The Greatest Generation (Part Five)

 (Schwender - Yeager)

 For notes and background about this project, please refer to Part One of this series.

NAME: Carl William Schwender 
RANK & BRANCH: Sergeant, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: November 22, 1909 – August 17, 1982
DATES OF SERVICE: February 3, 1941 – September 3, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Carl Schwender was the custodian at Plainville High School prior to the war and returned to work there after the war. He served in the Pacific, where he contracted filariasis and malaria. He served in the 147^th Infantry, 37^th Division, an anti-tank company that saw action in Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima.

From the 1946 Plainville High School Yearbook

NAME: Oliver Perry Scott, Jr.
RANK & BRANCH: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: January 3, 1918 – March 22, 1968
DATES OF SERVICE: May 3, 1943 – February 4, 1946
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Oliver Scott served in the 142^nd Ordnance Heavy Maintenance Company. When he returned home to Fairfax in February 1946, his mother threw a combined celebration of Easter, Christmas, and his birthday. She fashioned a Christmas tree out of a poinsettia, colored Easter eggs, baked a birthday cake, and prepared a Christmas dinner. He and his wife bought a house in Fairfax and he lived here for the rest of his life.
 
NAME: Walter Earl Seibert
RANK & BRANCH: Private, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: March 2, 1906 – March 15, 1985
DATES OF SERVICE: May 3, 1943 – November 1, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
 
NAME: Howard Shockey
RANK & BRANCH: Technician Fifth Grade, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: July 10, 1915 – June 11, 1992
DATES OF SERVICE: November 19, 1941 – October 15, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: A lifelong Fairfax resident, Howard Shockey served in an armored division in North Africa. His brother John served in the Army and Air Force.
 
NAME: John Shockey ⭐
RANK & BRANCH: Master Sergeant, U.S. Army/Air Force
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: August 24, 1922 - May 20, 1959
DATES OF SERVICE: 1941 - May 20, 1959
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: A 1941 graduate of Plainville High School, John Shockey trained at Shepard Field, Texas and Douglass Aircraft Plant in California. He served during the World War II as an airplane crew chief. He remained in the Air Force after the war. He was killed on May 20, 1959 when a U.S. Air Force C130 transport aircraft crashed into his barracks. He was serving with the 483^rd Flightline Maintenance Squadron in Ashiya, Japan at the time of his death.

From the1941 Plainville High School yearbook

NAME: Charles William Sowers, Jr.
RANK & BRANCH: Private, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: May 9, 1921 – July 12, 1988
DATES OF SERVICE: September 30, 1942 – August 10, 1964
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: After being drafted, Charles Sowers was assigned to the 459^th Engineers and sent to Camp White, Oregon for training.
 
NAME: David Exeres Sparks 
RANK & BRANCH: Private First Class, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: June 3, 1921 – November 20, 1994
DATES OF SERVICE: September 30, 1942 – October 2, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: David Sparks was wounded in France when he was hit in the low back by grenade fragments. He was awarded the Purple Heart.

From the Cincinnati Post, August 30, 1944

NAME: George Richard Stein 

RANK & BRANCH: Seaman Second Class, U.S. Navy

DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: June 23, 1928 – April 4, 2000

DATES OF SERVICE: March 5, 1946 – January 7, 1948

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: 

From the Cincinnati Post, July 22, 1946

NAME: Robert Lee Stephens
RANK & BRANCH: Private, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: May 7, 1927 – July 3, 2008
DATES OF SERVICE: December 26, 1945 -
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
 
NAME: Robert Julius Sterman
RANK & BRANCH: Private First Class, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: January 27, 1919 – May 7, 1996
DATES OF SERVICE: October 28, 1941 – October 10, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
 
NAME: Edward Michael Stump
RANK & BRANCH: Apprentice Seaman, U.S. Navy
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: March 3, 1914 – March 10, 1962
DATES OF SERVICE: November 25, 1944 – December 23, 1944
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
 
NAME: George Aaron Stump 
RANK & BRANCH: Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army Air Forces
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: July 15, 1920 – April 7, 2009
DATES OF SERVICE:  December 7, 1940 – September 29, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: A 1939 graduate of Terrace Park High School, George Stump served in the Air Forces ground crew. In 1941 he was assigned to the Panama Canal Zone, where he is seen on the right in the picture below. He also served in Trinidad and Texas.

