PARK UNIVERSITY and the U.S. NAVY V-12 PROGRAM
Park University [Park College from 1875-2000], seventy-seven years ago, had the occasion to be one of 131 higher education institutions that enrolled 125,000 sailors in the V-12 Navy College Training Program.1 Rear Admiral Randall Jacobs, Chief of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, in May 1943, stated the purpose of the V-12 program was “to give prospective naval officers the benefits of college education in those areas most needed by the Navy. We desire . . . to preserve the normal pattern of college life. We are contracting . . . for the highest teaching skill, the best judgment, and the soundest administration of which the colleges are capable. We desire . . . the best undergraduate education the colleges can offer.” 2
The Park Stylus announced on 8 January 1943 that the administration had recently returned a questionnaire to be selected for the “purpose of furnishing prescribed instruction, housing and messing facilities for prospective officers.”3 The Joint Committee for the Selection of Non-Federal Educational Institutions, on 28 February 1943, published a list of institutions tentatively approved, including Park University, as one of the educational institutions to train sailors. 4 The tentative approval and a two-day visit by a U.S. Navy inspector had the administration scrambling to identify campus repairs and betterments to meet Navy unit requirements.5 The identified list included athletic fields and drill grounds, dormitories, gymnasium, swimming pool, the bridge to Chesnut, Thompson Commons and Mackay, the dairy operation, printing press, and general campus grounds estimated at $97,000 (present cost would be $1.45 million).6
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The Navy informed President William Lindsay Young, in early April 1943, that Park University had been selected as a V-12 Program institution and that the first 270 trainees would arrive on campus 1 July 1943.7 The trainees, immediately upon arrival, encountered some unforeseen circumstances. First, Park University had only months previously announced offering a summer session, which had never before been an option.8 Second, the summer session created a manpower shortage of faculty and staff. 9 Third, though the Navy furnished towels, the shipment was late, so the War Mothers of Parkville and the local Red Cross Unit assisted.10 Fourth, when uniforms arrived, they did not fit all the trainees. Again, Red Cross volunteers sewed necessary uniform alternations. 11 The initial 270 trainees, an additional 130 by mid-October 1943, were dispersed among the dormitories of Chesnut, Copley-Thaw, Sunset, and Woodward.12 The senior trainees, those with prior military service, resided in Copley-Thaw in which twenty-five had already, by mid-1943, experienced the horrors of war: blown off a repair ship tied next to the USS Arizona; battleship and submarine duties in the Pacific; landmine duties off Guadalcanal and Munda; and Seabee and destroyer duties in the Aleutians.13 The experiences of these two dozen senior trainees assisted the V-12 program officer corps to instill in other trainees the gravity of their education and training. The initial officer corps was composed of Lieutenant Harry Willard Reninger (1900-1988), Commanding Officer; Lieutenant (Junior Grade) William Richard Gondin (1912-1995), Executive Officer; Lieutenant Commander Arthur Friedrich Loeffler (1911-2002), Medical Officer; and Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Earl Elburn Bartlett (1908-1987), Personnel and Athletic Officer. 14 Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Edward Joseph Kawal (1906-1960) [Replaced Bartlett in December 1943]. 15 Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Winchester Hallock Heicher (1908-1987) [Replaced Gondin in March 1944]. 16 Lieutenant Roscoe Schiele Yagerlehner (1904-1989) [Replaced Loeffler in November 1944]. 17
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, V-12 Officer Corps (1944) [Left to Right: Lt. Commander Arthur J. Loeffler, Lt. Harry Willard Reninger, Lt. Winchester H. Heicher, and Edward Kawal]18
Lt.
