A PUBLICATION OF THE ARCHIVES OF THE AMERICAN FIELD SERVICE AND AFS INTERCULTURAL PROGRAMS
David K. Ford A Journey of Self-Discovery
FALL 2011:
New Publications by AFS Drivers 5 Discovering Memories of my Father: How I Found the AFS Archives 6 Letter from the AFS International President 8 AFS VIGNETTES by Stephen Galatti, Jr. 8 Generous Donations Help the AFS Archives Grow 10 AFS WWII Ambulance Drivers Last Post 10 Former AFS Participants in the News 12
David K. Ford A Journey of Self-Discovery
A PUBLICATION OF THE ARCHIVES OF THE AMERICAN FIELD SERVICE AND AFS INTERCULTURAL PROGRAMS
Dear AFS Friend, In this issue of the AFS Janus, we celebrate the life of David K. Ford, an AFS Ambulance Driver, volunteer and lifelong supporter of our programs. When we spoke with David to gather information for the feature, we understood that volunteering for the AFS during WWII opened up a new world of possibilities for him. Just as today, an AFS intercultural exchange experience can immeasurably enhance a young person’s life. AFS thanks David K. Ford for a lifetime of service to our organization. Royal H. Fowler, III, the son of an AFS Ambulance Driver, contributed a poignant story in “How I Found the AFS Archives,” in which he relates how a search for memories of his father led him to the Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs (AFS Archives) and, ultimately, to a new and rewarding relationship with Ward B. Chamberlin, Jr., AFS Ambulance Driver and Life Trustee. Stephen Galatti, Jr. once again regales us with his AFS Vignettes, in which he shares with the AFS Janus readership little-known facts and interesting tidbits about the personalities that made their mark on AFS throughout the decades. The AFS Archives are humming with activity and celebrating the successful completion of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission grant project. In this issue, we thank a number of individuals who have made significant contributions to the archive’s collections. Vincenzo Morlini, the president of AFS Intercultural Programs, addresses our AFS Janus readership for the first time and reminds us of the enduring commitment of AFS to the values of its founders, to volunteerism, and to expanding our programs to more areas throughout the world. We hope you enjoy this issue of the AFS Janus.
Carlos Porro, Editor carlos.porro@afs.org AFS Intercultural Programs, Inc. 71 West 23rd Street, 6th Floor New York, NY 10010-4102 USA tel: +1.212.807.8686 fax: +1.212.807.1001 www.afs.org
“AFS makes a huge difference in your life. It helps you develop an immense amount of self-confidence and has a huge impact in the positive development of your future life.” -Rikke Danielsen, David Ford’s AFS daughter
David K. Ford was born in Cleveland, Ohio on June 26, 1925. Of his life before AFS, he does not wax poetic, “Life before AFS was very uninteresting. I did not like going to school.” His self-professed passions as a young man were motorcycles and girls, not necessarily in that order. In June of 1943 he graduated, at the age of 18, from University School, a local high school in Cleveland. Of his time there he said, “My graduation closed out a most undistinguished career at that institution.” But the world was changing quickly, and it was about to change his life as well and open avenues for distinction that he would have never imagined. “Everything was in flames,” he remembered, “from the sands of North Africa to the islands of the South Pacific, with every account in the newspapers and on that most dramatic of mediums at the time, radio, carrying details of ever greater adventures and heroics involving all sorts of people, but most particularly young men of my age and background.” Recruitment for the armed services was in high gear and many young American men and women were responding to the call to serve their country. After researching his options for service, David realized that, given his poor eyesight, one of the only options open for him was a program of “limited service” under which individuals with physical limitations
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David K. Ford with an ambulance, Lake Trasimeno, Italy, 1944.
