Journal and Courier from Lafayette, Indiana • 10

Journal and Courier, Tuesday, August 15, 1995 10 RDOSfi-wair wora up Actress learns3, size is relative worked instead as a dressmaker and seamstress. By KEVIN CULLEN Journal and Courier Throw a rock into a quiet pool. See the ripples spread. World War II, the biggest rock in modern history, sent ripples throughout American life. Old ways vanished; new ways were born.

Today, 50 years after the final victory, the survivors look back. Margaret Timm of Lafayette But few complained. "Anything was better than being in the war," he says. Campus conversion The war forever changed the face of college campuses, too. Under the GI Bill of 1944, 5.25 million World War II veterans were given access to higher education, free of charge.

That gave the economy time to shift back to peacetime produc Courtney Thorne-Smith has a complex. She's a whop-' ping size 4, hopelessly sur- rounded by natural 2s. The 27-year-old Melrose Place actress told Fitness magazine she'd like to add Boom time Bob Kelley of Lafayette quit high school to join the Navy. He survived the battle of Okinawa, and was discharged a year later, at age 19. For returning veterans, jobs were plentiful." He was hired at Brown Rubber and worked there 14 years.

It was a boom time. Subdivisions full of pre-fabricated homes seemed to spring up like mushrooms. Couples were hav it still took years for the economy to adjust to peacetime. New ncars couldn't be purchased. Telephone service was difficult to get.

There were few apartments, so people rented rooms in big houses. Food prices rose. Roles changed Lola Vanderkolk of Lafayette says she spent the war "working at every old, dirty factory in Lafayette. It was rough." With most of the young men in the service, local plants hired women and shifted to defense work. Women earned more money than they had ever earned before, but they worked for it.

At the Aluminum Company of America, Vanderkolk's work stronger. Yd probably five heavier. But on my show I'm literally surroundedJby people who are naturally a size 2. So'Iv have to stay remembers the sense of relief that came with the end of food shortages, gas rationing and the fear of a Japanese attack. She and her husband Ph.D without it.

I have no idea what I would have done for a living." Before 1945, college was largely the province of the upper class and upper middle class, he says. But by 1947, 49 percent of all U.S. college students were World War II veterans. Purdue University was pretty typical. It had 3,762 students in September 1944, and 14,674 in September 1948.

Students were sleeping in cars and coal rooms. New habits Postwar prosperity even changed the way America ate, Leila Sites said in an earlier interview. In 1935 she her husband, Bob, opened Lafayette's Sites Food Market, 2024 N. 15th St. Few customers had cars or refrigerators.

"People would come in before lunch and shop for their noon meal, then they'd be back again later to shop for supper," she says. The postwar period brought cars, refrigerators, freezers and weekly shopping. Little corner groceries closed, one by one. The couple retired in 1982. Now marking its 60th year, the store carries on, under new tion.

And after graduation, the vets formed a generation trained in the sciences, new technologies and corporate management all needed Thorne-Smith ing children. Years of doing without which began with the start of the Great Depression in 1929 were finally subsiding. In 1947, he bought a tC-f i Timm .,,,,1 1 1, i i.i mmmmi lllplllllpl Kelley shuts alternated from week to week. Her job involved constant walking on blistered feet as she directed the movements of a crane. Moving to house, using a were living in San Diego in 1945.

Because of its naval base, the city was considered a important military target. Streets and buildings were camouflaged with paint, netting and other devices. When news of the surrender came, the Timms drove downtown. Jubilant servicemen jumped all over the hood and fenders of their car. The ration coupons disappeared, as did the long line to buy a pound of hamburger.

But to fuel the McGee "boom" years that followed. An massive middle class emerged, holding better jobs, making more money, paying more taxes, and sending their children on to college. "Unquestionably, the GI Bill democratized the whole society," says retired Purdue University sociologist Reece McGee, who attended graduate school under the Korean War bill. "I would never have gotten a Vanderkolk loan made available through the GI Bill. He, his wife and his parents lived in it.

It took until about 1948, Kelley says, for new cars to become commonplace. Even used cars were expensive; he remembers paying $300 for a 15-year-old Ford in 1947. she made rubber other plants, parts for the military and cut metal parts with an electric saw. When the war ended, she quit factory work for good, and management. in proportion or I'll look she said.