V-12 Officer Corps (1945) [Left to Right: Lt. Harry Willard Reninger, Lt. R. G. Rishel, Lt. Roscoe S. Yegerlehner, and Lt. Edward Kawal] 19
The officer corps set an example that military service could be attained along side academics. Executive Officer Gondin’s philosophical work Preface To Inquiry, A Study in the Origins and Relevance of Modern Theories of Knowledge had been published by Columbia University Press shortly before his arrival at Park University.20 Executive Officer Heicher addressed the philosophy club during the summer of 1944 with a presentation titled “Observations on the Nature of Political Control.” 21 Three weeks following V-E Day, Commanding Officer Reninger addressed the Park University community with a lecture titled “Humanities, democracy and poetry,” focusing on the works of Walt Whitman and other poets that represented democratic trends and opposing forces. 22
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President William Lindsay Young addressed the summer and incoming trainees in mid-August 1943, acknowledging the previous circumstances the summer trainees had confronted “. . . we appreciate your patience and good humor in these first weeks of adjustment,” but he assured all the trainees that “We will soon be adequately organized and equipped to serve your needs.” 23 An apprehension for both the civilian and military administrations was Young’s invitation for the trainees “to participate as fully as your time and duties will permit in the social life of Park.” 24 In response to Young’s invitation, Commanding Officer Reninger replied “Our ship’s officers would be disturbed to discover that the civilian and the Navy students were not welding themselves into one social group”; however, Reninger pointed to two factors—limited time and Naval security—for trainee involvement. “The V-12 Program must be accomplished . . . in the shortest possible time which is consistent with thoroughness” and “Naval personnel must be made secure, that is safe from disabling accident and chance.” 25
The civilian and military administrations, however, understood that both groups of civilian students and trainees were attending college and hoped to participate in the general academic, social clubs, and social life of Park University.26 The first test of the social understanding occurred in late August 1943 at the Kansas City USO dance in which Personnel Officer Bartlett commented that the 4
dance’s success “indicated that similar functions would be on tap for Park in the near future.” 27 Both groups of students held numerous other joint events like variety shows. The trainees participated in Phalanx services, organized their own Navy choir, and color guard. 28
Participation in athletics came to the forefront in November 1943, when the V-12 Program trainees, who in large part had participated in high school or collegiate athletics prior to attending Park University, desired “participation in all competitive sports.” 29 Following discussions between the civilian and military administrations, both eventually agreed to permit trainees to participate in inter-barracks or inter-collegiate athletic competitions of baseball, basketball, boxing, cross-country, football (intramural), soccer, softball, swimming, track, and volleyball.30
V-12 Program Basketball Team (1944-1945) (Left to Right: Lt. Edward Kawal, Coach; Peter Manos, Manager; Marvin Veenstra, Art Dole, J. Basil Carroll, Carl Gammell, Pete Elliot, “Bud” Harris, Wes Meulder, Kersten, Gerald Graverstein, Will Neawald, Tom Lyons, Jim Kruz, Clyde Smith, Manager; “Monte” Montalbans, Athletic Specialist, 1st Class)
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Between 1 July 1943 and 1 March 1945, eight-hundred-and-twenty-five V-12 Program trainees had attended Park University.31 By the spring of 1945, the European war was drawing to a close and there was a real possibility that the Bureau of Naval Personnel would discontinue the V-12 Program. 32 Park University’s civilian administration, in consultation with the Faculty, recommended a return to a twosemester schedule vs. the accelerated three-semester schedule instituted since 1 July 1943. The administration agreed, “Park . . . faces the future with confidence. The past two years has been a critical period. It has tested severely the ability of the college to make difficult adjustments rapidly, to meet the needs of the Navy V-12 Unit with regard to changes in curricula, teaching staff, and physical equipment. Park . . . has contributed generously and effectively in the support of our country at war. Many of the graduates and former students hold important key positions in the service of the country. Many have already made the supreme sacrifice.”33 Rear Admiral William M. Fechteler, Assistant Chief of Naval Personnel, wrote, “I wish to take this opportunity to express . . . the appreciation of the Department for the assistance your institution has tendered in the training of officer candidates for the Navy. By participating in the V-12 Program, Park . . . has made an important contribution to the war effort of the Navy . . .”34 The U.S. Navy, in 1947, presented a bronze plaque to Park University for participation in the V-12 Program, which currently is located in Mackay Hall. 35
V-12 Trainees – Copley-Thaw Barracks (1944)
V-12 Trainees – Copley-Thaw Barracks (1944) 6
V-12 Trainees – Woodward Barracks (1944)
V-12 Trainees – Woodward Barracks (1944)
V-12 Trainees – Chesnut Barracks (1944)
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V-12 Trainees – Nickel Barracks (1944)
V-12 Trainees – Chesnut Barracks (1945)
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V-12 Trainees – Copley Barracks (1945) The trainees arrived on the banks of the Missouri River from every corner of the nation, a nation at war on two geographical and ideological fronts. Park University was very proud to have served these V-12 sailors and remains committed, as over a century of service acknowledges, to render our duty to every servicemember in need and our nation when called. Anchors away!