C Platoon ambulance next to refugees operating a laundry at the BergenBelsen concentration camp, 1945. Photograph by David K. Ford
On the cover: 567 Coy Trucks on deck of LST (tank landing ship) on route from Livorno, Italy to Marseille, France, 1945. Photograph by David K. Ford
were assigned to duty inside the United States, “Needless to say, the prospect of this type of duty I found most unattractive.” Through a friend he got word that, “Some kind of ambulance corps called American Field Service (AFS) was active with the romantic sounding British Eighth Army in the Sahara region of Africa. This sounded like what I had in mind, although I had, at best, only a vague mental picture of what they were and what they did.” David signed up for the AFS, and before he knew it, he was on board the S.S. Alpherat en route to Alexandria, Egypt. After disembarking in Alexandria, the AFS volunteers were taken by train to Cairo were they started a long threeweek trip that ended in Taranto, Italy. “The drivers of our convoy were a group of veterans from the famous British First Armoured Division, who
had been in the desert through the entire length of the fighting with the Africa Corps. They latched on to a group of green Yankee kids, most of whom were fresh out of high school, and filled our sponge-like heads with endless tales of the rigors of living and fighting in the Sahara.” After arriving in Taranto, they were driven north to Foggia, where they caught up with the AFS 567 Ambulance Car Company, Royal Army Service Corps. “That was our goal; we were finally in the Eighth Army.” David was assigned to “B” Platoon and moved from Foggia to a nearby town, where he was assigned his first ambulance. “Finally, after having left home in July, and chasing the war for four months, I was at last able to do something constructive. What a relief! But little did I know what I would be in for soon.” His impressions of life in the AFS were very positive, “For the first
time in my life, I felt that I was being treated like an adult, and I was given responsibility for my actions. I felt like I was involved in something that was important to the world and that at the end, you could say that there might even be some people alive because of what you did for them.” On the eighteenth of November 1943, the AFS volunteers moved north to the bank of the Sangro River, where the Army was gathering for the first major phase of the Italian campaign. “The Sangro River crossing was very bloody, and it was particularly so for the engineers who had to construct what was then billed as the longest bailey bridge ever built, directly under the noses of the German defenders. If I am not mistaken, AFS suffered its first casualty of the Italian campaign here, when one of the members of ‘C’ Platoon backed his ambulance onto a mine.” In December, David, as part of a
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convoy of four ambulances, drove north to San Vito. “To get to San Vito, we had to drive along a road that was surrounded by fields filled with heavy artillery pieces. I nearly jumped out of my skin when one of them fired off right next to my ambulance. I did not know it at the time, but this was the real beginning of my education in the most fundamental of all skills for a soldier in combat, one that once learned becomes second nature. Namely, the skill of knowing the difference between the sound of fire directed at the enemy and that of the enemy’s fire directed at you. To anyone who has not been in combat, this may seem an unnecessary subtlety; but when you are actually in a place where you are being shot at, that subtle difference instantly takes on a very large importance.” From San Vito, David drove to the village of San Leonardo, and for the next weeks, he was immersed in the day-to-day life of an infantry regiment in battle. “I was exposed almost continuously to fire of every kind. This turned out to be, with a couple of brief exceptions, the most intense, brutal, and longest-lasting experience I was exposed to for the rest of the war.” David met several unusual characters during this time. He remembers an incident with an Italian townswoman who was very reluctant to leave her pig behind. “She refused to be evacuated from her house because she had a large pig living with her. We finally convinced her that she had to be moved south for her own safety. Since she was to be moved by truck, she could not take her pig along. Suffice it to say that certain groups of the 49th Loyal Edmonton Regiment enjoyed fresh pork for a few days.” The bitter fighting continued as the Allies continued their attempts to retake Italy. David recalls that the primary objective the Allies hoped to take was the port city of Pescara, and to that end, his platoon was moved close to the city of Ortona. It was thought that if Pescara could be taken, it would open Rome to capture from the west. “Little did the big-thinking
Allied strategists dream that it would take six months more and several major battles, including the ill-fated landing at Anzio, before they would achieve their objective.” “And always through all this there were the dead,” David recalls. “The Eighth Army always tried to identify each of their dead, and to bury each one wrapped in an army blanket in a marked grave so that when the end of hostilities finally came, each man could be moved to a graveyard where he could lie forever alongside his comrades. When I visited Italy in 1983, we found multiple small British graveyards near the sites of major battles, with each headstone carrying a special inscription from the family of the soldier buried there. We were told that the Italian population had donated the graveyards, along with perpetual care. The graveyards were impressive.”