NAME: Frank Bearl Sutherland
RANK & BRANCH: Seaman Second Class, U.S. Navy
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: June 14, 1913 – October 26, 1970
DATES OF SERVICE: October 1943 -
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
 
NAME: Joseph Richard Sweeney
RANK & BRANCH: U.S. Navy
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: November 5, 1918 – November 20, 1986
DATES OF SERVICE: September 25, 1942 – November 24, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
 
NAME: Robert A. Taylor
RANK & BRANCH: Private, U.S. Army Air Forces
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: September 1, 1924 – September 11, 1975
DATES OF SERVICE: December 2, 1942 – December 2, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
 
NAME: Trevon Jerome Taylor
RANK & BRANCH: Private, U.S. Marine Corps
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: April 11, 1918 – May 1, 1985
DATES OF SERVICE: October 14, 1942 – November 5, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
 
NAME: James Elmer Towles
RANK & BRANCH: Private First Class, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: January 27, 1906 – January 26, 1972
DATES OF SERVICE: August 24, 1942 – June 21, 1943
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
 
NAME: Harry Mead Turpin
RANK & BRANCH: Coxswain, U.S. Navy
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: August 3, 1921 – October 14, 1990
DATES OF SERVICE: April 27, 1944 – May 10, 1946; July 17, 1947 – March 13, 1950
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
 
NAME: William Robert Verdon
RANK & BRANCH: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army Air Forces
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: December 16, 1922 – March 16, 2000
DATES OF SERVICE: January 20, 1943 – January 1, 1946
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: William Verdon served in the Philippines.
 
NAME: Elias Monsour Wakim
RANK & BRANCH: Private, U.S. Army Air Forces
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: February 8, 1923 – December 17, 1982
DATES OF SERVICE: September 27, 1943 – March 8, 1946
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Elias Wakim was the son of Syrian immigrants who moved to Fairfax by 1930. His sister Norma and brother William also served during the war.

NAME: Norma Helen Wakim Stykes 
RANK & BRANCH: Private, Women’s Army Corps
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: April 8, 1918 – September 7, 1990
DATES OF SERVICE: December 30, 1942 – September 22, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: In March 1943, Norma Wakim received the Good Conduct ribbon at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, where she served at the assistant to the supply sergeant.

From the Cincinnati Enquirer, March 28, 1944

NAME: William Joseph Wakim
RANK & BRANCH: Corporal, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: August 4, 1915 – February 15, 1989
DATES OF SERVICE: August 10, 1942 – October 30, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: William Wakim served in Europe and sustained a bruised kidney and fractured ribs in battle.
 
NAME: Robert Milton Whitney 
RANK & BRANCH: Private, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: September 22, 1927 - March 28, 2022
DATES OF SERVICE: January 7, 1946 -
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Robert Whitney is a 1945 graduate of Plainville High School.

From 1945 Plainville High School yearbook

NAME: Louis George Wieland, Jr.
RANK & BRANCH: Ship’s Cook Third Class, U.S. Navy
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: September 2, 1916 – May 24, 1992
DATES OF SERVICE: May 11, 1943 – November 29, 1944
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Louis Wieland served on the USS McConnell, a destroyer escort, in the Pacific. He worked at his father’s restaurant, which doubtless led to his serving as a cook in the Navy.
 
NAME: Robert Frederick Wieland
RANK & BRANCH: Baker Second Class, U.S. Navy
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: October 20, 1923 – April 19, 2016
DATES OF SERVICE: February 16, 1943 – Spring 1946
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Robert Wieland was interviewed about his World War II service by the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library for the Veterans History Project: https://digital.cincinnatilibrary.org/digital/collection/p16998coll27/id/3481.
 
NAME: Bearl Earl Williams 
RANK & BRANCH: Sergeant, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: August 8, 1919 - July 22, 1999
DATES OF SERVICE: January 26, 1942 – September 28, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Bearl “Bill” Williams was initially stationed at Fort Riley and Camp Funston, Kansas. He later served in a quartermaster company in France that was commended by General George Patton for outstanding work under fire. His brothers Goebel and Harvey also served in the war.

