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My research into Donald Davis, the tail-gunner on the
Hetzler crew that was shot down over Germany during WWII had come to a dead end. Because of his fairly common last name, I was having no luck finding any of his family members in southern Illinois. Then I called the Union County Historical Society and spoke with Pat
Meller (pictured). She said she would ask around at church and other places. A few weeks later she called me with the name and address of Donald's brother William. She has also
facilitated two meetings with me and
Donald's family as well as helping to set up my speaking engagement this fall. Local historical societies serve a valuable function for researchers. This isn't the first time that I have been helped by historical societies. Linda Price of the
Onaga Kansas Historical Society helped me do some of my research on Harold
Hetzler and helped set up my speaking engagement last summer. The Union County Historical Society also has a museum that has a lot of interesting artifacts. The museum is located in
Cobden, IL. Phone for hours: (618) 893-2865
1 comment:
Great entry, another well-crafted masterpiece!
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