“I only regret one thing about AFS,” David said, “and that is that I did not keep up with my colleagues in B Platoon 567 and others whom I met while volunteering with AFS.” David continued to serve with distinction in the AFS until June 1945, when he sailed back to the United States. His AFS personnel records list him as having driven his ambulance 12,000 miles and carried a total of 450 casualties. He also served as a Dispatch Rider and a Jeep Driver. VE-Day 1945 found him in Heeze, Holland. After his time with AFS, David worked in various positions as an industrial salesman in Cleveland. In 1953, he married Ann Garretson, with whom he had a daughter and two sons. He remained involved with AFS as it evolved into an intercultural exchange program and was in charge of the Cuyahoga County AFS chapter in Ohio for many years.
He recalls AFS’s first bus trip for its participants in the United States that took place in 1948. “Steve Galatti called me and asked me to go meet the bus at the Greyhound bus station to make sure that the kids were well taken care of. I arrived just in time to see the bus pull to a stop and a disheveled bus driver jump out of his driver seat, yelling that he was quitting because the AFS kids were giving him such a hard time. Everyone in the bus was on edge because it was stifling hot, and the bus had no air conditioning. Fortunately, there was a Greyhound executive present who told the driver he would give him an airconditioned bus and convinced him to stay on the bus trip. A group of us AFS volunteers took the kids to one side and asked them to behave and be nice to the bus driver. Apparently, it worked. We heard that when the bus driver arrived at the next scheduled stop on the trip, he called his manager and asked to be put in charge of bus service for AFS participants from then on.” David started his own company called Concord Sales, where he worked as a manufacturer’s representative selling machinery and industrial products to industry. He remained active in the company until 1995, when he retired. What would he tell young men and women considering participating in an AFS program today? “I would quote my AFS daughter Rikke Danielsen from Tonsberg, Norway when she said, ‘AFS makes a huge difference in your life. It helps you develop an immense amount of self-confidence and has a huge impact in the positive development of your future life.’ I only regret one thing about AFS,” David said, “and that is that I did not keep up with my colleagues in B Platoon 567 and others whom I met while volunteering with AFS.” If you would like to get in touch with David Ford, please send an email to Carlos Porro at carlos.porro@afs.org, or write to AFS Intercultural Programs, Inc., 71 West 23rd Street, 6th Fl., New York, NY 10010, and he will forward your message to him.
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New Publications by AFS Drivers WWII AFS Ambulance Drivers have published a number of recent books about their experiences with the AFS. Below we list three recent publications that vividly depict the drama, joy and trials of serving as a volunteer with the AFS during the war.
Fragments of Peace in a World at War by John Candler (Jock) Cobb. 143 Pages. Animist Press (2011). The turmoil of war often transcends simple historical prose to the extent that it must be portrayed through art. Consequently, “Fragments of Peace in a World War” by John Candler (Jock) Cobb (ME 26) leaves a lasting impression. During World War II, Cobb registered as a conscientious objector and joined the American Field Service. During that time, he recorded his experiences in photographs and poetry. This collection of 107 photographs documents the Middle Eastern, North African and Italian campaigns. The accompanying poems by Cobb and fellow AFS Ambulance Driver Charles Edwards (ME 26) add a stirring dimension to the photographs. At its core, “Fragments of Peace in a World at War” effectively and movingly displays the countless tragedies of a world consumed by total war. If you would like to purchase this book, please contact Animist Press, Renny Russell Publisher, HC 81 Box 628, Questa, New Mexico 87556 or on the Web at www.rennyrussell.com.
Death Before Dishonor: Memoirs of a WWII Ambulance Driver by Kenneth Brennan. 200 Pages. CreateSpace (2011). Unable to enlist due to a childhood injury, Ken Brennan (ME 5, CM 55) was nevertheless determined to assist in the global struggle. He joined the American Field Service and kept vivid accounts of his time driving ambulances for the Allies. “Death Before Dishonor: Memoirs of a WWII Ambulance Driver,” compiled by Barbara Brennan, documents these accounts. Colorful and emotional, Brennan’s diaries and letters chronicle his determination to carry wounded soldiers to safety through Italy, North Africa and the Middle East. The materials showcase many different aspects of war, from the terror of surviving German bombing raids to the struggle of recovering from dysentery. Each letter and diary entry serves as a testament to the fact that in times of war, not only are the horrors truly boundless, but also the capacity for human compassion, as evidenced by the American Field Service. This book is available through www.amazon.com.
