Cemetery. It was a military funeral with a large Legion Escort with his neighbors and friends honorary pallbearers. They were: Stanley Boyd, Richard Brokaw, Cyril Edmunds, George Glanville, Francis Reilley, Richard Reilley, Carl Austin, Frank Barski, James Richards and Standish Bodine.
The active bearers were: William B. Dunning, Robert Saloman, Bernard Ukolowicz, Harold Lattin, Matthew Ward and John Feist. They were all members of W. Mynderse Rice Post No. 97, American Legion. The bugler was Lucian DeSoccio and the firing squad, in charge of William Wilbur was composed of Nick Avera, F.F. O€Bryne, Bernard Searing and John Delaney, all of W. Mynderse Rice Post No 97.
€ Sources: Seven World War II scrapbooks of news clippings organized by Georgianna Tracy and Ray Keefe located at the Cayuga County Historian€s Office, Auburn Citizen articles 1945 and 7th Air Force Story by Kenn C. Rust 1978
Laurel Auchampaugh is the
Owasco historian and can be reached at the Owasco Town Hall from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoons or at nowthenwasco@aol.com
Known Owasco soldiers who served
during World War II
A - H
€ Austin, Carl; Air Force
€ Badman, Earl Sgt.; Army
€ Barski, Frank; Army
€ Bodine, Harry; Marine
€ Bodine, Marjorie Sgt.; Marine Women€s Reserve
€ Bodine, Standish; Army
€ Boyd, Frederick; Army Paratrooper
€ Boyd, Stanley; Army Air Corps
€ Brokaw, Richard; Marines
€ Carr, Edward J.; Army Air Corps *
€ Catalano, Davis J.; Army Air Corps *
€ Church, Donald; Navy
€ Covert, Edward; Army Paratrooper
€ Curtis, Harry; Army
€ Curtis, Catherine; ?
€ Dabinett, Charles; Army Air Corps
€ DeBagio, Anthony Sgt.; U.S. Marine *
€ DeLapp, Walter; Navy
€ Denman, Fred Sr.; Navy
€ Denman, Thomas W. Capt.; Army Air Corps
€ DiFabio, Sam; Army *
€ Drennan, Alan C.; Navy *
€ Ehle, ?; ?
€ Eberhardt Jr., Frederick; Army
€ Eberhardt, Herman; Army
€ Edmunds, Cyril; ?
€ Edmunds, Jack; ?
€ Emmi, Samuel; Merchant Marine
€ Fantasia, Emilio T. Sgt.; Army Air Corps *
€ Fritz, John Albert; Army
€ Fritz, William Robert; Army
€ Fuller, Herman Edward; Army
€ Fuller, Raymond; Marine
€ Gilfus, Harold; Army
€ Gilfus, Robert; Navy
€ Gilfus, Warren; Navy
€ Glanville, George; Army
€ Gott, Ethan; Army
€ Green, Kenneth; Army
€ Green, Lincoln; Marine
€ Green, Robert; Army
€ Harwood, Myron; Army
€ Hole, Frederick; Navy
€ Hemphill, David; Army Air Corps Officer *
Note: * after the name is research by Anthony Gero, former historian
€ Source: Interviews: Earl Badman, Charles Bevier, Richard Brokaw, Anna Green Flannigan, Sam Emmi, Mildred Greenfield Hole, Marjorie Brokaw Warne and Richard Nye
I am grateful for clippers, the scrapbook collectors of years past and present. Before computers, data sheets and spread sheets and the indexing done now with a flourish by pressing a key, the old way was to clip, cut and paste. They also did the time consuming task of writing eons of index cards. Yes, I must admit to adhering to these practices to save items about Owasco some of the time and using a computer the rest.
The Cayuga-Owasco Lakes Historical Society in Moravia has a vast collection of indexed scrapbooks. While researching my son€s 1805 home, think of me poring over the 1837 Betsy Ann Church scrapbook. I found the first owner of his farm in Moravia, had purchased at the country store the pigments needed to mix with other ingredients to make the yellow paint color for the old farm house. Many scrapbooks are old store ledgers with poems and obits glued over a ledger page.
Waste not and want not was the motto then.
While working on collecting the names of the service men and women of Owasco who served our nation during war time, I had two special visitors in December at the town hall. They brought in two scrapbooks preserved during war time.
Sgt. Marjorie A. Bodine Pearce Rowoth from the Women€s Marine Reserve Corp. showed me the book she had diligently kept. In the beginning, it revealed the flurry of Western Union Telegrams she and her beau had exchanged back and forth. Marjorie worked at the Pentagon and had security clearance for the top secret work she performed. She later married her beau, and her scrapbook contains matchbook covers, napkins of places they visited, pictures of review marches of her Woman€s Reserve Unit and the happy times spent with other service members. Her scrapbook and picture in uniform is on display in the town hall showcase.
Another unknown commendable clipper collected news items about every serviceperson (men and women) in the southern end of Cayuga County! They faithfully glued each item into a 11 x 17 inch 136 page book. Dick Nye of Moravia brought the book in with other items from his collection. He wanted to share with Owasco residents the record of a true Owasco hero.
Dick briefed me on the history of the 7th Air Corp from several books he brought. He provided me with the background to share about Capt. Thomas W. Denman, along with his silver wings, patches and lieutenant bars for display.
