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 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
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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