Just Like a Taxi: Frontline Ambulance, Italy 1944-45 by “Artful Dodger” Bill Cantrall. 331 Pages. Crossfire Press (2011). “Just Like a Taxi: Frontline Ambulance, Italy 1944-45” by Bill Cantrall (CM 92) is a striking and honest memoir of his time with AFS in the closing stages of the Italian Campaign. Cantrall captures the full spectrum of experiencing World War II in Italy with a frank tone. Any story about the American Field Service in Italy must include in detail the heroic and selfless sacrifices of the young ambulance drivers to get the wounded to medical facilities, and Cantrall accomplishes this with honesty and sincerity. However, what makes the memoir well-rounded is Cantrall’s careful inclusion of his regular, day-to-day activities. Routine actions such as experiencing different cultures of the people around him, struggling to overcome environmental hurdles and even searching for familiar foods in order to raise morale add to the project’s uniqueness. As a result, Cantrall’s memoir sensibly balances the gallant exploits of the AFS with the routine, yet nonetheless interesting, realities of life during World War II. The book’s Web site is at www.justlikeataxi.com and is available through www.amazon.com.
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Discovering Memories of my Father: How I Found the AFS Archives
by Royal H. Fowler, III
M
1
2
1. Royal Fowler, Jr. (top row, 7th from left) with other members of ME 37 in Durban, South Africa, March 1943. 2. Ward B. Chamberlin, Jr. and Royal H. Fowler, III at Art Howe’s and Ward’s 90th Birthday celebration, October 14, 2011.
y story about discovering the AFS Archives is more about discovering my father, myself and the kindness, compassion and endurance of a man who linked it all together, Ward B. Chamberlin, Jr. The events that finally led me to the AFS Archives began while I was listening to a television ad for Ken Burns’ The War. I heard the voice of a man saying he was a volunteer ambulance driver in WWII, attached to the British 8th Army in the Middle East and in Italy. I couldn’t believe what I heard; these were my father’s experiences too. I said to my wife, “That was exactly what my father did during WWII.” She said, “Well, maybe he knew your father.” So began my search for Ward Chamberlin that eventually led me to the AFS Archives, and also to some liferesolving discoveries. My only resource then was George Rock’s The History of the American Field Service 1920-1955. I looked up Ward’s name and saw his information, looked up my father’s name and saw his information, and then looked back and forth at the information again and saw that they were in the same unit, ME 37. I knew then the odds were high that they knew each other. It took a few years actually of fits and starts and dead ends (and not using Google enough!). Most people I contacted offered little help. It didn’t dawn on me to contact AFS or the AFS Archives; I really didn’t think they would be in existence. Eventually my search dwindled, fizzled out and I actually gave up. Providence intervened after about two years. A gentleman answered one of my letters. This fellow had
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purchased an apartment that Ward had rented in New York City and was gracious enough to notify me that he read my letter after two years, since he was in the habit of throwing all the mail that came to Ward into a box. He had recently found this box and was going through it after the sale of the apartment! My search was on again. It is too long a story, but I was able to speak with Ward finally. He was expecting my call and had
“Since my father died before I was able to remember him, I had an indescribable longing to know more about him.” many memories of my father. That may be plenty heart-warming for most readers, but understanding my family history is what makes the story complete. My father tragically died when I was only a year and a half old. I grew up with no memory of my father. Of course I had plenty of tales about him from my mother and knew all about his AFS duty. As a boy, I had lugged about one of his old AFS knapsacks and still have so much of the old gear, including a uniform jacket, shirts, patches, brass AFS emblem, Free French Cross and my most treasured memento, a black and white photo of him with what looked like old Roman ruins in the background. But I had never met anyone that could tell me honestly about him in those years.
