March 23, 1945 (Friday)

NICE PROGRAM. GOOD ATTENDANCE.

---

Fine day.

Finished painting the

living room to-day.

It looks very nice.

Henry began sowing

oats in field west of

house. Hank cultipack-

ing ahead of drill.

Henry and I went

to PTA to-night.

Edwina & Marion Carlson

were Program Comm.

Nice program. Mr. Kleinheksel

of Lowell showed pictures

of many species of birds

and war pictures

Good attendance.

---

A brief article in the March 29, 1945 edition of the Lowell Ledger referenced the PTA meeting that Henry and Edna attended.

Edna's handwriting made it difficult to discern the name of the person who presented "pictures of many species of birds."But there it was in the Ledger: Kleinhecksel.

The "war pictures" presented by Mr. Kleinhecksel, as reported by the Ledger, were entitled "Why We Fight."

Every time I search the archives of the Lowell Ledger, I am never disappointed. I almost always discover something to substantiate what Edna has noted in her journal.

"Why We Fight" was a series of propaganda films created by the US Department of War between 1942 and 1945. Initially intended for American soldiers to explain the United States' involvement in the war, President Roosevelt directed that they be released for public viewing.

All of the films in the Why We Fight series were directed by Frank Capra.

Yes, that's right. Frank Capra. THE Frank Capra.

During the 1930s, Capra emerged as one of America's most influential directors, winning three Academy Awards for Best Director: It Happened One Night (1934), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), and You Can't Take it with You (1938).

In 1945, what would become Capra's most famous work, It's a Wonderful Life, did not yet exist. He would earn another Best Director nomination for that film.

The Why We Fight series featured seven films: Prelude to War (1942), The Nazis Strike (1943), Divide and Conquer (1943), The Battle of Britain (1943), The Battle of Russia (1943), The Battle of China (1944), and War Comes to America (1945).

Capra won Best Director (documentary) for Prelude to War and was nominated as Best Director (documentary) for The Battle of Russia.

I am uncertain about which of the seven films Edna and Henry viewed that night in 1945. The Ledger mentioned it was about "the early phases of the war," so it could have been Prelude to War. However, War Comes to America was released in 1945, so it's plausible that this was the film they saw.

The Ledger also noted that "two interesting films" about the war were screened that evening. War Comes to America lasted over sixty minutes, so it's possible it might have been on two reels.

All seven films are available to watch for free on the US National Archives YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLugwVCjzrJsXwAiWBipTE9mTlFQC7H2rU

I watched War Comes to America (below). The impact and power of the propaganda employed in that film continue to resonate today. The imagery. The music. The narration. In 2025, I experienced the emotions Capra and the US Department of War intended for audiences in 1945.

March 22, 1945 (Thursday)

A LOVELY SPRING DAY

---

A lovely Spring day.

No fire in the furnace

now days as weather

continues mild.

Hank fitting the oats

ground ready for

planting to-morrow.

Putting on the 2nd

coat of paint in

living room.

Laura Flynn and I went

with Pauline Bryant

to meet with Lucille

to name officers for

the P.T.A. for next year

nominated - Mrs. Joe Dyke Pres., Lucille vice Pres.

Freda Russell for Sect & Treas

Ward Boulard father vice Pres.

---

The final three words of Edna's journal entry on this day caught my attention: "father vice president."

At first, I misread "father" as "further" but quickly realized I was mistaken.

I was an involved parent when my kids were growing up but I never did the the PTA thing. So before I dismissed the necessity of specifying the title of the elected position with "father" as outdated I did some Googling. And guess what? Although it's not universal, I discovered that some PTAs still qualify elected positions with "father" or "mother."

The March 29, 1945 edition of the Lowell Ledger reported on the Bowne Center PTA elections. In that aritcle, I stumbled upon a practice that is outdated today but was quite common at the time: referring to married women by their husband's name.

"...the following were elected: Predsident, Mrs. Joe Dyke; mother vice president, Mrs. John Watts."

Eleanor Lucille Johnson, my great Aunt, was born on December 10, 1903. Everyone called her Lucille.

Lucille married John Watts on October 28, 1930. Lucille and John endured the loss of two infants, one in 1931 and another in February 1939. Later that year, in October they adopted a infant daughter, naming her Mary.

Before she was a wife and mother, Lucille was a school teacher. At one time, she taught three of her siblings in the one-room schoolhouse at Bowne Center.

Lucille was the firstborn child of Henry and Edna. She died on May 4, 1963, at the age of 59.

L. Verdean Fase was born on January 26, 1910. She was just 17 when she married Joe Dyke on November 5, 1927. Joe and Verdean had two daughters, Lorraine and June. Their son, Lawrence Edwin Dyke was only 12 days old when he died on December 8, 1929.

It required some effort to link a first name to Mrs. John Dyke. I discovered she lived on a farm on Alden Nash (M-50), just south of Alto. I found out Mrs. John Dyke had two daughters. These details can be found with a quick Google search. However, I couldn't locate any reference to Verdean by her first name.

A Google search of her children's names proved helpful. A Lowell Ledger article in the mid-50's about June entering nursing school mentioned her parents; Joe and Verdean Dyke of Arizona. I was feeling more confident that Verdean Dyke was the Mrs. Joe Dyke I was seeking. But, I couldn't find any evidence that Joe and Verdean Dyke had resided in Bowne Center until I came across a 2-page spread in the Lowell Ledger in 1956 about voter registration. It listed the names of every registered voter in Bowne Township. Joe and Verdean Dyke were included on that list.

