Personals
February 9 - C. A. Best, of Bowling Green, chairman of the county school board, was a visitor in the city last Monday attending a board meeting.
Mrs. John J. Nedza arrived here the latter part of the last week from Colorado Springs, Colo., where she has been for several months with her husband, M/Sgt. John Nedza. Mrs. Nedza has accepted a position with the Nolan-Dickerson Construction Co., now engaged in constructing the new highway through Wauchula.
Servicemen
Mrs. R. A. Blackmon, of South Seventh Avenue, was notified that her son, Pfc. Carlyle
Blackmon, had been slightly wounded in action in Belgium on January 19.
Overseas 25 months, Pfc. Cecil H. Lessley, son of Mrs. Sussie Lessley, 215 East Main Street,
Wauchula, in now serving with the first platoon of the 194th Military Police Co., on duty with
the Headquarters Command Allied Forces in Italy.
Cpl. George Q. Osborn and Cpl. John O. Stannage, of the Tenth Armored Division, were with
the soldiers who were cut off from their outfit and surrounded by Germans at Bastogne, on
Belgium Bulge, and were given two hours to surrender.
Cpls. Osborn and Stannage have received commendations from their officer for the prominent
part they took in routing the enemy and escaping from the "trap."
Cpl. Osborn, 26, has been in the service since November 9, 1942. His wife, the former Miss
Obetia Boree, and two children reside in Wauchula.
Cpl. Stannage, 23, went to the service in October, 1942. His wife, the former Miss Natha Lee
Bell, makes her home in Wauchula.
They are the grandsons of Mr. W. A. Galloway of Wauchula.
Church Directory
February 16 - Wauchula churches and ministers include: Seventh Day Adventist, A. N. Allen,
pastor; First Baptist, Rev. M. J. Schultz, pastor; North Eighth Baptist, Vernon Coker, pastor; St.
Michael's Catholic Church, Rev. Charles L. Moore; Church of God, S. 7th Ave., Rev. A. J.
Duncan, pastor; The Church of God, N. 9th Ave.; First Christian, A. J. Travis, minister; First
Presbyterian, John Keels, pastor; First Methodist, Charles H. Voss, pastor; Wauchula Revival
Center, Rev. Novella Sells, pastor.
Other churches and pastors include: Fort Green Baptist, J. N. Hendry, pastor; Gardner Baptist,
Jim Coker, pastor; Lake Dale Baptist, Glenn Collins, pastor; Lily Union Baptist, A. J. Graves,
pastor; Limestone Baptist, A. J. Graves, pastor; Zolfo Springs Baptist, Mercer Gilmore, pastor.
Brownville Methodist, Friendship Methodist, Zolfo Springs Methodist, all Fred Stinson, pastor.
Service Personnel
Sgt. Cody E. Bennett, who suffered multiple wounds in action in Italy on October 11, arrived
in Wauchula late Wednesday evening from the Lawson General Hospital in Atlanta, Ga. for a
21-day furlough with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. R. L. Bennett. Sgt. Bennett, who is 20 years old,
has been in the service about 22 months and has been overseas about 17 months and participated
in a number of engagements in Italy.
S/Sgt. Norris T. Brooks, 24, chief clerk of an AAF operation, returned to America January 14,
1945 after completing 25 months in the China-Burma-India Theatre of operations. He is the son
of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Brooks, of Bowling Green. His wife, Mary Ellen, resides with her
parents, Dr. and Mrs. E. R. Harman in Wauchula.
Word has been received here the first of the week announcing the promotion of Capt. Winston
Carlton to the rank of major. Major Carlton is a son of Thomas N. Carlton. His wife is making
her home in Tampa. Major Carlton is with an engineer's aviation battalion in France and has
been overseas for 20 months.
Mr. and Mrs. Joe Cejka, Sr., of near Wauchula, were notified last week by the War Depart-
ment that their son, Lt. Henry G. Cejka, 25, was killed in France on January 22. Lt. Cejka had
been in service a little more than 32 months, 12 of which was overseas. He was with the
invasion troops when they landed in Normandy and moved up with the troops as they advanced
toward the German border and had taken part in several engagements. His decorations are
numerous, including the Purple Heart, Oak Leaf Cluster, the Silver Star.
