Category: Culture

75 Years Of USO: Part I

"Always Home" by Coffey
All images are from “Always Home” by Coffey.

Pictured above, Mrs. Alfred Scott serves punch to a soldier in July 1943 at the Phyllis Wheatley YWCA USO.

The USO (United Service Organization) was formed 75 years ago, in February of 1941, a full ten months before the USA entered WWII. Under the shadow of Nazi aggression, the US government instated the first peacetime draft in its history. Mobilizing thousands of young men, most of whom had never left the country, proved daunting. President Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted a way to keep servicemen in touch with civilian life. Six organizations–the YMCA, the YWCA, National Catholic Community Board, National Jewish Welfare Board, the Travelers’ Aid Association, and Salvation Army–pooled their resources to form the USO.

Roosevelt insisted that these organizations handle the on-leave recreation of these men. On February 4, 1941, the USO was incorporated in New York State. Under the leadership of Chairman Thomas Dewey (yes, THAT Dewey), by the end of the year, they had raised $16 million. In 1942, Dewey ran for governor of New York, and was replaced by Prescott Bush, the father of Bush 41. He contributed greatly to the organization, and soon USO centers dotted the country at bus and railroad terminals as well as training centers.

Sometimes a smile and hot meal were enough to make a soldier feel appreciated.

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This image from a USO on the French Riviera lists many of the services offered to men in the armed forces.

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Stay tuned for the next installment of this USO series. I can’t wait to share the images!

 

The Great Pre-Tinder: Tales Of Love From The Washateria

1970 Blackcat
1970 Blackcat

What better place to meet your new beau than at the laundromat, when you’re wearing your last-ditch threads and macrame vests while your good clothes toss around in suds? These girls discovered a fun-sized satin-jacket-clad boy emerging from the bowels of a Huebsch dryer. Bonus: he could very nearly fit into the laundry basket! Score!

6.5 Ounce Cokes: The Secret To A Darling Figure

Life: 10/10/55
Life: 10/10/55

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Actually, it was during this very year of 1955 that Coca-Cola expanded its packaging from the standard 6.5-ounce contour bottle to include 10-, 12- and 26-ounce contour bottles in the U.S., giving consumers packaging options to meet their needs. My need for a Coke would never be 6.5. That’s like going to a Mexican restaurant and eating one chip with salsa.

This pinterest pic is trying to make the point that Coke adds belly fat.

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I drink Coke. I have belly fat. But I also have no discipline and an overpowering sweet tooth, coupled with an inability to disobey Sprite Boy (who was only used in Coke ads,  and had been discontinued by the time Sprite came on the market in 1961).

http://www.coca-colacompany.com/
http://www.coca-colacompany.com/

So guess what? I’m taking some home today.

This Diamond Ring Doesn’t Shine For Me Anymore

Corbis/Bettmann UPI
Corbis/Bettmann UPI

Forget pawn shops. These two freshly-divorced women threw caution (and jewelry) to the wind in observance of the Reno, Nevada custom of tossing their rings into the Truckee River. What I don’t get is why they wouldn’t want to sell them since it was 1932, amidst the Great Depression. At least get enough to buy a celebratory whiskey! And why were they wearing Hawaiian leis in the middle of the dessert? And what did their husbands do to warrant such a dismissal of vows?

In 2013, The Huffington Post shared this image, with Nevada still #5 in a list of Top Ten Divorce Capitals.

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Any of these hotspots look familiar?

The Touch, The Feel Of Cotton

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Most of the yearbooks I collect have ads in the back. Rarely are they interesting beyond the typeset or logos of the times, but this 1955 Lion’s Lair yearbook shows student at the places of business.

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These students tried out the wheelbarrow at Allandale Hardware & Variety.

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This Piggly Wiggly image gives insight to mid-century grocery stores before big chains like Wal-Mart and Target served our grocery needs.

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Butter Krust was the best bread around; we used to cover our textbooks with Butter Krust advertising sheets.

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Isn’t this last one fun? I like how they spell Bubba as “Buba.”

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