Since my father died before I was able to remember him, I had an indescribable longing to know more about him. Looking for my father had been a lifelong search. I had so many of his trinkets, but no memories of him, and consequently, I experienced a lot of emptiness and loneliness. My father, like Ward and many other AFS Drivers, was educated with the elite of the United States at the time, was from a distinguished family, had a compassionate heart and a need for service during that time in our nation’s history. Due to the physical constraints of his eyesight, AFS was the answer for him to serve during the war. My father was an erudite scholar with an educational background from Yale and Columbia Law and had a passion for writing poetry. His writing during his AFS years became newfound treasures for me. I visited with Ward in March of this year in New York City. It was a providential milestone in my life. Truly, I believe that meeting Ward and hearing about his memories of my dad has been the “fill in the blanks” for me that I have longed for. Consequently, the closeness I have to Ward is much like the closeness one feels for his own father. I can’t describe what he has come to mean to me, as a friend, as an example and as a treasured gift from God. I gave Ward some of my father’s poems and even read a few to him, through the tears in my eyes. The poem that was especially meaningful was my father’s memoriam to Robert Carter (Bob) Bryan, who was the lieutenant of C Platoon 485 Company. When Bob Bryan was killed in Italy, Ward took over the platoon and was promoted to lieutenant. The impact of knowing that Ward and my father shared the connection with Bob Bryan was about too much for me to bear. I have found that Bob Bryan had a profound impact on all who knew him. This story would not be
“I believe that meeting Ward and hearing about his memories of my dad has been the ‘fill in the blanks’ for me that I have longed for.” complete without mentioning such an influential man who gave the last full measure of devotion and who left the clues to bring me and Ward together, after sixty-seven years. Before I left Ward that day, he told me of Nicole Milano, the AFS Head Archivist, and he directed me to the AFS office. He called ahead to ask Nicole to pull all my father’s old original paperwork, and she had it ready for me to see upon my visit. I felt like a king! She also had old photos that I could view. After reading and signing the archival release form, and donning special gloves, I became immersed in more treasure-hunting. I found quite a few treasures, including a signed photo of Field Marshall Montgomery. I also found an old negative that had all the members of ME 37 in Durban, South Africa on it. Ward had just told me that they laid over in Durban on their sail to Egypt. Nicole was able to send me the positive image of the negative, and what fun it was to pick my father and Ward out of the crowd. I made some copies and sent them to Ward; he had never seen the photo before! This was a small gift to send him after the treasure he brought me with his visit, his memories, his integrity and his brilliant kindness. - Royal H. Fowler, III Son of Royal H. Fowler, Jr. ME 37 AFS 1942-1944
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AFS VIGN Letter from the AFS International President
AFS Winter Program Participant and future AFS President Vincenzo Morlini playing guitar during a party aboard the S/S Seven Seas in August 1966.
I have now been on the job since the beginning of August 2011, and I am enjoying the challenges and responsibilities that come with the position. One of its pleasures is being able to address you through my first “Letter from the AFS International President” for the AFS Janus. I hope you enjoy reading about David Ford, an AFS Ambulance Driver who exemplifies so many of the qualities that made our founders such an extraordinary group of individuals. This issue’s feature article about Ford reminded me how much AFS is still fully committed to the ideals that the AFS Drivers held close to their hearts as they worked to transform AFS into a peacetime organization. Today, AFS sends more than 12,000 young women and men to more than 88 countries around the world. AFS does this effectively because it can rely on a trained and efficient volunteer network that spans the globe and delivers the services that have made us one of the most respected intercultural exchange and educational organizations in existence. This tradition of volunteerism reflects a trait that distinguished the AFS wartime ambulance drivers—an unwavering dedication to service through volunteerism. I am one of more than 412,000 former AFS Participants, having traveled from Italy to the USA in 1966, and the experience changed my life, although I don’t know if it improved my guitar-playing skills! We continue our commitment to expand the footprint of our programs. Time and time again, we have seen that AFS intercultural exchange programs change lives for the better. We have a responsibility and a mandate to make our programs more accessible, taking advantage of opportunities we may have to offer the AFS experience to individuals who may have geographical or financial barriers to entry. And as we expand the breadth and scope of our programs, we are always aware of the need to maintain the highest standards of quality for all of our AFS constituents: participants, host and natural families, volunteers and schools. We are working hard every day to change our people’s lives for the better, open up new vistas and perspectives in their minds, and unite them through an unparalleled understanding that our differences will not necessarily divide us, but will be a source of strength and unity.
Vincenzo Morlini President and CEO, AFS Intercultural Programs, Inc.
We hope you enjoyed the inaugural installment of the “AFS Vignettes” in the previous issue of the AFS Janus and that you enjoy reading our new vignettes. If you would like to contribute your stories about AFS covering the period 1914 through 1964, your contributions will be warmly welcomed. Please send them to sg@galatti.com or to P.O.1433, Millbrook, NY 12545.We seek poignant or funny stories that evoke the spirit of AFS growth. Thank you, - Stephen Galatti, Jr.