From the Cincinnati Post, February 8, 1945

NAME: Goebel Elwood Williams

RANK & BRANCH: Technician Third Grade, U.S. Army

DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: March 7, 1917 – October 7, 2002

DATES OF SERVICE: November 19, 1941 – October 13, 1945

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: In 1942, Goebel Williams was stationed with the Second Armored Division at Fort Benning, Georgia. He later served in Germany.

NAME: William Joseph Williams
RANK & BRANCH: Technician Fifth Grade, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: September 18, 1923 – December 7, 2000
DATES OF SERVICE: January 1943- February 1946
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
 
NAME: Donald Hugh Winder
RANK & BRANCH: Motor Machinist’s Mate Second Class, U.S. Navy
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: July 15, 1925 – December 21, 2002
DATES OF SERVICE: October 12, 1942 – November 18, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
 
NAME: Francis Herman Wood
RANK & BRANCH: Technician Fifth Grade, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: May 4, 1923 – March 9, 1999
DATES OF SERVICE: December 30, 1942 – January 2, 1946
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Francis Wood served in the 871^st Airborne Engineer Battalion.
 
NAME: George Henry Wood
RANK & BRANCH: Coxswain, U.S. Navy
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: April 24, 1924 – February 20, 1998
DATES OF SERVICE: May 25, 1942 – November 24, 1946
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: George Wood’s brothers Robert, Walter, and William and brothers-in-law Donald Bronson and Louis Wood also served during the war. He was stationed at New Orleans, Louisiana and later served at sea.

From the Cincinnati Times Star, November 1, 1944

 
NAME: Robert Arthur Wood 
RANK & BRANCH: Sergeant, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: July 21, 1921 – January 22, 1995
DATES OF SERVICE: August 10, 1942 – October 24, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: In 1942, Robert Wood was stationed at Fort Gruber, Oklahoma. He went overseas in November 1943, serving in the infantry. Robert was wounded in action in Italy on May 12, 1944. He returned to Fairfax after the war.

From the Cincinnati Post, June 8, 1944

NAME: Walter Edward Wood
RANK & BRANCH: Seaman First Class, U.S. Navy
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: February 8, 1926 – July 3, 1996
DATES OF SERVICE: May 24, 1944 – March 15, 1946
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

From the Cincinnati Times Star, November 1, 1944

 
NAME: William Bernard Wood
RANK & BRANCH: Technician Fifth Grade, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: May 15, 1920 – October 20, 1997
DATES OF SERVICE: 1943 -
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: William Wood was stationed at Camp Chaffee, Arkansas and later served overseas.

From Cincinnati Times Star, November 1, 1944

NAME: Jack Coogan Yeager
RANK & BRANCH: Seaman First Class, U.S. Navy
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: September 29, 1923 - August 26, 2012
DATES OF SERVICE: 1943 -
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Jack Yeager served on the USS Guam in 1944 and 1945, which saw duty in the Pacific theater toward the end of the war. After the war, he lived in Fairfax for most of the rest of his life.

The Gambling Scene (Part I)

    The 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s were a historic time. Prohibition, the Great Depression, World War II. The headlines in the newspapers of the day are now milestones in American history. 

    No legal liquor, financial pressures, and global warfare. People looked for diversions and some weren’t lawful. Bootleg liquor was one diversion, at least until Prohibition ended in 1933. Another was gambling, which really seemed to take hold after Prohibition ended.

    Back in those days, very few forms of gambling were legal in Ohio, or most other areas of the country. Lotteries, slot machines, poker games, and even church bingo games and raffles were illegal. Horse racing was legalized in 1933, as long as bets were made at the track. Placing bets with a bookie was not legal.

     Although it didn’t have quite the sophisticated gambling setups that were found in Cleveland, Chicago, or even Newport, Kentucky, Hamilton County had a bustling gambling scene. The most active gambling establishments in the county were in Elmwood Place and St. Bernard. Although Fairfax didn’t have quite the reputation of Elmwood Place, it had three well-known gambling establishments, Kruse’s Smoke Shop, Fairfax Tavern, and Fairfax Club.

