May 1958 to December 1958

May, 1958
Donald Rolar, chairman of the Essay Contest project sponsored by the post for seniors of the high school, completed the job with four seniors winning prizes as follows:
Dorothy Angle 1st place prize $25.00 Savings Bond
Patricia Dyer 2nd place prize $10.00
Bruce Wyrick 3rd place prize $5.00
Theresa Cocklin 4th place prize $1.00
Harper Coleman was chairman of the annual Memorial day observance that was sponsored by the Shippensburg Veterans Council. (The council is made up of representatives of all posts in the community.)
The speaker for the annual Memorial Day ceremony held at Sping Hill Cemetery was Col. William F. Rader, commanding officer of Letterkenny. The total cost of the Memorial program in the community, as arranged for by the Veterans Council, was $453.00. The American Legion contributed $100.00 of the total and the Cumberland County Commissioners contributed $110.00 of the total fund used.
The Graves Registration Committee consisting of William Burkhart and Harper Coleman reset 10 headstones of veterans buried in the old North Queen Street cemetery where a total of 25 Civil War veterans (colored) are buried. They also put flags on the graves of veterans in the community cemeteries. This work required a total of 816 flags placed in a total of 14 cemeteries.
July, 1958
The post sponsored the sending of Richard Beidel to the annual Keystone Boys State camp at Indiantown Gap. Howard Crownover was the chairman of this project. In making his return report to the post, Richard explained the training he received as a part of the experience. The camp program is designed to strengthen the character of the boys who attend and make them conscious of the patriotic responsibilities and privileges as American citizens.
On the 27 July, 1958 the Korean Honor Roll Tablet at Memorial Park entranceway was dedicated with Rev. John F. Sammel, a WW11 Navy veteran, as the speaker. The service was held on a hot sultry Sunday afternoon, the 5th anniversary of the close of the Korean War, William H. Burkhart who had chaired the Korean Honor Roll project since 1950, served as master of ceremonies.
The tablet contained 472 names of boys and girls of Shippensburg, Orrstown, Newburg and the RFD's of these towns who served in the military at some time or the other during the Korean War which stared 25 June, 1950 and ended 27 July, 1953. The total cost of the project was $980.00, inclusive of the mounting and transportation expense. The tablet itself was made by the United States Bronze Sign Company Inc, 101 West 31st Street, New York City, at a total cost of $900.00.
The temporary Honor Roll which held the names of servicemen of both WW11 and the Korean War was torn down and the site it occupied in front of Bulls Eye rock on West King Street was once again important only as the site of the historic old Fort Morris of the Revolutionary war period.
The Korean Honor Roll project was coordinated by the Shippensburg Veterans Council and paid for by contributions from the Legion, VFW the Purple Heart Chapter and their Auxiliaries.
Alonzo Sommerville and Frank P. Cressler, Navy and Marine veterans respectively of the Korean War, unveiled the tablet and Edwin Hershey, also a Korean war veteran and president of the Veterans Council, presented the tablet to the Park Commission. Aside from these three Korean veterans, no others were present on the lawn for the ceremony.
July, 1958
The following officers were elected to serve the post for the year 1958-1959: Commander-Kenneth Miller, First Vice Commander-Ronald Burgard, second Vice Commander-Fred Clippinger, Chaiplain-Mark Snoke, Finance Officer-Berk Winters, Sgt at Arms-Gerald Hummel, Service Officer-Charles Koontz, Adjutant (apponited)-Charles Alpaugh and Judge Advocate-William R. Mark.
Legionaire John S. Naugle attended the National American Legion Convention held in Chicago.
September, 1958
Past commander Ellsworth Naugle was presented the Americanism Award offered by the 40 & * each year for outstanding Americanism program in the post. Comrade Naugle was the Americanism chairman last year whose activities were recognized by the award.
Because the allotment of dues to the District out of the total funds raised by dues was increased this year making a resultant increase in our state per capita tax per member, the post approved an increase in the dues from $4.00 to $4.50 starting this year 1959.
The post contributed $50.00 to the Community Chest drive.
comrade Herman Zimmerman of Carlisle Post 101 was the leader of the district team of deputy commanders who installed the officers for the Oscar M. Hykes Post for the coming year.
October, 1958
Historian William Burkhart completed the writing of standard operating procedure for Memorial Day in Shippensburg. This procedure had been approved by the Veterans' Council and the Memorial Committee of the post. Comrade B.W. Brechbiel and William Burkhart pooled their knowledge of the way the work is done in getting ready for the annual memorial Day observance in the Shippensburg community and from his experience, Mr. Burkhart wrote the SOP. The procedure sets forth the step by step duties of the various subchairman who head up the various categories of work which are listed as follows:
Speaker arrangements
Marching entries and arrangements
Car arrangements
Memorial Church arrangements
Flower and wreath arrangements
Legion grave registration and flag placement on veterans' graves
Publicity
General chairmanship, line up and marshalling
William Burkhart and Kenneth Coleman reproduced 25 copies of the SOP for reference and future use over the Memorial season.
November, 1958
The following members of the post were appointed to serve as representatives of the Veterans Council for 1959: Fletcher Spero, Harper Coleman, Kenneth Coleman, Herbert Beckenbaugh and B.W. Brechbiel.
veterans day was observed with a program in the Shippensburg Area Junior High school with Dr. Chester Eastep, a member of the State Teachers College Faculty, as guest speaker.
December, 1958
Comrades Lee Myers and Kenneth Coleman presented U.S. Flags that were purchased by the post to three local Brownie Troops at a ceremony held in the Prince Street Catholic Church.
The students at the Scotland School for Veterans Children whose homes were in Cumberland County were guests of the post at a Christmas party Saturday, 6 December. The students were treated to a movie at the Victory Theater and then taken on a shopping tour with a donated $5.00 each to spend for gifts. The Cumberland County Council, the Cumberland County 40 & 8, Post Ladies Auxiliary and the Shippensburg post cooperated in the financing of the party. At the end of the afternoon, the students and their parents who were present were given a Christmas dinner in the post meeting room.
The post contributed $5.00 toward the Salvation Army Drive.
The post purchased a U.S. Flag, 424.00, for the newly established Church of the Nazarene and John Heberlig purchased a Christian Flag to go with it as an alter set. At a brief ceremony during the Sunday morning church services, comrade Lee Myers made the presentation speech while Rev. William Turner, a Navy veteran of WW11 and pastor of the little congregation, gave an acceptance speech which highly commended the post for its interest in spiritual and patriotic efforts. ( The presentation service was held Sunday morning, 1 February, 1959.)