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1ENDNOTES Park University was one of seven liberal arts/teacher colleges, three dental schools, and three medical schools in Missouri. 2 “The Navy V-12 Program,” Journal of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars 19, no. 2 (January 1944): n.p. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. 3 “Navy May Train Here,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), January 8, 1943. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. 4 “Park Gets Tentative V-12 O.K.,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), March 5, 1943. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. The selection was not the first occasion in which Park University trained servicemembers for the U.S. military. In 1918, Park University was one of 157 educational institutions selected for the Student Army Training Corps (S.A.T.C.) to educate and train U.S. Army trainees during World War I. 5 “Navy Makes Inspection,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), March 12, 1943. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. 6 “Navy V-12 Unit Requirements: Buildings, Grounds, Equipments, Repairs and Betterments,” Undated. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. The present cost refers to the year 2020. According to The Park Stylus, April 9, 1943, “In preparation for the arrival of the Navy Unit, the floor of the conservatory will be taken up, and the old swimming pool will be put in shape for use. A serious shortage of water in 1914 caused the pool to be closed, and it has not been used since.” Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. 7 “Navy Men to Train Here,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), April 9, 1943. Also see, “The Navy Comes to Park,” The Park College Record (Parkville, MO), June 1943. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. 8 “Summer Session Planned,” The Park College Record (Parkville, MO), March 1942. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. 9 “News From Park,” The Park College Record (Parkville, MO), October 1943. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. Also see, “A Message,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), August 13, 1943. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. 10 Ibid. 11 Ibid. 12 “Navy Men to Train Here,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), April 9, 1943. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. Also see, “Addresses Made for Navy V-12 Welcome,” The Platte County Gazette (Parkville, MO), October 8, 1943. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. 13 “Men of the Fleet at Park College Have Seen Action on Many Fronts,” Kansas City Times, August 19, 1943. 14 “News From Park,” The Park College Record (Parkville, MO), October 1943. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. Harry Willard Reninger was born on 20 March 1900 in Youngstown, Ohio. He received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in English from the University of Michigan. His early academic career was at a high school in Detroit, Michigan, but so moved to Michigan State Normal College (Eastern Michigan University today), then back to the University of Michigan before arriving at the Iowa State Teachers College (University of Northern Iowa today) in 1939. Shortly following his arrival at Iowa State Teachers College, he became department chair of the English Department. In 1943, he was granted a leave of absence to serve in the U.S. Navy. He was published in American Literature and American Schoolmaster, as well a publisher of several textbooks. He was a member of the Modern Language Association of America, the National Council of Teachers of English, and the American Association of University Professors. He was President (1946-1948) and Vice President (1941-1942) of the Iowa College Conference on English. William Richard Gondin was born 28 August 1912. He received his B.A. in mathematics and Ph.D. in philosophy from Columbia University. He taught speech at The College of the City of New York, and at the Seth Low College of Columbia University he was Director of Student Activities. He was commissioned in May 1942 from Columbia’s Midshipmen School. Following commissioning, he was assigned teaching Ordnance Gunnery and Ballistics at the Brooklyn Navy Yards. He published 26 works on mathematics, public speaking, theories of knowledge, and parliamentary procedures. He died on 29 October 1995 in Maine. Arthur Friedrich Loeffler was born 20 June 1911 Bumflingen, Germany. Following his military service, he settled in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he was an Assistant Brewmaster with Hoff-Brau Brewery and custodian for the Fort Wayne Community School District. He died on 19 March 2002 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Winchester Hallock Heicher was born on 1 June 1908 in Nagasaki, Japan, the son of a Methodist missionary. After moving back to the United States in 1911, Winchester attended school in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and Corvallis, Oregon, attending the University of Oregon until 1929. Winchester transferred to Stanford University, where he received his degree in History in 1930. After graduation, Winchester taught history and political science at New York University, University of Miami, Hunter College and the University of Vermont, where he wrote and published Democracy in England (1939, The American Scholar), a review, Europe on the Eve, Frederick L. Schuman (1939, The Annals of the American Academy of
