This Month In Bossier Parish

 May: Throughout the years!

May 1st: National “Get Caught Reading” month!

Get Caught Reading Month is all about reading books and raising awareness regarding the advantages of indulging in literature. The genres of books you can read include nonfiction, history, fables, etc — the options are unlimited. So get your hands on some books and start reading! 

     

Photos; Top left: C.1900’s: Mary Arnold (left) and Nettie Dunlavey (right.) Two young women posed for studio photo, reading a book.    1999.127.012B Jennings Collection.  Top right: Unidentified man and young boy are pictured in a living room. The man is sitting down in a floral chair & the young boy is leaning over the chair looking down at a book the man is reading. 2018.038.205 Jones Collection

Bottom left: C.1900’s: Abney Scanland as a young man reading in his sister Mabel's room. 1999.136.005.  Bottom right: C.1900’s: Elias Goldstein and  Jacob Mahne Bodenheimer at LSU 2002.036.020      

 

 

May 11th:  Weekly news from 100 years ago.   

*Please enjoy the newspaper clippings from the 11 May 1922 issue of the Bossier Banner

· More new cars are being seen in town.

• Plain Dealings postmaster, John H. Allen,  takes his first vacation after serving for 12 years.

· Mr. & Mrs. R.E. Wyche announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter Katye (Katie)

• Big gasser at Bellevue Oil Field

May 30: Memorial day

In honor of this day, may we pay tribute to those who have fallen.  Here are some of Bossier's unsung heroes. 

To all military personnel past, present and future...Thank you for your service. 

Operation Skywatch

After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Army Air Forces organized the Ground Observer Corps (GOC), a civil defense program to protect the U.S. territory against air attacks. There were dangerous unavoidable limitations in the radar system during that time as it was largely ineffective for the area below 5,000 feet, known as the “dangerous mile.” During the Second World War, the GOC filter centers and observation posts were only in northern and coastal states.

Volunteer observers received intensive training on identifying enemy planes and properly reporting their observations to their assigned filter center, where plotters would mark the aircraft on a filter board – a large-scale map of the area. Overlooking the filter boards were tellers with direct communication with an Air Force Ground Control Interceptor base to report the observation. If an unauthorized aircraft was spotted, the Ground Control Interceptor base would put pursuit planes into the air to meet any enemy attacks.

The GOC was dissolved at the end of WWII but was reorganized during the Cold War in early 1950, about six months after the Soviet Union detonated its first nuclear bomb in 1949. First, they revived old GOC filter centers and observation posts in the northern and coastal sta
tes. By 1952, the GOC response was so strong that Operation Skywatch was initiated to integrate the program into the Air Defense system 24 hours a day.

The Air Force warned that Russia might launch an attack via the Gulf of Mexico and called the south “the soft underbelly of the United States.” Plans to expand Operation Skywatch to all 48 states began, and by the fall of 1954, plans to open GOC filter centers in New Orleans and Shreveport was underway. The Air Defense Command leased the building at 531 East Kings Highway to house the Shreveport Air Filter Center. The center’s open house and dedication took place on Dec. 7, 1955, the same day that Mayor Gardner, Shreveport, and Mayor Burgess E. McCranie, Bossier City, proclaimed as Ground Observer Corps day.

The Shreveport Filter Center was considered the second largest of the 73 filter centers throughout the United States. It maintained an area of responsibility of 160,000 square miles in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas. There were 585 observation posts with approximately 7,000 civilian volunteers that reported to the Shreveport Filter Center. During its operation, the Shreveport Filter Center was highly praised and ranked as one of the most efficient in the Air Defense Command.

Volunteer opportunities were open to anyone sixteen or older, though historical records reveal that children as young as seven participated. Approximately 75 percent of the volunteers in the GOC were housewives. Many Bossier Parish residents in each community volunteered. In Benton, Mrs. Ford E. Stinson served as post supervisor, Mrs. D.E. Cummings was the chief observer, and Mrs. A.N. Knotts assisted in recruiting volunteers. Mrs. Vara Farrington was the chief observer for the Carterville area. In Plain Dealing, Leon Sanders was the post supervisor assisted by Mrs. Aus Barr and Mrs. Ardis Manry.