Thorne-Smith, who plays the alcoholic Alison Parker, went through an obsessive dieting phase early in her ca- reer, but she eventually ber came an exercise convert and now works out almost every: day. '1 When Good Housekeeping' drew up the ballot for its annual list of most admired American men, it forgot to in- elude the name of that guy in the White House. "We're mortified," executive editor Janet Chan said Moh-, day. "Some readers were up-r set. They've called to ask if It's an oversight or if we're taking a position." She said the omission of, President Clinton was in-, Inadvertent.

The "most admired" ballot, in the September lists 50 possibly admirable American men, including Dan Quayle and Larry King. The Rev. Billy Graham has been- No. 1 the last three years. Results appear in January.

Wire Reports Wars end 1 in 1987 as senior vice president. Before the war, Purdue had reached a peak enrollment of about 7,000. By 1947, the year WWII caused a population boom in Tippecanoe County that resulted in a growth rate double that of rest of state. INDIANA 6.000,000 5.000,000 4,000,000 3,000,000 Slat I 62 since 1940 i i i 1 1 2,000,000 TIPPECANOE 140,000 120,000 100,000 80,000 60,000 B7M7LL Two years later, he landed a job on a printing press crew at R.R. Donnelley and Sons Co.

in Crawfordsville. He worked three months, pulling in a paycheck of $35 a week, a lofty sum in those days, he says. Twenty-three days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Jones enlisted in the Air Force. After four years of duty, mostly in the European theater, Jones returned to Lafayette on March 12, 1945. Finding a job after the war, however, was easy, he said.

"I put in an application with the Standard Oil Co. because I had worked for them before. I got discharged Aug. 29 (1945) and was in the gas station business on Oct. 15," he said.

Not all returning veterans found their niche in the workplace immediately. Thanks to the 1944 GI Bill, which paid for tuition, books and partial living expenses of returning veterans, about 1.6 million discharged veterans were enrolled in U.S. colleges by 1947, according to the Veterans Administration. The impact of the GI Bill on Purdue was dramatic, recalls John W. Hicks III, an Air Force veteran who enrolled at Purdue as a graduate student in agricultural economics in 1947 and joined the faculty after earning his doctorate in 1950.

In 1955, he joined the administrative staff as executive assistant to then-President Fred erick L. Hovde. He retired from 40,000 i they turned to production of homes, appliances, automobiles and other consumer goods. After the war, at least two factors fueled the further growth of Greater Lafayette: The expansion of the U.S. economy; and A sharp increase in enrollment at Purdue University as a result of the GI Bill.

The effect of the nationwide economic expansion on Lafayette is best illustrated by the increase in home construction. In 1940, 603,000 housing units were built nationwide. In 1950, 1,952,000 units were built. General prosperity, pent-up demand for housing and subsidized housing loans for veterans contributed to the increase. National Homes Corp.

of Lafayette rode the housing wave to become the nation's leading home builder. New houses also meant increased demand for aluminum siding and windows made by Alcoa, and electric meters manufactured by Duncan Electric now known as Landis Gyr. Other factories, such as Peerless Wire, made parts for the home appliance market. America's growing reliance on the automobile boosted business for Brown Rubber Fairfield Manufacturing and Ross Gear. Clyde Jones, 80, a World War II veteran, vividly recalls the increase in economic opportunity after the war.

After graduating in 1933 from Wingate High School, Jones worked part-time Continued from Page A1 Fortress. From 1942 until a week after V-J Day, the building was a hub of wartime activity for more than 300 Duncan Electric workers. For the Lafayette economy, World War II provided a powerful antidote to the Great Depression and the doldrums. Just as significantly, the end of the war ignited a post-war economic boom that to this day characterizes Lafayette's- economy. Between 1940 and 1950, Tippecanoe County's population increased 46 percent, the highest percentage growth since the 1840s and three times the Indiana growth rate for the same period, according to U.S.

Census Bureau statistics. During the war, men and women from surrounding towns and counties came to Lafayette for employment at places such as Duncan Electric. Alcoa workers produced aluminum aircraft parts. National Homes Corp. produced prefabricated homes under government contract for wartime facilities.

Fairfield Manufaturing and Ross Gear produced gears and other parts for military vehicles. Brown Rubber Co. produced rubber fuel tank liners for aircraft, and so on. Victory over Japan brought a halt to wartime production, but factories didn't skip a beat as 20,000 0 1 since 1940 .1 1 ill -ll I 4 I Hicks moved to West Lalayette, enrollment had reached 14,000. The enrollment growth put a strain on the faculty, the campus buildings and housing.