Political and Social Science), and a second review, International Boundaries, S. Whitmore Boggs (1940, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science). By the time of his registration with the selective service in 1940, Winchester had married Joyce Helen Powers in New York. In 1944, Winchester attended the V-12 Officer’s program at Park College, where he was a Lieutenant, Junior Grade, by 1951, a Lieutenant. Winchester continued to teach and author around the country, publishing a review to The World’s Iron Age, William Henry Chamberlin (1942, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science) and The New Europe: An Introduction to Its Political Geography, Walter Fitzgerald (1947, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science). Winchester and his wife lived in Rio de Jeneiro, Brazil, and Sydney, Australia, where he taught at various universities until his death in December of 1987 at the U.S. Consulate in Sydney. Earl Elburn “Tex” Bartlett was born on 16 December 1908 in Purcell, Oklahoma. He attended Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, receiving a B.A. degree in physics and where he was a noted fullback on the football team, captain of the basketball and track teams. He played professional football, as a halfback, for the Boston Shamrocks (1936-1937), Cleveland Rams, Louisville Tanks, and Pittsburgh Pirates (1939). He led the league in scoring in 1936, 1937, and 1938 and was a member of the All-Star professional team in 1936 and 1937. Following his season with the Pirates, he returned to Oklahoma and coached high school football. He returned to Danville, Kentucky, following World War II and was an educator. He died on 26 January 1987 in Danville, Kentucky.
Earl Bartlett Center (Second Individual to the Right of the Coach on Left) V-12 Navy College Training Program, Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections, Park University, Parkville, Missouri
Edward Joseph Kawal was born on 13 October 1909 in Cicero, Illinois. He attended the University of Illinois, Pennsylvania Military College, and Widener College. Following college, he played professional football, as a center and offensive lineman for the Chicago Bears (1931-1936) and Washington Redskins (1937). He died on 25 September 1960 in Oak Park, Illinois.
Edward Kawal – No. 19 1934 Chicago Bears – Division Champs and Matchbook Cover V-12 Navy College Training Program, Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections, Park University, Parkville, Missouri
Edward Kawal – No. 19 1935 Chicago Bears V-12 Navy College Training Program, Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections, Park University, Parkville, Missouri
Edward Kawal – No. 19 1936 Chicago Bears – Division Champs V-12 Navy College Training Program, Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections, Park University, Parkville, Missouri Roscoe Schiele Yegerlehner was born 25 November 1904 in Clay City, Indiana. Following high school, he taught in local rural schools. In the early 1930s, he began the study of medicine from Indiana University at Bloomington, graduating in 1938. He and his family moved to Kentland, Indiana, and established his medical practice. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1942 and remained throughout the war, returning to Kentland, Indiana, following the war to continue his medical practice for another twenty-eight years. In 1973, he moved to West Lafayette, Indiana, to work in a teaching hospital. He died on 28 August 1989 in Sarasota, Florida. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Lf35UIPJC8 15 “V-12 Officers Leave Station,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), December 3, 1943; “Replacements Assume Duties For Naval Unit,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), January 7, 1944. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. 16 “Lt. W. Heicher Joins Naval Staff,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), March 24, 1944. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. 17 “New Medical Officer Joins Naval Staff,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), November 17, 1944. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. The last name was misspelled in the article—Yegerlehner. 18 “Special Spring Term Edition of the Park Stylus,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), June 16, 1944. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. 19 “Special Edition,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), February 1945. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. 20 “Navy Officer Writes Book On Philosophy,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), September 24, 1943. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. 21 “Lt. Heicher To Address First Philosophy Meeting,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), July 14, 1944. