mvmhm Posted March 7, 2015 Share #1 Posted March 7, 2015 This is an unusual Home Front group I received from the woman's grandson. Delilah Wikle was a long time teacher in a school one county over who made it a point to write as many of her former students as possible during WWII...rather than type everything out I'll post her bio that was sent with her address book and other things: Mark sends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share #2 Posted March 7, 2015 Here she not too long before she died, along with the address book, which is about an inch thick and jam-packed with names and addresses: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share #3 Posted March 7, 2015 She started to list the names of those Killed In Action...along with an Honor Roll that I think was copied from a school program.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share #4 Posted March 7, 2015 ..eventually she went with putting a gold star besides each KIA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share #5 Posted March 7, 2015 .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share #6 Posted March 7, 2015 ...some of the addresses have their picture, clipped from local papers...there's also a number of loose pieces.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share #7 Posted March 7, 2015 .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share #8 Posted March 7, 2015 ...in her later years she tried to send the cards and letters she got from her students back to them..here's the form letter she used..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share #9 Posted March 7, 2015 ...there were a number of cards and letters she still had when she died, as well as letters from parents of her students thanking her for what she was doing.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share #10 Posted March 7, 2015 ..postcard sent from Italy...note the Navy censor stamp.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share #11 Posted March 7, 2015 ...her school program published as the war wound down.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share #12 Posted March 7, 2015 ..one of her students sent her name to the Tom Breneman Breakfast in Hollywood program...he had a "Good Neighbor" award where he would talk about them on the radio and then send them an orchid.....they tried to make a movie about himn after the war which didn't do very well, although a lot of big names in Hollywood had been on his show...including frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole...here's a booklet from the movie, which was made in 1946. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share #13 Posted March 7, 2015 .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share #14 Posted March 7, 2015 ...and of course that was a big deal for the local station...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share #15 Posted March 7, 2015 ...after the war she was still getting letters from her former students...this one is from a man serving in Japan and Korea in 1952. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share #16 Posted March 7, 2015 ...and a copy of one of her obituaries..... Mark sends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearmon Posted March 7, 2015 Share #17 Posted March 7, 2015 WOW Just WOW! It always amazes me the lengths people of that era went too to treat our Service members well. That is an incredible group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Keith Posted March 8, 2015 Share #18 Posted March 8, 2015 Really a neat grouping, thanks for posting it. Few teachers rise to that level of passion in their work, and few people rise to that level of passion in their work. BKW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattsmilitary Posted March 8, 2015 Share #19 Posted March 8, 2015 What an amazing find! Congrats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobgee Posted March 8, 2015 Share #20 Posted March 8, 2015 A truly great lady! R.I.P. Ms. Wikle. Bobgee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvmhm Posted March 8, 2015 Author Share #21 Posted March 8, 2015 The fact that her former students were still writing to her well after the end of the war is the best testament to the esteem she was held in...... Mark sends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monsoon Posted March 8, 2015 Share #22 Posted March 8, 2015 Isn't that something! Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USCapturephotos Posted March 8, 2015 Share #23 Posted March 8, 2015 I LOVED this story. Thank you. I am a high school history teacher and this served as such an encouragement and inspiration to me. Thanks for sharing this wonderful teacher's story with the rest of us. Just today I was thinking about a much beloved middle school history teacher that inspired me back in the 80's. Sadly he passed away young before I could contact him again and tell him how much he meant. I regret that. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle5036 Posted March 9, 2015 Share #24 Posted March 9, 2015 This is a great group of letters! I enjoy WWII ephemera! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pchepurko Posted March 9, 2015 Share #25 Posted March 9, 2015 What a great story and a wonderful lady. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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