CCC Legacy Journal: Vol. 33 Issue 6 - November / December 2009
Nobel
prize-winning agricultural scientist Norman Borlaug died at the age of 95 in
Dallas on Sept. 12, 2009.
Known
across the world as the father of the “green revolution”, Borlaug won the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for contributions to the development of high-yield
crops and other agricultural innovations that helped to decrease world hunger
and alleviate poverty.
Born in
Cresco, Iowa, in 1914, he went on to school at the University of Minnesota, and
graduated from the School of Forestry in 1937.
As part of his undergraduate work he worked with Dr. Ed Berra of the
Forest Research Center at Yale, CT., and became part of the CCC program working
with the Forest Service. He and 15
other undergraduates were tasked with working with the Forest Service and the
CCC during the 1938 hurricane in Massachusetts.
After his
work with the Forest Service and his previous service at CCC camps in Idaho, he
began his post graduate work eventually achieving his PhD in 1941.
Because
of his own struggle and experiences with the Depression and his exposure to the
CCC program, he was profoundly influenced to examine hunger and its impact on
people.
After a
three year period of employment with Dupont Chemical he was offered the position
to head the Cooperative Wheat Research and Production Program in Mexico.
When asked why he made the decision to
move forward he said.” Well, I guess it was because I had seen the impact that
the CCC had made on a lot of the young people that I’d been involved with
first in Idaho and later in that Timber Salvage Operation in Massachusetts and
all of New England after the hurricane.”
In an obituary of Times Online it stated: As a group leader with the CCC
he was in charge of many recruits who were emaciated and starving; refugees from
the great Dust Bowl that had laid waste to the plains of America from Texas to
South Dakota. He said “I saw how
food changed them, and this left scars on me.”
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CCC Legacy Journal Vol. 33 Issue 5 - September / October 2009
By Henry Sulima
Chuck Yeager—A West Virginia CCC boy.
Upon leaving the Civilian Conservation Corps, he went on to enlist in the
U.S. Army Air Corps, and eventually became a fighter pilot.
He was shot down over France and captured by the Germans, soon after
having arrived in England. With the
help of the French Underground, he escaped to Spain, returned to England, and
went on to become an Ace, credited with shooting down 11
1/2 enemy aircraft. He
remained in the service, serving in Viet Nam, then became an experimental
aircraft test pilot. The first man
ever to fly faster than sound. During
his military career, he rose from private to brigadier general.
Robert Mitchum—EX-CCCer, and long time actor and song writer.
Starred in many movies during his long acting career, including such
classics as: Cape Fear, Winds of
War, Night of the Hunter, the Sundowner, and others.
Voted the 61st greatest movie star, by an Entertainment Weekly poll.
J.O. “Jack Townley—A
West Virginia CCC Boy. About 45
years ago, a creative, hard working ex-CCCer, and ex-coal miner, J.C. “Jake”
Townley, founded the Townley Company. He
created many innovative problem solving products for the mining and coal-fired
industries. The Townley family still
operates what is now called the Townley Engineering and manufacturing Company,
with the same work ethics, innovation and tradition of quality as did Jake.
A CCC worker Statue stands on company grounds in Chandler Florida in
Jake’s memory, and in honor of the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Raymond Burr—Another ex-CCCer, and long time NACCCA member.
Raymond Burr performed in over 90 movies in his lifetime.
Also starred in “Perry Mason” and Ironsides”; two long running TV
series. He was most known for his
role in appearing in public hearings over 25 years ago.
At his own expense, in behalf of NACCCA and interested others, he pleaded
(successfully) with Congress and Senate to bring back the old Civilian
Conservation Corps, by passing H.R. 999, the American Conservation Corps Act of
1984” (ACC). His efforts and the
efforts of NACCCA were all for naught when President Ronald Reagan vetoed the
Bill.
Walter Matthau—Ex-CCCer. Actor. Started out very young at age 11,
playing bit parts in a Yiddish theater in New York City.
After serving in WWII, he got his first acting roles on Broadway, which
eventually led him to Hollywood. His
claim to fame came when he teamed up with Jack Lemmon.
They made ten movies together including:
“The Fortune Cookie, Odd Couple, Grumpy Old Men.
He was in demand from then on until he died.
He served in the CCC at Glacier National Park along side Dr. Burton
Appleton, Chapter #13.
Know others?
Please pass them on.
(Back
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CCC Legacy
Journal Vol. 33 Issue 5 - September October 2009
by
John J. Manocchio, Camp Reporter, Co. #3356, Cuchillo, New Mexico
Until
July 1939 most of the CCC doctors and dentist were members of the Army, Navy or
Marine Corps Reserves called to Active duty for CCC work.
In some camps civilian doctors were employed by the Army for similar
work. Now all doctors were civilians
they held a commission in the Reserve Corps mentioned above.
The civil practice of most of the doctors work was that of curing folks
who got sick or patching them up when they got injured.
In the CCC a large share of a doctor’s work was keeping the men from
getting sick and hurt.
All
CCC men are taught how to keep themselves healthy
and the value of sanitation. They
were taught first aid so they may knew what to do if they or others got hurt.
Such training is valuable to anyone in the CCC.
Outside knowledge of first aid saved lives of many in the CCC.
The sickness and death in the CCC was lower than that of any similar
group in the country. All CCC
enrollees are required to be vaccinated and inoculated against small pox and
typhoid fever. Such vaccinations
were repeated if the first dose did not take.
Every camp had an infirmary or small hospital.
Here enrollees were examined and treated for illness or injury.
Enrollees were sent to an Army hospital or nearby private hospitals at
the government’s expense if the illness or injury came in the line of duty.
Government dentists visit their camps to look after minor
dental work of the men. No matter
what a CCC man had or got the government always looked after him.
Sanitation is the first principle of good health.
The men are repeatedly told to keep clean to prevent sickness or disease
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