World War II Veterans to Share War Experiences at Ohio University

ATHENS, Ohio (September 14, 2000) -- Being a POW in World War II meant a change of dinner plans for George Klare of The Plains, Ohio. Stationed at his base in England on Dec. 31, 1944, the Army Air Corps navigator looked forward to New Year's dinner the next day when he saw the rows of frozen turkeys that were lined up in the mess hall in preparation for the feast. Instead, he rang in 1945 with a menu that included two small potatoes.

Athens, Ohio, resident Gifford Doxsee's World War II experience had a literary twist. Doxsee, captured during the Battle of the Bulge, spent time in captivity with both author Kurt Vonnegut and Edward Crone, who was the inspiration for lead character Billy Pilgrim in Vonnegut's classic "Slaughterhouse-Five."

Klare and Doxsee will be among a panel of Ohio University alumni and emeriti faculty who will share their World War II experiences during a panel discussion at 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22, in the Telecommunications Studio of the Radio-Television Building at Ohio University in Athens.

The idea is for today's college students as well as interested residents from throughout southeast Ohio to hear about this important piece of world history from the people who lived it.

A tentative list of participants includes:

1. Richard Cole of Comfort, Texas, 1941 graduate, who was Jimmy Doolittle's co-pilot in the raid over Tokyo;
2. Gifford Doxsee of Athens, Ohio, professor emeritus of history, who was taken prisoner during the Battle of the Bulge;
3. James Drumwright of Richardson, Texas, 1949 graduate, who was wounded at Omaha Beach on D-Day;
4. John Jones of Athens, Ohio, 1949 graduate, who completed 50 combat missions as a command officer;
5. George Klare of The Plains, Ohio, distinguished professor emeritus of psychology, a navigator who was shot down over Germany;
6. Samual Williams of Rochester Hills, Mich., a 1948 graduate, who flew 35 missions over Germany and Russia as a B-17 crew chief.

Distinguished Professor of History Alonzo Hamby, who has written extensively on the period of U.S. history since 1929, will moderate the discussion.

The discussion was sparked by conversations Ohio University President Robert Glidden has had with alumni over the years.

"In my conversations with alumni and others, I have repeatedly heard about war heroes from the university," Glidden said. "This will offer an opportunity for graduates and former faculty members who are World War II heroes to tell their stories to current students. These war veterans were college-age when they went off to war, and they have an important story to tell today's students."

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