Observer_1945-06-30

477th HOM Volume 3- No. 12 PORTLAND, OREGON, JUNE 30,1945 10 Cents a Copy Former Chief of 99th \Shriner's Hospital Urban Leagu~ I Observations l iTo Benefit From Raises Funds to 1 The information bureau of the Fighter Squadron Replaces Selway as·Head of Bombardment Unit jPaper, Can Drive Facilitate Work ~~;i~e~e~~:iq~~s~~~~st;~:~onith:: I July 21st through 29th will be Elmo Roper, chairman of the * * * * * * Negro West Pointer Will Command Two Bomber Squadrons and One Fighter Group from the Famous 332nd willing to aid and advise as much as possible any Negro war veteran I the· period for a sta_te-wide waste United Urban League Service P aper and tin can dr 1·vc. rrhe en- Fund announced this week that I that may be interested in establish- $194,927.94 has been raised in tire proceeds from this drive in ing themselves on farms. campaign and pre-campaign gifts * • • \Multnomah County will go to the toward the goal of $350,000 t 9 American and British diplomats I local Shriners' Hospital. carry on the expanding work of the I are getting the surprise of a life- The Shriners' hospital is a hu- National Urban League and the time since the trials of 16 former manitarian institution where Urban League of Gr.-:ater New London exiled Poles in Moscow 1 neithe~ faith, creed, or color is the York. The campaign is carried on have a~tually revealed the fact that I basis for admission but poverty in New York City jointly by the this group of Poles gave aid to the ' ' National Urban League and the and need. All assistance given in iocalleague. Outside of New York Nazis. * * * Colonel Benjamin 0. Davis, Jr.,a-------------- this drive will do much to insure City, contributions go to the Na- former commanding officer of the Flying the sturdy P-40 War- benefits to additional helpless chil- tiona! Urban League. W asington correspondents on June 24th were stating that F. E. P. C. only had one week left in ~32nd Fighter Group in Italy, to- hawk and P-47 Thunderbolt with dren who seck freedom from pain Mr. Roper also announced that day assumed command of the 477th the 12th Fighter Command the and physical limitation. campaign activities will be con- which to be saved. T~e Senate Ap- compos .te Gro p f m 1 the G o t f d h' · ' d tinued during the summer to se- · t' C 'tt t d 14 1 u , or er y r up s ra e enemy s 1ppmg an If every bit of waste paper and propna wns omm1 ee vo e 477th Bombardment Group (med- the 15th Air Force and equipped . b . cure the additional amount of to 4 to back an amendment to the ' tm cans can be rought out mto dium), at Godman Field, !(:en- with P-5ls. The Mustang became I money needed by the Leagues to War Agencies Appropriations bill tucky, the War Department an- a favorite with the pilots. 1 the open for this drive, it will as- support their efforts toward the that will provide $146,000 for nounced. _On F;,!>ruary 28, 1945, O>lonel sist tremendously i~ a real war achievement of equality of econ- F. E. P. C. The Home Appropria- The 32-year-old West Point Davis' Group had completed 2001 need and a great humanitarian pur- nom1c opportunity for rjegro tions Committee deleted an F. E. graduate of 1936 earned his pilot's combat missions with the 15th Air i suit. Americans. P . C. provision. wings at the Tuskegee Army Air Force and had served as escort to '1 The Fund Chairman under- • • • Field, Alabama, in 1942. Placed heavy bombers without losing a 1 W C FEPC scored the generous support given There have been three additi9ns in command of the 99th Fighter <Continued on Page 4) est OaSt to the campaign by foundations, in- to the staff of Bagley Downs Rec- Squadron, he went overseas with • I Assist Negro dustrial and business corporations, reation Center, "Noel Hair" for- it in April, 1943. The colonel, R h d B M labor unions, both AFL and CIO, mer teacher of physical education; then a lieutenant colonel, served as lC ar . oore Electricians and individual donors who are con- Stanley Bell of Burton Homes, commanding officer of the 99th in Guest Speaker vinced that the Leagues' program boxing instructor, and Jerry Blan- the North African, Sicilian and Two West Coast shipping com- is effective in improving industrial ton, equipment room attendant. Italian campaigns. On October 5, 1943, Colonel Davis, a native of Washington, D. C., returned to the United States and assumed command of the 332nd Fighter Group, which was activated October 13, 1942. The Group trained under Colonel Davis until January 13, 1944, and then went overseas and into action against the enemy as a part of the 12th Fighter Command of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces under Lieutenant General Eaker, did low level skip-bombing at Cas- sino, Anzio and other points Italy. They were later assigned Eaker. 