Saluting Our Grandmas


Book Description

“In this fascinating book, you will learn about a part of our country’s history that has not been thoroughly documented. I guarantee you will be proud of what these ‘grandmas’ did to serve America in a time of great need. In so doing, they carved a path that other women for many generations have since benefitted from. I include myself in that very grateful group of women who today stand on the shoulders of these awe-inspiring pioneers.” —Gen. Janet C. Wolfenbarger, USAF (ret), first female four-star general in the Air Force, chairperson of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services “A wonderful and heartwarming account that highlights the often untold stories of our female World War II veterans. This book ensures that their important legacy of service will be shared with future generations.” —Sen. Bob Dole Contributors to this unique memorial include the family of military women and those who preserve their history. They are Dr. Francoise Bonnell (director of the US Army Women’s Museum), Curt Dalton (visual resource manager at Dayton History), Terry Lee Harmon (daughter of Women Airforce Service Pilot Elaine Danforth Harmon), Earl Morse (founder of the Honor Flight Network, Inc.), Dr. Janet Butler Munch (professor and special collections librarian at Lehman College of the City of New York), and Dean and Anne Whiteford (son-in-law and daughter of US Army nurse Martha Miller). A portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to Honor Flight Dayton, an Ohio chapter of the Honor Flight Network, Inc. The cover art is by aviation artist Craig Kodera and features (clockwise) Elaine Danforth Harmon, Martha Miller, Dorothy Mae Wise, and Pauline Norfleet Hill.




The Role of Female Pilots in World War II


Book Description

When the United States became involved in World War II in 1941, only men were allowed to join the Air Force to fly planes in combat. Two intrepid female pilots named Nancy Harkness Love and Jacqueline Cochran told the Air Force they believed that women aviators could help in other ways. In 1943, through their efforts, the Women Airforce Service Pilots was founded. This exciting book highlights a few of the more than one thousand female aviators who created and went through this program, including Love, Cochran, and Ann Baumgartner Carl, the first woman to fly an Air Force fighter jet.




The Role of Female Spies in World War II


Book Description

Although spying has always been a part of warfare, espionage didn't become an official part of American war efforts until World War II. The United States government established the Office of Strategic Services, which employed spies, translators, map readers, and code breakers to help gather information. Many of these roles were filled by women. This compelling book tells the riveting stories of six of these lady spies, including singer Josephine Baker, who smuggled military secrets on her sheet music; model and countess Aline Griffith; and the dangerously effective "Limping Lady," Virginia Hall.




UNDER MY BUBBE'S WINGS: How Grandma's Spirit Got Me Through Nazi Captivity


Book Description

This is a true-life memoir of defiant endurance through cruelty and traumatic loss, leading to ultimate survival. The author presents his father’s ordeals during five and a half years of Nazi captivity during the Holocaust. Included is a section of his mother’s similar experiences, although limited by her difficulty in discussing this topic. As the title infers, throughout he perceives the aura of his late grandma’s spirit protecting him with her angelic wings, as vowed in an early vision. Besides the brutal forced labor, extreme hunger, and massive life upheaval, there are numerous near-death escapes. He consistently feels luck being steered his way. With this fortune, perseverance, and daring he ends up as the lone survivor of his large family. A similar outcome applies to the author’s mother. Narrated from a first-person viewpoint it depicts forced migrations, Warsaw ghetto internment, and an ever worsening struggle to survive. Finally he must endure a series of Nazi camps for years until Russian liberation brings the war’s end. He becomes aware of the complete loss of family, being alone in the world in his early twenties. Finally free, DP camp life offers renewal, marriage, USA migration, and starting over.




