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Sen. Norris's lost speech
I received a call in October from Earl Major in Memphis, Tenn., with an interesting offer. Earl was working for Brooks Studio in McCook after graduating from Palisade High School in 1942. Mr. Brooks assigned him to go to the McCook City Park and take photographs of former Sen. George W. Norris during a speech the afternoon of Wednesday, October 27, 1943.
Earl recently visited with a school friend, Richard Racine and these photographs came to his mind. Dick gave him my number at the Sen. George Norris State Historic Site and he just happened to call during a time that I was there. He said he'd send me the photographs that he took if I would write a little article about the speech Norris was giving in the park that day. The photographs have never been published before and are all very good.
Mr. Major had continued on in photography and had a studio, Photography by Major of Memphis for 45 years until his retirement. He has worked with Sun Records over the years in Memphis and that brings up visions of Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis ... but I haven't had a chance to ask him about all that yet.
Now ... back to the story ... Earl Major had thought the occasion was Armistice Day, 1943 but I looked in the Gazette and there was a lot going on during that November 11th ... but no Norris in the park.
I did find that the McCook Army Air Base was having an open house and between 9,000 and 10,000 showed up to see it from 1 until 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 11, 1943. The Veterans of Foreign Wars organization had a banquet at the country club to commemorate Armistice Day but Joe Williams of Omaha was their speaker, not George Norris.
The American Legion was observing Armistice Day by having their annual potluck dinner at Memorial Auditorium ... but no Norris in the park there either. I sent Mr. Major all this information and tried to figure out when else it could have been. He discovered another date on an envelope ... that of October 27, 1943. I went back up to the library and scrolled to that date ... bingo! Now, we have the story and the photos together.
The occasion for the Norris speech in the park was Navy Day, a nation-wide tribute to the American Fleet scattered over the Seven Seas. Navy Day was first observed on Oct. 27, 1922, but this was the first celebration of its kind in McCook's history.
It was also planned as "a dedication of a Red Willow County Honor Roll to be erected in the city's plot of ground between the post office and the library." That would be about where the main building of the High Plains Historical Society museum sets now.
The construction of the honor roll though was delayed because of lack of materials. The honor roll would bear the names of men and women from this county serving at that time in the military forces and was being erected by the American Legion.
There was also a parade starting at City Park and "marching down Main Street and back to the lot north of the (old) post office." McCook's Sea Scouts had built their 38-foot training ship model, the SSS Cornhusker there. Former Sen. Norris and others on the program spoke from the quarterdeck. That would be after they were "piped aboard" the ship in a Sea Scout ceremony that the boys had for such occasions.
A highway patrol car carried Mayor L. Kleven, Sen. Norris and Lt. Forrest L. Marsh Jr. of the McCook Army Air base in the parade. Also in the parade was the 431st Army Air Force band, motorized Army equipment and additional personnel from the Air base, members of the American Legion and VFW and related service organizations in the county, such as the Navy Mothers Club. The McCook High School band, pep club and students and the Cambridge High School band were also in the parade.
Former Sen. Norris pointed out in his speech that at that time, 10 percent of the population of Red Willow County was in the American armed forces. Sen. Norris said that the "struggle which now imperils the very existence of the civilized world is the worst in the history of man "and he prayed that this would be the last one.
"When victory is finally achieved, he wants it to be worth the lives spent and blood spilled to bring it about ... he urged an unconditional surrender and the destroying of every gun and weapon, and the plants that manufacture them to ensure an eternal and everlasting peace. A peace so lasting that the unborn generations may be born into a world of tranquility and will never have to be engaged in a similar struggle."
Sen. Norris warned that the "peace conference following the war will be faced with a radically changed world. In the war and in the peace to follow the allied nations should unite in a common brotherhood, regardless of religion and different beliefs ... he pleaded for equal jurisdiction for every man.
As we observe Armistice Day/Veterans Day this year, let's hope that we can someday realize Norris's hope for the world ... a "common brotherhood, regardless of religion and different beliefs."