     It isn’t clear when, exactly, illegal gambling began in Fairfax, but the first mention I found about a gambling raid was in 1931. A new Democratic sheriff, Asa Butterfield had taken office in January and served notice that gambling in Hamilton County must end. Gamblers were reported to be shaking in their boots and scouting out new locations, reportedly in Northern Kentucky. A few weeks after taking office, Butterfield said that gambling in the county had been shut down without a single arrest. He said that authorities in incorporated areas were responsible for enforcing anti-gambling laws in their own municipalities.

     Fairfax was unincorporated at that time, so the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department was the agency responsible for law enforcement here. In November 1931, a raid was made by the state Prohibition Office and the Sheriff’s Department at a house on Wooster Pike. Around 40 men and women were found drinking, playing cards, and operating slot machines. Gambling equipment and 12 gallons of whiskey were seized and the resident of the house was arrested and charged with possessing liquor.

    Although gambling in Fairfax wasn’t in the news over the next few years, it no doubt continued here, as it did in other parts of the county. The Sheriff’s Department continued to raid suspected gambling establishments and seized slot machines and other gambling paraphernalia. Touting his accomplishments during his 1934 campaign for reelection, Sheriff Butterfield stated that he had conducted 150 raids on gambling establishments and confiscated more slot machines during his time in office than his Republican predecessors had in 10 years.

     Butterfield was defeated in the November election by Republican George Lutz, Sr. Lutz declared war on commercial gambling, particularly in Elmwood Place. The Elmwood Place mayor vowed cooperation and announced a few days later that most gamblers had been driven out of town. A few weeks later, an investigation by the Cincinnati Post revealed that there was again open gambling in Elmwood Place.  The sheriff expressed his surprise. The mayor claimed ignorance of the bookmaking business in his village and said he thought the sheriff was taking care of it. The sheriff said he didn’t have the manpower to station men at all suspected gambling establishments.

     This was a pattern that would be repeated through the years during the terms of several sheriffs. The sheriff would vow to crack down on gambling in the county. He would then assert that municipal authorities were primarily responsible for enforcement of anti-gambling laws, but that the Sheriff’s Office would move in if local officials were unwilling or unable to enforce the law. Next, the authorities (the mayor, local law enforcement, the Sheriff’s Office) would declare that gambling had been shut down. Then, within a day or two, there would be a report (usually in the Cincinnati Post) of open gambling. The Sheriff’s Office would express surprise, make an excuse why they were unaware of the gambling, and then recommit to an anti-gambling campaign.

    One problem with shutting down gambling was that the consequences were so mild. Those who were arrested were usually only fined around $50. It was also nearly impossible to find witnesses who were willing to testify. In addition, many proprietors seemed to have a sixth sense and hid or removed slot machines and gambling paraphernalia immediately before law enforcement raids. This led to allegations of influence and bribery of elected officials. Usually, Republicans were suspected because so many prominent gamblers had ties to the Republican party.

     Fairfax began hitting the news again in late 1935 when Sheriff Lutz declared war on slot machines. Although he ordered his deputies to confiscate them, none had actually been seized. The Cincinnati Post found that there was open slot machine use in the county. A popular penny slot machine would pay off in cigarettes. A pack of cigarettes was about 15 cents in those days. However, it might cost as much as 40 cents to win a pack. The Post found one of these machines operating in a “Fairfax saloon.” The bartender said that other penny slot machines had been removed when the sheriff announced his crackdown.

     After the beginning of the new year, Post reporters were on the case again. One reported he played the penny slots and spent $1.02 to win three packs of cigarettes that would have only cost 45 cents if he bought them. These penny slot machines weren’t limited to bars, though. They were also found in drug stores and candy shops where children could play them. The slot machines had disappeared for a few days after Sheriff Lutz announced his crackdown, but were back in Fairfax and Mariemont soon thereafter. There were no other police departments or elected officials the Sheriff’s Office could blame for this, since they were responsible for law enforcement here.

     In September 1936 came a report that Elmwood Place gamblers were getting concerned about the new gambling establishments on the east side of the county. Of note was a new bookmaking business in Madison Place and a Fairfax establishment with a large parking lot that couldn’t accommodate all patrons on busy days.