He was born Jan. 28, 1924, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Denman of Owasco. He graduated from Skaneatles High School in the class of 1941. While at Skaneateles, he was an all around athlete € captain of the basketball team and also golfed, played football and baseball. In May of 1942, he enlisted in the Army Air Force.
After extensive training at the Sixth Air Force Fighter Command in Panama, he was commissioned a first lieutenant at age 19. He was assigned to the prestigious tactical fighter squadron of P-51 Mustangs. He served first defending the Panama Canal installations, and later transferred to the South Pacific area.
While based at Iwo Jima, he piloted his Mustang in the first American Air Force fighter strike against the main Japanese Island of Honshu. He was credited with another pilot in a bold low level sweep in downing two enemy planes while flying escort for B-29 super fortresses during a Tokyo bombing strike.
The week he was reported missing in action, the American planes were attacking the Atsugi Airfield, 25 miles southwest of Tokyo. Other pilots in the squadron reported seeing his plane hit by strafing flac and his parachute open when he left the burning plane.
Peter DeBellis shared with me the importance of these highly trained fighter bombers. Lt. Denman€s squadron on the day his plane was hit, downed 21 Japanese planes in a sky fight over Tokyo, and damaged or destroyed 58 planes on the ground. While I was typing this story with my research in front of me, Peter called me to ask the location of the cemetery so he could visit the grave of our hero Tom Denman. We agreed this was surely providence that we were thinking and mourning the loss of this extraordinary young man and the way he died € both at the same time, hour and day. If he had lived, on Jan. 28th Capt. Denman would have been 84 years old.
He was captured by the Japanese and put in a prison of war camp. He never knew or was aware that his promotion to the rank of Captain was received three days after he was reported MIA. It is recorded that in retaliation after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki all captured American pilots were lined up and executed. Capt. Tom Denman nicknamed €Toy€ was one of the pilots.
The Japanese official unconditional surrender was Aug. 14, 1945.
Tom Denman€s death occurred on Aug. 15, 1945. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters and Purple Heart.
His body was brought home to Owasco, and buried in Owasco Rural Cemetery. It was a military funeral with a large Legion Escort with his neighbors and friends honorary pallbearers. They were: Stanley Boyd, Richard Brokaw, Cyril Edmunds, George Glanville, Francis Reilley, Richard Reilley, Carl Austin, Frank Barski, James Richards and Standish Bodine.
The active bearers were: William B. Dunning, Robert Saloman, Bernard Ukolowicz, Harold Lattin, Matthew Ward and John Feist. They were all members of W. Mynderse Rice Post No. 97, American Legion. The bugler was Lucian DeSoccio and the firing squad, in charge of William Wilbur was composed of Nick Avera, F.F. O€Bryne, Bernard Searing and John Delaney, all of W. Mynderse Rice Post No 97.
€ Sources: Seven World War II scrapbooks of news clippings organized by Georgianna Tracy and Ray Keefe located at the Cayuga County Historian€s Office, Auburn Citizen articles 1945 and 7th Air Force Story by Kenn C. Rust 1978
Laurel Auchampaugh is the
Owasco historian and can be reached at the Owasco Town Hall from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoons or at nowthenwasco@aol.com
Known Owasco soldiers who served
during World War II
A - H
€ Austin, Carl; Air Force
€ Badman, Earl Sgt.; Army
€ Barski, Frank; Army
€ Bodine, Harry; Marine
€ Bodine, Marjorie Sgt.; Marine Women€s Reserve
€ Bodine, Standish; Army
€ Boyd, Frederick; Army Paratrooper
€ Boyd, Stanley; Army Air Corps
€ Brokaw, Richard; Marines
€ Carr, Edward J.; Army Air Corps *
€ Catalano, Davis J.; Army Air Corps *
€ Church, Donald; Navy
€ Covert, Edward; Army Paratrooper
€ Curtis, Harry; Army
€ Curtis, Catherine; ?
€ Dabinett, Charles; Army Air Corps
€ DeBagio, Anthony Sgt.; U.S. Marine *
€ DeLapp, Walter; Navy
€ Denman, Fred Sr.; Navy
€ Denman, Thomas W. Capt.; Army Air Corps
€ DiFabio, Sam; Army *
€ Drennan, Alan C.; Navy *
€ Ehle, ?; ?
€ Eberhardt Jr., Frederick; Army
€ Eberhardt, Herman; Army
€ Edmunds, Cyril; ?
€ Edmunds, Jack; ?
€ Emmi, Samuel; Merchant Marine
€ Fantasia, Emilio T. Sgt.; Army Air Corps *
€ Fritz, John Albert; Army
€ Fritz, William Robert; Army
€ Fuller, Herman Edward; Army
€ Fuller, Raymond; Marine
€ Gilfus, Harold; Army
€ Gilfus, Robert; Navy
€ Gilfus, Warren; Navy
€ Glanville, George; Army
€ Gott, Ethan; Army
€ Green, Kenneth; Army
€ Green, Lincoln; Marine
€ Green, Robert; Army
€ Harwood, Myron; Army
€ Hole, Frederick; Navy
€ Hemphill, David; Army Air Corps Officer *
Note: * after the name is research by Anthony Gero, former historian
€ Source: Interviews: Earl Badman, Charles Bevier, Richard Brokaw, Anna Green Flannigan, Sam Emmi, Mildred Greenfield Hole, Marjorie Brokaw Warne and Richard Nye