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. 22 “Reninger To Speak On American Poetry,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), May 25, 1945. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. 23 “A Message,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), August 13, 1943. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. 24 “One Plus One Equal One,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), August 20, 1943. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. 25 Ibid. 26 “Navy V-12 Trainees Join Park’s Men’s Social Clubs,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), September 1, 1944. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. Also see, “Park Navy V-12 Trainees Join Men’s Social Clubs,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), December 9, 1944. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. The Social Clubs joined were
Lowell, Orion, and Parchevard. 27 “Future Naval Dances Seen for Park Trainees,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), September 17, 1943. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. A farewell dance recognizing the first year of the V-12 Program was held on 9 June 1944. Also see, “Farewell Dance To Mark End Of Navy’s First Year at Park,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), June 2, 1944. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. 28 “Navy Men To Lead Phalanx Service,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), November 12, 1943. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections; Also see, “Dr. Griffith Organizes New Park Navy Choir,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), March 10, 1944. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. The Navy Choir sang at the weekly Navy Chapel Service; Also see, “Copley Unit Adds Dignity To Color Guard Detail,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), July 14, 1944. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. 29 “New Navy Trainees Desire Competition,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), November 19, 1943. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. 30 “Inter-Collegiate Athletics Scheduled for V-12 Unit,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), December 3, 1943; Also, see, “Naval Unit Arranges Its Spring Sports,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), March 10, 1944. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. The baseball teams were divided between the American League (Teams included from Chesnut: Blues, Gobs and Hot Dogs and from Woodward: Eager Beavers, Indians, Yanks, Reds, Woodchoppers, Tarmacs, and Dirty Sox) and National League (Teams included from Copley: Sluggers, Washouts, Cobras, Ramrods, Two-Toed Sloths, Dogs, Goldbrickers, and Jokers and from Nickel: Ugly Ducklings, Salts, and Nickelodians). The summer of 1944 volleyball and softball teams carried such names as Copley: Salts, Woodchoppers, Fusiliers, Hot Shots, Pick Ups, Esquires, Sluggers, Bandits, A.P.O., and Cobras; Chesnut: Rockets and Raiders; Asbury: Rockets; Nickel: Extra Duties, Liberty Hounds, and Restrictees; and Woodward: Blues, Ramblers, Reds, Dirty Sox, and Yanks; Also see, “V-12 Teams Begin Football Tourney,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), September 22, 1944. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections; Also see, “Special Spring Term Edition of the Park Stylus,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), June 16, 1944. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. 31 “Park’s Program for 1945-46,” The Park College Record (Parkville, MO), March 1945. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. 32 Ibid. 33 Ibid. 34 “Park College Unable to Accept Navy V-12 Enrollment for Next Semester,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), May 18, 1945. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. 35 “Bronze Plaque Given by Navy,” The Park Stylus (Parkville, MO), January 24, 1947. Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. All photographs are courtesy of the Frances Fishburn Archives and Special Collections, Park University, 8700 NW River Park Drive, Parkville, Missouri. The Copyright law of the United States (Title 17 U.S. Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of the specified conditions is that the copy is not to be "used for any purpose other than the private study, scholarship or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. All rights reserved. The material contained herein has been created and designed for the purpose of information and are owned solely by the Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. No part of these materials may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by an means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, social media, or otherwise without the permission of the Fishburn Archives and Special Collections. The reader of this material is responsible for adhering to copyright law of the U.S. Title 17, (U.S. Code). Date: October 2020 Written by: Dr. Timothy C. Westcott Associate Professor of History, Associate University Archivist, and Director, George S. Robb Centre for the Study of the Great War at Park University.