     Despite Sheriff Lutz’s inability to shut down gambling in Hamilton County as promised, he was reelected in November 1936. As the year drew to a close, gambling raids continued, including at establishments in Fairfax and Madison Place. The Sheriff’s Office reported that they had seized over 75 slot machines in Fairfax and Elmwood Place and vowed that checkups on known gambling establishments in Fairfax, Madison Place, Plainville, Mt. Washington, and Elmwood Place would continue. Sheriff George Lutz, Sr. resigned due to illness and his son, George Lutz, Jr., was named as his successor. Sheriff Lutz, Jr. vowed to continue his father’s policies.

From the Cincinnati Post,  July 1, 1937

     In May 1938, Cincinnati Post reporters found slot machines “in taverns and cafes” in Fairfax and Mariemont. They also found gambling in a barroom in Madison Place where the patrons were mostly beer-guzzling women. A loudspeaker there announced horse racing results. There had been no attempt to hide this operation.

     A couple of months later, the Post reported that “authoritative” sources had informed them that a “politically controlled ring” had taken over slot machine operations in the county. Proceeds from the slot machines not only benefited the leaders of the ring, but were being diverted to political campaigns. The ring was allegedly led by a “prominent local political leader.” Independent slot machine operators were said to have been put out of business by uniformed police officers under the direction of a superior who was paid by the ring. The confiscated slot machines were replaced by machines owned by the ring. The ring then guaranteed protection to the operators. The slots were rigged and rarely paid out.

From the Cincinnati Post, July 1, 1938

     In August 1938, a grand jury investigated gambling in Hamilton County. The mayor of Reading testified that he had twice been approached by the fixer and collector of the slot machine ring. Sheriff’s deputies and café owners were called to testify. The Cincinnati Post reported that they had been informed that people associated with the slot machine ring had coached café owners how to testify. All café owners who testified denied having slot machines on their premises.

     The grand jury heard testimony from 104 witnesses, but disbanded without any indictments. The Post was critical of the grand jury’s report, which they said showed “clear indication of wholesale perjury.” The witnesses, they wrote, gave routine testimony for 10 to 15 minutes with no attempt to elicit the truth.

     For his part, Sheriff Lutz said he didn’t believe a slot machine ring was operating in the county and that he had questioned his deputies and they denied being bribed or influenced by anyone. The grand jury examined deputies’ bank accounts, safety deposit boxes, and property and found no evidence of bribery.

     In November 1938, Republican Fred Sperber was elected sheriff of Hamilton County. He promised to enforce gambling laws in unincorporated areas “as much as possible at least” and would allow local authorities to enforce laws in their own municipalities.

     A month later, slot machines were again operating in both incorporated and unincorporated areas of the county. Sheriff-elect Sperber vowed to initiate a drive to close down gambling in unincorporated areas and warn officials in incorporated areas. After he took office, Sperber’s men raided an establishment in Elmwood Place, the first gambling raid by the Sheriff’s Office in an incorporated area in years. The sheriff said he was targeting dice and card games, roulette, and slot machines. He said he didn’t have the manpower to take on bookmaking.

     The following day, deputies seized 10 slot machines that were openly displayed in establishments in unincorporated areas of the county. The day after that, Sperber announced that a routine inspection found no slot machines or open gambling. The Cincinnati Post loved to disprove this kind of statement and did so the following day, reporting that the politically-connected ring they reported on the prior summer was again operating slot machines.

     A month later, Sheriff Sperber announced that nearly all slot machine operations in the county had been shut down due to his department’s efforts. However, other observers attributed the apparent absence of slot machines to the expected enforcement campaign by state liquor agents at local drinking and gambling establishments.

     In August 1939, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office made its first arrest on bookmaking charges in several years when they arrested an Elmwood Place man at the Jungle Club in Fairfax. The man was fined $100, $50 of which he paid with the remaining $50 remitted by the Columbia Township magistrate. It is probably a good bet that he returned to bookmaking shortly after paying his fine.

     So, admittedly, Part I of this story doesn’t have a lot of Fairfax in it. Stay tuned for Part II next month, when Fairfax not only increasingly captures the attention of the press, law enforcement, and thieves, but also a local gambling bigwig.

LINK TO PART II