Tony Makowski, who recently received a medical discharge after several months with the
Seabees in the South Pacific, arrived in Wauchula the first of the week.
Two sisters, Pvts. Palmalene F. Smithwick and Edna F. Williams, enlisted in the Women's
Army Corps in order to share in the war effort with their husbands and three brothers. The
WACS are daughters of Mrs. Versie Williams, of R. 2, Wauchula. Husbands of the two WACS,
Gunner Mate 3/c Claud A. Smithwick, and Seaman Roy F. Williams, are serving overseas.
Brothers in service are Cpl. Palmer Faircloth, New Caledonia; Coxswain Bernard V.
Faircloth, South Pacific, and Alfred Faircloth, Maritime Service, at sea.
Church Notes
February 23 - Mrs. Percy Carlton, director of the Junior Choir of the First Baptist Church,
announces that the vested choir will sing the anthem, "The Lord Is My Shepherd," by Koschat
Sunday evening at the 8:00 service. Mrs. Reynolds Allen will be the accompanist.
Kiwanis
The Wauchula Kiwanis Club was favored with an unusually fine program put on by Frank
Chambless when former Gov. Spessard L. Holland made the principal address this week.
Personals
A surprise birthday dinner was held in honor of Mrs. Dan Coker, on her 89th birthday, at her
home in Gardner, Sunday, February 18. Aunt Lizzie, as she is lovingly known to her husband
and friends, was thrilled over the event.
Uncle Dan, who will be 89 in April, is planning a celebration when all his grandsons in
service come back home.
Mr. and Mrs. Merle Coker and little son, Larry, of Clearwater, spent the weekend with Mr.
Coker's mother, Mrs. Bessie Coker, and sister, Mrs. Herman Wilson.
Edgar Davis, who is a student at Florida University, Gainesville, spent the weekend with his
parents, Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Davis.
Mr. and Mrs. Roger Fumanti, of Wilkes Barre, Pa., have returned to Wauchula to live. Mr.
Fumanti has just received a discharge from the U. S. Army and upon their return have accepted a
position in the City Curb Market.
Mrs. Walter L. Messick and little daughter, Donna Jo, have returned from Atascadero, Calif.,
where they have been visiting her husband, Capt. Walter L. Messick.
Servicemen
Joseph W. Cejka, Jr., 22, of Route 1, Wauchula, has recently been promoted from the rank of
second to first lieutenant. Since his arrival in the European theater of operations on October 25,
1944, Lt. Cejka has been serving with the veteran 305th Bombardment group as a pilot of a B-17
Flying Fortress heavy bomber. Prior to his entrance in the AAF on September 25, 1943, Lt.
Cejka was a student at Hardee County High School.
Capt. George Fields, son of Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Fields, of this city, has been made command-
ing officer of a new organization at Laredo, Texas Air Field. Capt. Fields is a graduate of the
Wauchula High School.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Shaw, of near Wauchula, were notified last week that their son, Sgt.
Cecil Shaw, 26, had been missing in action in France since January 31. Sgt. Shaw, a cook, was
born in Wauchula and has been making his home in Georgia a number of years. He has been in
service nearly five years.
Mrs. Ella Southerland, of East Bay Street, last week received through the War Department
citations which had been presented to her son, the late Cpl. Edgar Southerland, who was killed in
action during the battle for Leyte in the Philippines last December. Among them was the Purple
Heart, which was awarded posthumously. The citation was for exemplary conduct and bravery
in the line of battle.
The memorial was also from the War Department and bore the signature of Franklin D.
Roosevelt, president of the United States. It gave the date of enlistment, South Pacific Islands
where he had served with the armed forces up to his last engagement. The memorial is embossed
with the emblem of the United States in colors and is a beautiful piece of work.
This article was published in The Herald-Advocate (Wauchula, Fla.), 4A, March 16, 2006.