It is stories like this that bring joy to our hearts and that continue to amaze and delight us. Chances are that you or someone you know has a connection to one of Richard’s pieces as well!
During Katherine’s time living on the Gulf Coast in Mississippi, she made several dear friends. When she came across a brochure c. 1946 from Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, she wanted to share it with one of those friends. The following is an excerpt of a conversation they had over FaceBook that resulted in a very special home for a very special piece from Richard’s collection.
Katherine: Adele, look at this cool booklet from Keesler AFB c. 1946!
Linda (Friend of Adele): Wow. My father was stationed there around 1942.
Katherine: It says “Keesler AFB in 1941 was no more than a golf course, a small municipal airport, a Naval Reserve Field and a few square miles of swamp. That was back when the United States was girding itself for participation in World War II. It was at this time that the army decided to build a new AAF training field at Biloxi, Mississippi to train new soldiers in the tricks of airplane mechanics.”
Linda: Katherine, do you have this brochure? It is very cool. As I recall, my parents both worked at Keesler. That’s where they met.
Katherine: I do! This is where it came from: https://rescuedfromrecycling.com/ I would be happy to send it to you.
Linda: Katherine, I sent you a message and reread info about Keesler on Wikipedia. Looks like my parents were there just as Keesler was developing. I was born in 46 and they had been married 3 years. I would have to check records for their date of marriage but I do have photos of him in uniform.
Katherine: Cool!
Adele: That is so awesome, Katherine! [SRL] is my cousin…her mom was my Mama’s sister. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Linda: I would love to have that brochure.
Katherine: Wonderful! I’ll send this book tomorrow. If you read this article about Richard you’ll see where it came from. Nice to meet you!
Linda: Is this where you got the brochure? (OC Register article attached) Such a touching story. I made an album of Mom after she died and will put the Keesler brochure in it. I treasure them. Thanks so much for this history of my parents.
After sending Linda the brochure, we got this sweet letter back from her with some more details about her parents’ story!
Rescued from Recycling 