Raising Money and Taking No Leave – AFS in WW1 As opposed to most of presentday soldiers in the US military, the AFS volunteer drivers were mainly from the upper middle class, who were able to individually finance their costs of participation in the service of AFS. However, as the need for more volunteers increased, so did expenses. While William Sleeper, the New England businessman who devoted much of his time to raising money for the volunteer organization, was tireless in canvassing for money to purchase ambulances, it was J. Piatt Andrew who had the charisma to effectively recruit volunteers and to solicit funds. He was dynamic and effective, unhesitant in selecting his targets and his approach. He was willing to go to great lengths to achieve his goals. He even secured a major donation of ambulances from Mrs. Vanderbilt. When Stephen Galatti took his first leave from the AFS, he dropped by the AFS office at Rue Raymond in Paris for a visit. Spotting him, Andrew called out: “Galatti, you have got to help me
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NETTES
by Stephen Galatti, Jr.
with this damned paper work.” Galatti had overslept that day, and he didn’t have time to have a full breakfast. Thus, he not only had to forsake his brioches, he also gave up his leave, perhaps having a salutary effect on the future of AFS. Galatti became the adjutant, and he continued the practice of not taking a leave during the Second World War and afterwards. His lack of enthusiasm for vacations permeated the office. He felt that a boat trip chaperoning students was sufficient “vacation time” and believed that the Miami airport rivaled a stay at The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach. Labor law was evidently not a subject taught at Smith, Wellesley or Mt. Holyoke. Wrenches, Hammers and Screwdrivers – AFS WWI Mechanics At the start of World War I, automobiles were not abundant, even in the United States. The majority of the volunteers were basically urbanites more familiar with books than machines. There were not many mechanics in France, where transport was mainly carried out by horse or oxdrawn vehicles. Henry Ford was mostly interested in developing passenger vehicles,
such as the Model T. Consequently, the Model T chassis, which were commonly utilized by the AFS, arrived in France unassembled, and the volunteers were expected to turn them into ambulances. Once assembled, the volunteers were responsible for maintenance and repair. In the later stages of the war, AFS attempted to recruit more mechanically trained personnel. Luckily, most repairs could be done with a wrench, hammer, screwdriver and consultation with a comprehensive driver’s manual. Interestingly, I never recall seeing my father, Stephen Galatti, handle a screwdriver or hammer, which may explain his lack of reluctance in taking a “desk job” after a year of driving! Volunteering in the Line of Fire While the drivers in WW1 were somewhat shielded from direct contact with combat, they were not completely immune from it. Shelling continued while they evacuated the wounded, and at least one driver was deliberately attacked by strafing aircraft in spite of the prominent crosses displayed on the ambulances. In one particular case, a plane repeatedly attacked an ambulance, killing the driver
and the transported wounded and destroying the vehicle. The driver of the ambulance, Henry Suckley, happened to be a very close friend of my father and his first cousin later became my mother. The German pilot returned the next day to strafe a local farmhouse, miscalculated and crashed. Remembering his attack on the ambulance, the local farmers avenged the driver’s death. Battles tended to continue for months, with armies alternating holding the same kilometers, so the ambulance drivers had regular “routes.” In one area, a squad of soldiers was stationed at a particularly dangerous curve with the responsibility to rush out and help the AFS ambulance make progress up the hilly road. The ambulance driver used a special horn signal to announce his approach and the poilus (a term of endearment for the French infantry of World War I that translated into “hairy one”) sprang into action. It was claimed by the drivers on that hill that this was the origin of the tune used for the slogan: “Shave and a haircut—two bits;” however, the provenance of this claim has not been proven.
Overhauling the cars at the military park, ca. 1914-1917.