Away from My Mother's Watchful Eye


Book Description

Native New Yorker Jesse A. Mayfield is a versatile actor, singer and writer. He has appeared on Broadway, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center and every major concert venue in the world. A former member of the famed vocal group, "Special Blend," he was a frequent performer in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. While serving as the Artistic Director of the famed "Paul Robeson Theatre" in New York, Jesse produced and starred in many notable productions, among them "A Raisin In The Sun," "Ceremonies In Dark Old Men" "God's Creation," and "Of Mice & Men." He has spent much of the last decade touring in various stage productions. Jesse relocated to Los Angeles a few years ago to pursue greater acting, writing and producing opportunities. Jesse's touching memoir "Away From My Mothers' Watchful Eye" chronicles his experiences growing up in inner-city Brooklyn, New York during the turbulent, social unrest of the 1960's and his being one of the first Blacks bussed to a White school in 1965 in compliance with New York City Board of Educations' initiative to further integrate its' public school. Always a New Yorker at heart, Jesse presently resides in Los Angeles where he teaches acting. He recently launched Trustar Productions to develop projects for television and film. His talent management company, LaMarr Talent Management represents and guides the careers of young, aspiring, entertainment professionals.




My Grandmother's Son


Book Description

Ever since he was a small child, Johnny L. Thompson strived to one day be famous and make his family proud. But growing up in 1950s America as a black man, that dream seemed impossible. In My Grandmother’s Son, Johnny illustrates what America was truly like for a black man in the 50s—abiding by the Jim Crow laws and enduring prejudice and racism while generally being treated as less-than. Johnny also examines the politics of that era—and also of today—with observations on how America can be better. Despite his many obstacles, Johnny has had a wonderful life—a life that includes traveling the world with his daughter Angela and being able to appreciate the small things. Join him on his incredible journey. About the Author My hobbies are Travel and Photography. There is nothing in life more important than my family. They are foremost in my mind. I Worked in the Advertising field for 25 years. Retired from the U.S. Postal Service after serving 10 years at Radio City Post Office in New York City.




At Grandma's House


Book Description

Illinois State Historical Society Certificate of Excellence Winner, 2021 When H. Byron Earhart’s father enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1942, young Byron and his family moved into his grandparents' old-fashioned home with a coal-fired range and potbelly stove, and his mother took charge of the family business, a frozen food locker. Grandma was the undisputed head of the family. While his father served on the battleship USS Missouri, his grandparents and mother held the family and the business together. At Grandma’s House is a tribute to everyday Americans who provided the social glue for a country at war as they balanced fear and anxiety for loved ones with the challenges and pleasures of daily life. The experiences of the Earhart family and this Midwestern community, supplemented by contemporary documents, family photos, and professional illustrations, recount with vivid local color the drama that played out on the national and international stage.




The Water Lily Pond


Book Description

This evocative narrative draws us into the inner life of a young Chinese peasant girl, May-ping, and her first glimmerings of youthful love and idealism under the Maoist regime in China. As she grows into a mature woman, she becomes increasingly aware of the strife around her. An intelligent girl born into a Poor-Class family in a small village in rural China, she is, because of the Maoist policy towards such families, able to pursue her dream of going to university. To her surprise, urban snobbery and “student thought-spying” at university make it essential for her to hide her real thoughts. Such self-protection becomes especially necessary once her idealistic boyfriend Dan — a secret boyfriend because young people were forbidden to be romantically involved — is sent to a labour camp for his outspoken ways. In her village, she learns that everything has value except the lives of girls and women. One of her childhood friends, a landowner’s daughter who because of her family’s Landlord Class, is not allowed to go to university drowns herself when forced to face an arranged marriage. Hua-Hua, a shy and gentle neighbour, hangs herself after her husband beats her brutally for not bearing him a son. May-ping manages to survive the Cultural Revolution as a member of the Communist party who feels outside the system and keeps her inner self intact. Her story reveals how political change during the Maoist regime left its mark on ordinary people. Employing stories within stories, the narrator carries the reader to a mythological realm to images of the resilient water lilies and the nurturing lily pond.




With One Brush


Book Description

The act of painting takes on metaphorical significance as Dean navigates themes of creation and documentation of life through art. What emerges is a sensuously layered and intriguing meditation on the past that offers a sense of connectedness and hope for the future.




Christian Work


Book Description