Students bunked in classroom buildings and alongside West Lafayette residents. In Lafayette, the building where Duncan Electric had made aircraft parts during the war was even converted to a student dormitory, Road recalls. Hicks says that while the direct surge in college enrollment because of the GI Bill was relatively short-lived, the long-term impact was far greater. When those veterans went to work and raised families, they expected and encouraged their children the baby boom generation to attend millions did. Not only that, Hicks says, "The war brought with it a tremendous increase in science and technology, and the need for more highly educated people, so that also swelled the college enrollment." Today, Purdue enrolls 35,000 students and is Tippecanoe County's largest employer with a staff of 10,000 people.

Purdue officials estimate that the combined economic impact of the university's payroll, construction spending, taxes paid by employees and money spent by students exceeds half a billion dollars a year. 1900 '40 '60 '80 Source: U.S. Census Journal and Courier graphic hauling straw to a strawboard maker in Noblesville and felt lucky at that. "You couldn't find a job. You practically had to pay a guy to have anything to do," he said.

By 1939, the economy had improved. Jones moved to Lafayette and went to work as a mechanic for the Walter Gray DodgePlymouth dealership. He moved into a house on LaRue Street with his sister, a change that brought him into contact with the "girl next door" who eventually became his wife. The Journal and Courier. committed to accurate news cpv-erage.

Please call the newsfoom to let us know about factual errors in our news coverage. We witt correct errors promptly. Our telephone numbers: From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,' call (317)423-5511. After hours and on weekends, call (317) 423-5522.

Outside Tippecanoe County, call toll-free, (800) 456-3223. Tim Catron specializes in general financial and retirement planning at Smith Barney in: Lafayette. The information was. in? correct Friday on Page B7. INDIANA Monday Daily 3 414 Daily 4 5434 Lucky 5 5-28-29-34-35 Sunday Daily 3 607 Daily 4 8530 Estimated Jackpot $6 million J.

POWERBALL Saturday 1-16-24-34-35; Powerball: 6 Wednesday 16-22-23-29-33; Powerball: 10 Estimated jackpot $15 million ILLINOIS MiieSiael How to help funds will be used for. Most of the preliminary work is being done by friends and by her employer, Barry Newton of New-tone Fitness. Newton said he has been in contact with city officials about establishing a memorial, but nothing definite has been set. Bill German, city parks superintendent, said he intends to meet with Newton and the mayor to discuss plans. Shedd readily admits that she's not ready to handle such details.

Instead, she takes life a day at a time and trusts that with the help of her family and friends, healing will come. "All these people helping me have been incredible," she said. mother. From an early age, she said, her son collected baseball cards and dreamed of playing ball. The greatest part of his short career, she said, was playing under the lights at night at Armstrong Park.

"Mikey just thought he was the greatest thing that happened to baseball," she said. A baseball memorial fund also would help remind parents just how precious their children are. McKinney said Michael's short life already has had that effect. "It made me think," he said. "I've got one that age playing there.

You never know. You walk out that door. Shedd said she doesn't know exactly what the memorial community, especially his Pinto league teammates and coaches. Jim McKinney, Michael's coach, said the boy made his presence known on the team immediately. "I don't know how else to describe him but hard-nosed," he said.

"I don't think you could tell him He was an absolute handful. His attitude was, he wasn't going to back down from any kid." Michael, with the help of assistant coach Doug Hawn, learned quickly. "He was a good ballplayer," McKinney said. "Some kids are just out there to horse around. He was serious about it." That doesn't surprise his A skating party to benefit the Michael Shedd memorial fund will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Saturday at Crawfordsville Skate Corral, Montgomery County Road 200 East, U.S. 136. Admission is $3 plus skate rental. The $3 fee will go toward the fund. Donations can be mailed Mikey's Field of Oreams, -First Christian Church, P.O.

Box 35, Lafayette IN 47902. For more information, con- tact the Rev. Jack Snell- -grove at 742-4058. Continued from Page A1 He had just completed five games of his first year in Pinto-league baseball and was scheduled to play another game the day of the accident. Friends told police Michael went into the pond one hot afternoon to retrieve a bicycle he had been told was at the bottom.

Not knowing how to swim, he surfaced once, then sank. It took rescuers more than 20 minutes to find him. He never regained consciousness. He was pronounced dead July 22 in an Indianapolis hospital. The accident and its aftermath affected many in the Monday I.

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