January 1955 to December 1955

January, 1955
The graves Registration Committee, William Burkhart, chairman, ordered and obtained the placement of headstones with County funds of these two veterans: Charles W. Harr and Ralph E. Naugle.
February, 1955
Commander Heberlig and Chaplain Burkhart attended the Back to God meeting held in Palmyra Legion Post and brought 7,000 free tickets to Shippensburg for distribution over the community. These tickets were given to the local dairies and distributed to community homes with the morning delivery of milk. The tickets admitted the bearers to see a movie, " The Life of Jesus Christ" shown daily in the Zembo Mosque, Harrisburg, 20th thru 27th Feb., 1955.
March, 1955
Post membership this year reached the all-time high 1036 members.
Winners of the Legion's Essay Contest in the Shippensburg Area Senior High School were as follows:
1st place Carolyn Kauffman prize of $25 bond, 2nd place Charlotte Bly prize of $10 cash, 3rd place John Gribble prize of $5 cash, 4th place Alice Hann prize of $1 cash, and 5th place Peggy Varner prize of $1.
Ernest Agle was chairman of the Essay Contest in the senior high school and had the parents present in the post meeting room 3rd March for the reading of the winning essays to the Legion members after which awards were made to the students.
The post went on record sponsoring weightlifting, paying of the AAU dues and a sponsorship of a wrestling team in name only. The dues covered the weightlifting as well as wrestling.
A resolution was prepared and approved at the March meeting requesting that the Pennsylvania War Memorials in France be restored and some means provided for their perpetual care. This resolution grew out of a talk given by Past Commander George H. Stewart at the February Past Commander's Night meeting. Mr. Stewart, a WW1 veteran, had seen the state of the memorials in several tours he had made in France and commented on their shameful neglect and deterioration. Comrade Stewart was the first commander of the post and served in that office for a number of years.
Past Commander Lawrence Goodhart was buried with military honors 19 March, 1955.
April, 1955
The post appropriated $50 to the Shippensburg Veterans Council for 1/3 the cost of 100 flags to be placed in area school classrooms.
Membership stands at 1059 paid-up members.
the Legion Baseball Team got off to a good start under the direction of this committee: mark Hemminger, Kenneth Peters, Herbert Beckenbaugh, Robert Killian and John Heberlig. The post appropriated $150 to the team.
May, 1955
Comrade B.W. Brechbiel was chairman of the community Memorial day arrangements in which the post took an active part. The Minutemen appeared in uniform on all occasions over the community's 5-place observances: Middle Spring, Newburg, Orrstown, Cleversburg and Shippensburg.
June, 1955
Gerald Hummel and Mark Hemminger made up a committee to help gather and store donated items for a community auction to benefit the Bi-County Hospital Association. The funds are raised to finance charity hospital cases in the Chambersburg and Carlisle Hospitals. The auction was a success. Place, Burd St. storage building. The occasion is called the "June Fete".
July, 1955
The following officers were elected to serve the post for the year: Commander-Gerald Hummel, First Vice commander-Stanley Byers, Second Vice Commander-Richard Metz, Finance Officer-Howard Crownover, Chaplain-William Burkhart, Historian-John Snoke, Service Officer-Charles Koontz, Judge Advocate-Fred Squires, Sgt at Arms-Fletcher Spero and Asst. Sgt at Arms-Fred Clippinger.
August, 1955
Memorial day expenses for the previous 30 May observance were reported by B.W. Brechbiel. The total for the entire observances was $416.16, while receipts totaled $408.61.
September, 1955
The Legion sponsored Junior Baseball team gave a splended account og itself in the Franklin County League over the past summer. Herbert Beckenbaugh and Mark Hemminger were congratulated by the post at regular meeting for directing and managing the team of boys whose expenses were financed by the post.
The sewer hook-up of the post home was completed and paid for at a cost of $1000.00.
The Minutemen, a group of uniformed members of the post, have served the post since their organization in 1948 by B.W. Brechbiel. Wilbur Frey, the current captain of the Minutemen reported that the group is holding regular meetings and drills and is ready as always to serve the posts marching unit, funeral escort and ceremonial unit for patriotic occasions.
November, 1955
Comrade Frey and four uniformed members of the minutemen group went to Gettysburg on Veterans' Day, 11 November, 1955, where they took part in the observances held in the National Cemetery of the Gettysburg battlefield.
The annual observance of Veterans' day was held in the Shippensburg Public School auditorium on the 11th November, 1955. John Heberlig represented the post on the community committee of arrangements.
The Post donated $10.00 to the Retarded Children's Fund.
The following comrades were named to the post's Civil Defense Committee: Richard Metz, Stanley Byers and Charles Koontz.
December, 1955
Comrade B.W. Brechbiel's weight lifting team entered state competition in a weight lifting event held at the Shippensburg Public School Gymnasium 17 December. The post moved its weight lifting platform from the exercise room to the school gym for the use of the contestants. The Shippensburg team won over Penn State.
The post donated $15 to the West End Rescue Fire Company which had requested money to buy an axe. To make the contribution even all around the post then donated $15 to each of the other two fire companies.
A donation was given to the Salvation Army.
The annual Christmas party for the Cumberland County students in Scotland School for Veteran's Children was held in the post home with Mark Hemminger as chairman. The children of the school who could not go home over Christmas were placed in local homes for the holiday. arrangements for volunteer home were made by B.W Brechbiel. A total of 24 students spent Christmas in the Shippensburg area.