At the end of 1958, the announcement came that the Ground Observer Corps would disband on Jan. 31, 1959. Col. John T. Fitzwater, commander of the 33rd Air Division, told GOC members at a local awards banquet, “Deactivation of the Ground Observer Corps is not the end, but marks the beginning of a new national defense network. With emphasis on speed, machines can now process data faster and more efficiently that [sic] it can be done manually.”

The GOC disbanded because of a new network of air defense radar stations known as the Distant Early Warning Line or Dew line controlled by the new Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) computer system. The new radar system could detect an enemy air strike force before it ever reached the nation’s continental limits. Every volunteer who earned their GOC wings was presented with a wallet ID card and a certificate from the USAF recognizing them as an honorary life member of the Air Defense Team for voluntary and faithful service in the Ground Observer Corps.

Certificate issued to Mrs. Alford Farrington.
Bossier Parish Library Collection: 2019.021.026

By: Amy Robertson

Barksdale: From Field to Air Force Base

Construction of Barksdale Field. Philip & Vickie Hardin Collection; 2011.053.001-45.

In 1931, construction began on the world's largest airfield (over 22,000 acres), Barksdale Field. In the fall of 1932, the 20th Pursuit Group arrived from Mather Field as Barksdale Field's first combat organization. The formal dedication ceremony for Barksdale Field was Feb. 2, 1933. Just before its fifteenth anniversary in 1948, it was announced that Barksdale Field would be operating under a new name.

Bossier Parish Library History Center Collection; 2001.007.171.

The following announcement appeared in the Jan 29th issue of The Planters Press, "As announced officially, the permanent military base adjoining Bossier now is officially 'Barksdale Air Force Base' its name having been changed from 'Barksdale Field,' which it bore for years, since 1932, to be exact, until January 22, 1948.

"The change is in accord with a general order from Washington, redesignating all of the U.S. air force air fields to U. S. air force bases, according to notice from First Lieut. John W. Hassard, public information officer, Barksdale Air Force Base, received by The Planters Press.

"The base is now the headquarters of the air training command, and the location of air force advanced multi-engine and instrument flying schools.

"The air force is no longer known as 'Army Air Force' but 'United States Air Force.'

"In order to be accurate, the readers of The Planters Press are urged from now on to refer to the base in Bossier, one of the largest on earth, as 'Barksdale Air Force Base.'"

Bossier Parish Library History Center Collection; VF2019.023-11.

The general order mentioned in the article was the National Security Act, Sept. 18, 1947, which established the United States Air Force as an independent branch of the United States military. Since 1941, it had been known as the U.S. Army Air Forces, and from 1926-1941 it was the U.S. Army Air Corps. The first major U.S. aviation combat force was created during WWI, known as the Air Service, U.S. Army from 1918-1926.

Barksdale Air Force Base is 87 years old and has a long record of outstanding service to its credit. After the second world war, Barksdale became a peacetime training center, becoming home to the Air Training Command. After the name was changed, it became the first Air Force all-jet strategic reconnaissance/bomber aircraft, the North American RB-45 Tornado, and the 2nd Air Force headquarters, bringing Barksdale into the Strategic Air Command.

More recently, Barksdale was called upon by the National Command Authority to spearhead the global war on terrorism shortly after the terrorist attacks on America on Sept. 11, 2001. To this day, Barksdale's men and women continue to serve both at home and abroad to support the global war on terrorism. Since Barksdale's beginning, it has contributed vital human resources and facilities to our nation's military.

As the nation celebrates the United States Air Force's 73rd birthday this Friday, this writer would like to recognize Barksdale Air Force Base for 87 years of defending liberty. Thank you to all the men and women of yesterday, today, and tomorrow for your sacrifice and dedication in defending our freedom.