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Generous Donations Help the AFS Archives Grow The Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs (AFS Archives) is grateful to its donors for their generous contributions of either objects or financial support. This support allows the AFS Archives to continue to document the history of AFS, to offer the highest standards available to the researching public and to make the collections increasingly accessible. We would like to acknowledge the support of the individuals listed below for their recent donations to the AFS Archives: • Luman H. Tenney’s World War I collection, including his handwritten diary, clippings and AFS Bulletins, donated by his daughter-in-law, Shirley H. Tenney. • James H. Brewster’s collection of World War II correspondence and several photographs, as well as a later compilation of poetry. • Arthur Howe, Jr.’s collection of World War II papers and photographs. Also included were records, clippings and newsletters from the student exchange programs, including his time spent as president of the organization. • H. Mather Lippincott’s World War II newsletters and other papers, donated by his wife, Margaret Lippincott. This material was added to his collection in the AFS Archives, which included his “Kiwi” uniform from the war.
• Elizabeth W. Bauer’s reports, newsletters, by-laws, and other documents from 1968-1973 related to the U.S. Returnee/ Alumni Association. • Robin Miller’s collection of publications, newsletters, meeting minutes, and reports from the former AFS-UK office. If you would like to contribute papers, records, photographs, memorabilia or other archival material to the AFS Archives, please contact Head Archivist Nicole Milano at archives@afs.org or 212-479-1129. We welcome your contributions, especially as we move toward the 100th anniversary of the founding of the American Field Service (2014-2015). If you are interested in contributing financially to the upcoming projects for the AFS Archives (including digitization of archival material for the Web site), you may do so through the afs.org Web site (under the “Donate” tab), or by sending your donation via postal mail to: AFS Intercultural Programs, 71 West 23rd Street, 6th Fl., New York, NY 10011. If you would like to discuss a possible donation, please contact Carlos Porro at AFS Intercultural Programs by calling (212) 807-8686 ext 1921.
James Brewster’s drawings from his wartime correspondence.
James M. Beale, Jr. CM 43
James MacArthur Beale, Jr. passed away November 4, 2010. In 1943, at age nineteen, Beale volunteered as an AFS ambulance driver with the British Ninth Army in Syria and then the Fifth Army in Italy until his repatriation in February 1944. Following the war, he completed his studies at Harvard University, and in 1947 he received a master’s degree in Music from Yale University. Beale later joined the faculty of the School of Music at the University of Washington and became a Composer in Residence at Carnegie Mellon University as well as a member of the American Composers Alliance of New York City. James is survived by his wife, Jane, three daughters, four grandchildren and two great-grandsons.
Robert F. Skillings CM 41
Robert Fraser Skillings passed away on June 28, 2011, in Brunswick, ME. He was born on December 17, 1922, in Middlebury, VT. He put his studies on hold at Oberlin College in order to volunteer his services as an AFS Ambulance Driver in the Italian campaign from April 1943 until his repatriation in July 1945. His experience during the war inspired in him an interest in international affairs, and he consequently worked at the World Bank for forty years until his retirement in 1987. Skillings was predeceased by his wife, Sally, in 2009. He is survived by his three children, three grandchildren, one niece and two nephews.
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AFS WWII Ambulance Drivers Last Post David A. Haller, Jr.
Robert H. McCulloch
IB 54
CM 43
Peter MinnockStewart IB 1, IB 45
David Alexander Haller, Jr. passed away on February 1, 2011, in Hyannis, MA. He was born on October 14, 1923, in Rochester, NY. Haller was sent overseas as an AFS ambulance driver in March 1945, where he served in the Burma Campaign until his repatriation in November of that same year. He graduated from the University of Rochester in 1948 and later worked for the Loomis Institute in Windsor, CT. He was an active member of the Chatham Conservation Foundation in Massachusetts. Haller is survived by two nephews and a cousin.
Robert Hathorn McCulloch passed away on April 14, 2011. He was born in Evanston, IL on April 27, 1924. He volunteered with AFS during World War II in Syria, Lebanon and Italy, until his repatriation on September 3, 1944. He attended Denison University as a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and graduated in 1947 with a degree in economics. McCulloch worked as a sales representative for American Hospital Supply for twenty-five years and later became a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Granville, OH. McCulloch was predeceased by his wife, Patricia, and his brothers, Hugh and Bruce. He is survived by five nephews and four nieces.
