Wednesday, August 2, 2017

PEARL AND BEYOND


                                                              PEARL  AND  BEYOND
                                                       NORMAN  V.  KELLY

 

Remember Pearl Harbor happened 12-7-41….but we never heard about it in my house until 12-8-41.  The newspapers had extras and I remember my oldest brother leaving the house to go find a newspaper because we had an evening delivery then.  We had 2 papers.  I remember listening to the radio and you wouldn’t dare say a word when adults were listening.  Throughout that day that is all we heard and I could see the fear in the eyes of the people that were talking to my parents.  I had 3 brothers and I knew they  were very anxious to sign up.  It was an exciting day…at age 10 I did not really feel fear…but I was scared of the way it affected my family and all our neighbors.

In November of 1940  there was a big Discussion through the AMERICAN FORUM and the topic was ‘SHALL WE STOP JAPAN WITH FORCE’  People could call in and give their opinions…  So for those people that paid attention the threat of Japan was pretty well known. 

Peoria in 1941 was a buys place  we had 176 manufacturing firms in Peoria producing almost 1000  different products….when the war broke out we were a very patriotic   war products city…and with CAT,  Letourneau and other big manufacturers’ we played a major role in supporting our troops.


Our Population  according to the 1942 census report was 105,003  I remember seeing pretty girls at booths on the corners downtown asking everyone to   STAND UP AND BE COUNTED….WE NEED AT least 104,000 people or we would lost about $30,000  for 5 years so it was really a big thing in 1941 to get your name on that list….  Well….adults anyway.

I think people forget that although Pearl Harbor was 12-7-41  that 19422 was only 3 weeks away…I can tell you that the news was loaded with WAR from Europe and that there was talk in our newspapers that England just Might Surrender   just Like France did  I can tell you that a 10 year old kid was more interested in going to a movie at the Columbia or Apollo than some was in England.

In 1941-42 here in Peoria the local Ag-Lab was trying to develop a system for Developing PENICILIN  AND ONCE IN awhile we were told about a lady here in tow called the CANTALUOPE LADY  whose job it was to select the right cantaloupe to develop just the right MOLD for the Penicillin   Finally they accomplished that mass production system and Immediately Penicillin went to work saving countless lives…it was truly amazing and it all had a Peoria connection…   The   CANTaLOUPE  Lady  also known as  MOLDY MARY  WAS A Peorian named   MARY  HUNT…

Discovered  credit given to    Sir Alexander Flemming  a SCOT   1928  A mould     changed the History of the World…

Most important life-saving drug the world has ever know   they came here 1941  big corn fields and Peoria Ag Lab developed it for Mass Production   NEEDED A PLADCE TO   FERMENT THE MOPULDS   May Hunt and people here did an excellent job in fermenting INCLUDING better than corn   a moldy cantaloupe     she went out into Peoria buying them  or locating them and taking them back to the lab.

1941   The MOUNTED POICE  8 cops on horseback in downtown traffic.  

First News of WAR   H O A R D I N G   Peoria was very good at that and it also spawned   BLACK  MARKET 

Counterfeiting and cheating on the ration coupons and Fuel Stamps  also RUSTLING cattle etc  first time in half a century  if you were prone to be bad  the war brought such a demand that they made a lot of $$$$

Scary:    Sec. of War  Stenson   Expecting an Air Invasion

PEORIA     Bishop’s Café  opened  had an electric door opener  electric eye  people flocked to see it.

 

 

TOBACCO ROAD    SPYS  FIFTH COLUMNISTS   FEAR OF SABATOGE  LOT OF FEAR AND SUSPICION…  AT OUR FACTORIES…

 

Population   America   130  MILLION…

Peoria….Warner Homes Opened..

PEORIA    OVER 200 TAVERNS LATER  242   AND WITHIN THAT WE HAD 18 Night clubs, gambling 995 known whores and the taverns stayed open  some of them  22 hours.

 

ROSIE THE RIVETER   HOUSEWIVES WORKING HERE IN Peoria  original one  modeled after  

                     ROSIE   ROSINABAVIT

Peoria  Haircuts   65 Cents in town

MANUAL   Halloween  1941  a RAM is introduced on stage as Manual’s  Mascot

HEADLINE   12-8-’41    US  DECLARES  WAR    remember  on  12-11-41  Germany and Italy declares war on USA

Famous    FDR     Day Of Infamy

 

Shortly after that USA began rounding up Aliens  especially Japanese    Invasion IS Expected.

Stores  inundated bought everything  including Radios  American Flags and food…AND  Lot’s of GUNS

 

SAYINGS:     Remember Pearl Harbor    KEEP  ‘em flying  KILROY  A  HERE

Day after XMAS  Kids rushed downtown to see FREE   MOVIES

Radio Jack Armstrong   Great Gildersleve    Mickey Rooney was Number 1 

We loved  SGT  YORK   Never allowed to see Dr. Jekle and Mr. Hyde

SONGS  1941   Deep in the heart of Texas    Ill remember April

There  I said it again   dancing in the dark.

 

 

 

 

 

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