To learn more about Barksdale Air Force Base, visit the Bossier Parish Library History Center, 2206 Beckett Street, Bossier City. We have many photographs of and relating to Barksdale Air Force Base in our collection, including aerial photos, aircraft, architecture, celebrations, and the original postcard collection of Barksdale Field.

These images and more can also be accessed online by visiting the Bossier Parish Library History Center Collection online database at https://bossier.pastperfectonline.com/. Select keyword search, then type in "Barksdale Air Force Base" (be sure to use the quotes) and enjoy.

By: Amy Robertson

Remembering a Good Neighbor

Today is National Nurses Day and the start of National Nurses Week, where we raise awareness of the contributions and vital role that nurses play in society. And, the month of May is National Military Appreciation Month. In light of these observances, this writer would like to remember Shirley Jane Cox Delaney, a nurse, a veteran, and a good neighbor.

Delaney was born in Tremont, Illinois, in 1924, and after graduating high school, in 1941, she went to nursing school. When Delany graduated as a registered nurse in 1945, she worked in Gulfport, MS, at the VA. Then in 1954, she began her career in the United States Air Force as a Lieutenant and continued her training in nursing.

In 1956, Delaney was selected for the Air Flight Training School in Montgomery, AL, where she trained and worked as a flight nurse on aeromedical evacuation missions in the Pacific Theater. Air Force aeromedical evacuation crews contributed to the decreased death rates during wartime. Her tours of duty in the Air Force took her around the world and landed her at Barksdale Air Force Base in 1973, where she served as Chief of Nursing at the BAFB Hospital.

Delaney retired from the Air Force in 1976 as a Lieutenant Colonel and remained in Bossier City until she died in 2005. During her military service, she was decorated with the National Defense Service Medal, the Outstanding Unit Citation, the Air Force Commendation Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal.

As a Bossier City resident, she always looked for ways to serve others. She was awarded the Shreveport Journal’s “Good Neighbor of the Week” award, Oct. 16, 1979, based on the following nomination sent in by one of her neighbors.

“I would like to nominate Mrs. Delaney who is a retired Lt. Col. From Barksdale Air Force Base.

“She takes care of everyone’s pets, plants and mail while they are away on vacation. She even left food and soft drinks in my refrigerator so that we would have something to eat on our return home.

“She is always taking people places or doing something they need done. She came to my house and trimmed the grass around the house while my husband was out of town.

“She is also a registered nurse and she can be counted upon to help with all medical problems. Her concern is greatly appreciated by everyone.

“She never misses birthdays or Christmas. She always tries to make these days special for friends and neighbors alike.

“She is always sharing with her neighbors – fresh strawberries, peaches, tomatoes or a jar of homemade jelly.

“Although Mrs. Delaney is busy with her own life (which includes taking care of her elderly mother) she always has time for her neighbors.

“Her mother, Mrs. Cox, is also to be commended. Although she can’t get around very well, she is an excellent cook and all the neighbors have benefited from their combined talents.

“They are not only good neighbors, but great friends.”

Delaney also served as a community educator, assisted with community outreach, and she served on the state board of the Louisiana Division of the American Cancer Society. She was an active member of the Bossier Kiwanis Club, where she participated in the awards program and assisted in handing out more than 8,000 achievement awards each year to students in 13 elementary schools in Bossier City. And she was instrumental in the success of the annual Kiwanis golf tournaments.

With it being the centennial anniversary of women’s right to vote, it deserves mentioning that Delaney believed in a person’s right to vote, and she exercised her right to vote during every election. So, it will be no surprise to learn that she also worked at the voter polls for several years.

While the BPL History Center is closed during the pandemic, our staff members are still available to answer any research questions you may have. What do you want to know about Bossier Parish History? Email history-center@bossierlibrary.org or call us at 318-746-7717.

In honor of National Nurses Day and week, a special thanks go out to all of our dedicated nurses, past and present, THANK YOU!

By: Amy Robertson