Peter F. Minnock-Stewart passed away on November 1, 2011, in New Jersey at the age of 87. Minnock-Stewart volunteered with AFS in 1943 as part of the first unit serving with the British Southeast Asia Command in Burma. After completion of his AFS service, he became the only known American to be commissioned as an officer in the Indian Army Intelligence Corps. After resigning as a Lt. Colonel in 1946, Minnock-Stewart graduated from the University of Virginia and worked for the Ford Motor Company, several marketing and advertising agencies and Intellectics SMB Corp. He is survived by his wife, Mary Ellen Dougherty, his daughter, son, son-in-law, granddaughter, brother and sister-in-law.
Peter E. Sloane
Bulkeley Smith, Jr.
Eugene Vasilew
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ME 16, FFC, FR 1
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Peter Edison Sloane, grandson of inventor Thomas Alva Edison, passed away on November 28, 2010. He was born on March 2, 1923, in Orange, NJ. Sloane was educated at the Montclair Academy and Phillips Exeter Academy and attended Yale University. Sloane volunteered as an ambulance driver with AFS during World War II and served in the African and Italian Campaigns before his repatriation on November 17, 1944. Sloane was placed on record for being mentioned in a Despatch for distinguished service by the British Secretary of State for War for his services in World War II.
Bulkeley Smith, Jr. passed away on June 11, 2010, in Connecticut. He was born on March 11, 1921, in Worcester, MA. Smith postponed his studies at Yale University to volunteer as an AFS Ambulance Driver with the Free French, attached to the British Eighth Army, from December 1942, and from February 20, 1943, through May 1, 1943. He obtained a doctorate in Sociology and later joined the faculty at Mt. Holyoke College, where he rose to become chairman of the Sociology Department. Smith is survived by his wife, Helen, his daughter, two granddaughters, a brother and a nephew.
Eugene Vasilew passed away on June 12, 2011, in Summerville, SC, at age 89. Vasilew volunteered with AFS in the Western Desert and Italy before his repatriation in September 1944. He received his M.A. from the State University of Iowa and his Ph.D. from Ohio State University. Vasilew taught at Lehigh University and Binghamton University, where he established the rhetoric program, developed the first accredited course in Black Power and Civil Rights, and organized the first Vietnam War protest “sit-in” on campus. Vasilew is survived by his wife, two sons, one daughter, two daughtersin-law and two grandchildren.
AFS JANUS • FALL 2011 • 11
Former AFS Participants in the News Since the beginning of the exchange program, many AFS Returnees have assumed influential positions into their adult lives. Two returnees, Shanti Eva Wanasundera and Christine Lagarde, were selected this past summer to fill significant offices.
Christine Lagarde The former French Minister of Economy, Christine Lagarde (France to USA 1973–1974), was selected as the new managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) this summer. She is the first woman to hold the position. As a teenager, she participated in an AFS exchange program to Maryland. Upon returning to France, Lagarde received a law degree and a Master’s in political science. From 1981 to 2005, she worked in the firm Baker & McKenzie and was elected the company’s first
woman chairperson in 1999. Her career within the French government began in 2005 when she assumed the role of Trade Minister. In 2007 she also became the country’s Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Finance, a position she held until her election to the IMF. Her professional career has been praised by many and has been widely featured in the media. Forbes magazine has rated her among the most powerful women in the world and The Financial Times named her Europe’s best Finance Minister.
Shanti Eva Wanasundera AFS Returnee Shanti Eva Wanasundera (Sri Lanka to USA 1971–1972) was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s Attorney General on September 12, 2011. Her appointment marks an important milestone for the country
as she is the first woman to hold this prestigious position within the Sri Lankan government. Wanasundera participated in an AFS exchange program in 1971 when she lived with a family in Arizona. She returned to Sri Lanka and studied law, beginning her career at the Gangodawila Magistrate Court and the District Courts of Mt. Lavinia and Colombo. She worked in the Attorney General’s office beginning in 1979 as a state counselor. She gained valuable experience while working in the office and assumed the role of acting attorney general no fewer than 16 times. Thirty-two years after joining the Attorney General’s Office, Wanasundera was appointed to the position of Attorney General in 2011. She has the distinction of having a career replete with ‘firsts’ as Sri Lanka’s first woman Senior State Counselor, first woman Deputy Solicitor General, first woman Additional Solicitor General and the first woman Solicitor General of Sri Lanka. Wanasundera has two children studying abroad and is married to Sri Lankan businessman Indrajith Wanasundera.