Mrs. Joe Dyke, who was elected President of the Bowne Center PTA on March 22, 1945 had a name of her own. It was Verdean.

In 1952, Verdean and Joe relocated to Arizona for Joe's health. Joe lived for over 30 years following their move, eventually passing away in 1985.

Verdean was diagnoased with cancer in 1965, passing away just 8 months later on April 16, 1966. She was just 56.

News of her death was reported on the front page of the April 21, 1966 edition of the Lowell Ledger. The headline read:

"Former resident, Mrs. Joe Dyke dies; rites held."

There is no mention of her first name in the entire article about her death.

I imagine that Verdean, Lucille, and my great-grandmother Edna were all used to the practice of referring to married women by their husbands' names. Edna adhered to this convention when writing in her journal.

Verdean, Lucille, and Edna, according to July 1956 Lowell Ledger 2-page spread were all registered to vote.

The Michigan gubernatorial race that November was between G. Mennen Williams (D) and Albert Cobo (R). Williams was declared the winner.

The presidential election that fall was between Dwight D. Eisenhower (R) and Adlai Stevenson (D). Eisenhower won the election quite handily.

I envision all three women confidently heading to the polls to vote, presenting their voter registration cards bearing the names Edna Johnson, Lucille Watts, and L. Verdean Dyke.

Edna. Lucille. Verdean. Such beautiful names.

June 9, 1945 (Saturday)

DICK POPS CORN. EDNA PURCHASES A BOND.

A fine day.

I went to Alto this A.M.

with Lucille to do my

week-end shopping.

Henry working in

back field digging trenches

and laying tiles.

Kate + Bill out to-night.

Played "dirty 8." Dick

staying all night

he also popped corn

for us this evening.

Hank went out to

night.

I purchased 500.00 bond at Alto

Bank this morning.

---

In my grandfather's journal for this same date he notes that he went "to Bowens Mills in the evening." There was was a dance hall there. My grandpa liked to dance. I remember dancing with my grandpa at my dad's retirement party in the late 1980s. He hadn't lost his step. He was still a very good dancer.

With Bob (my grandpa) off to a dance, my dad (Dick) is spending the night with his grandparents (Edna and Henry). The dances were late night affairs and Dick is thirteen. His brother (Paul), a recent high school graduate, must have been out for the evening as well. It's possible Paul went to the dance with his dad. Rosy (Dick's and Paul's mom) had taken off awhile ago and hadn't come back.

Instead of staying home alone, Dick spent the evening with his grandparents and made popcorn.

Making popcorn for an evening snack is something that my father would do for many decades. For most of my childhood, he would pop corn in a pan on the stovetop. Electric oil popping machines and air poppers were not his style. The best-tasting corn resulted from the right amount of oil (crisco) and appropriately timed shaking of the pan on a burner at just the right heat. As kids, my brother and I would watch as the exploding corn would push the lid up off of the pan. Then, dad would dump the popped corn into a bowl. A bowl that we ONLY used for popcorn (and occasionally for homemade potato salad). Once in the bowl, dad would carefully spoon butter and shake salt on the popcorn, tossing it around in the bowl with his hands (one bare and the other holding a butter knife). The sound of the butter knife scraping the bottom of the wooden popcorn bowl is something I still recall with ease.

In later years, an air-popper took over for the pan on the stovetop. It was healthier. But every now and then, Dad would say, "let's do it the old-fashioned way."

It's been a while, but every now and then, I make popcorn in my own home the old-fashioned way...dad's way.

Earlier on this day, before eating popcorn, Edna went to Alto to do her shopping. While there she also purchased a $500 war bond. That particular bond sold during the seventh war loan drive of World War II, which began on May 14, 1945, and ran through June 30, 1945

The United States government spent over $300 million during World War II, of which $185 million was funded by loans (bonds) from American citizens.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt purchased the first bond sold during WWII on May 1, 1941. It was the start of a campaign to encourage Americans to do their part to help the country finance the war. Citizens were asked to put at least 10% of their paychecks toward the purchase of bonds.

The War Advertising Council, incorporated in 1942, was founded "with the intention of mobilizing the advertising industry around WWII efforts, producing propaganda including “Women in War Jobs,” “Buy War Bonds,” and “Loose Lips Sink Ships.”

Now known as simply Ad Council (a widely recognizable brand), they are responsible for some of the most iconic campaigns in advertising history including:

• Smokey Bear

• Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk

• A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste

• Love Has No Labels

When the 7th War Loan Drive began on May 14, 1945, there were concerns that sales would be difficult given the recent victory in Europe. The War Advertising Council swung into action.

The May 31, 1945, edition of the Lowell Ledger was filled with propaganda promoting the bond drive. I am sure the same is true of newspapers (large and small) across the country.

The work of the Ad Council also appeared across the country in several other ways.

Posters with the flag raising on Iwo Jima were imprinted with the message "Now All Together."

Newsreels played before motion pictures.

During the six-week long 7th War Bond Drive, Edna, along with countless other Americans, responded to the propaganda by collectively purchasing $26 billion in bonds.

There would be an 8th War Bond drive. The second of 1945 and the final one of that year and of World War II.

Also, did anyone else catch that Edna said, "I purchased" and not "we purchased"?