111 to At NAACP Meet pan.ies. acceded. this month. in ~e- gotJatwns w 1t h Exammer-m- The Vancouver Branch of the I Charge Edward Rutledge to the N. A. A. C. P. held a banquet I President's Committee on Fair meeting at the Subway Grill at Employment Practice request that 1340 N. Crosby street, Sunday eve- I qualified Negro electricians be nng, June 24, 1945. Guest speaker given fair employment opportunity, for this occasion was Richard B.\ FEPC regional director Harry L. Moore, vice president of the West Kingman stated today. As a result, Indies National Council. ,.their ships sailed with Negro dec– Moore, a brilliant thinker and tricians aboard for the first time. functionary m many minority 1 1 Other industries connected with group programs and movements, the war effort which relaxed their will be remembered as a staunch j discrimination erecently included a fighter for the ultimate freedom of government hospital which agreed the Scottsboro boys. In addressing to employ registered N~gro nurses, the Negro and white members of Kingman said. the N. A. A. C. P., Moore ex-j Of the 1250 complaints docket- plained in detail the work of the 1 ed since the opening of FEPC of– N. A. A. C. P. during the war and fices on the West Coast, approx– outlined the colossal tasks it would . 1 imately 1000 have been closed, ac– have to perform after the war. He c~rding to the FEPC offcial. Al– stressed the importance of all pro- though Region XII has received gressive groups working vigorously and processed more complaints dur– to keep the f. E. P. C. in ·exist- ing the past year than any other ence. In concluling his talk he re– minded his audience that "Ulti– mately prog.ressive ideals and pol– icies will win over reactionary pro– grams, but how soon this would happen depends entirely upon the I effort that the people are willing to put forth to make this possible." region, not a single strike or walk– out has resulted as a result of FE P C interverttion, Kingman stated. Numerous endorsements of the agency's work have come, not only from the minority workers themselves, but also from employ– ers and union labor representa– tives. and race-relations. Among the largest foundation gifts are: The Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund and William S. Paley Foundation. Sub– stantial contributions were made by the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, Bethlehem Steel, the Texas Company, Curtiss Wright Corporation, Western Electric Company, International Harvester Company, Standard Oil Company of Indiana and the Savoy Ball– room of New York City. The Amalgamated Qlothing Workers of America, United Hatters, Cap & Millinery Workers of America and International Ladies Garment ~T orkers Union lead the list of labor unions with substantial con– tributions. Negro officers attached to the United States Army Base hospital at Fort Huachuca made a large pooled contribution, and from individuals throughout the country hundreds of gifts ranging from $1.00 upward were received. Actively associated with Mr. Roper in this fund raising cam– paign were the following commit– tee chairman: Frank W. Abrams, Corporations; Jack Altman, Labor Unions, and Benjamin Wood, Out-of-Town. Mr. Henry Bruere * * * A specia1 program portraying the part Negroes have played in the war, entitled "Informal Report on Negro-Americans," was pre– sented over the Columbia network Sunday, June 17, in support of the 7th War Loan Drive (WABC– CBS, 10:30-11 :00 A.M., EWT). Kenneth Spencer, well known Negro baritone, headed the guest roster for the broadcast. Four news stories, showing out– standing achievements and sacri– fices of Negroes in the war, were dramatized. Milo Boulton, emcee of CBS "We, the People," officiated. is Fund Treasurer. Among those who acted as spvn– sors were Secretary of the Navy, James . V. F orrestal; former War Production Board Chairman. Den– aid Nelson; Henry Ford Il; Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt; Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia; Governor Thomas E. Dewey; the Reverend John La– Fargo, S. J.; Dorothy Maynor; Philip · Murray; the Honorable Joseph M. Proskeuer; William Green; John Sengstacko; C. C. Spaulding, and Dr. Channing H. Tobias. •