A poster, seen here, was donated by Bill Hubbard. His father, William “Bud” Hubbard was a 2nd Lieutenant at the time of the parade and is on the right side of the poster in the dark colored uniform, leading the unit.
The poster states “MOBILIZE NOW! Our First Line of Defense is at Home Jamestown Community Chest October 14-21, 1940”
President Roosevelt called on over 200 cities to hold drives to support their community charities. Jamestown mobilized! The goal was $84,994.25 for the 1940 drive.
The Community Chest began in Jamestown in 1920. The 1940 campaign, which is the subject of this poster, was to support fourteen social service agencies. In 1940 the theme was “The American Way,” emphasizing the ability of free people to address social problems without sacrificing their freedom. The fourteen agencies were divided into three groups: youth development (Boy Scouts, YWCA, YMCA, etc.); health and well-being (Visiting Nurses, Cripple Children’s Fund, etc.); aiding the needy (Salvation Army, Red Cross, etc.). The Community Chest was crucial in supporting the local charities. The Community Chest eventually became the United Way.
The second donation is a collection of photographs, copies of letters and programs from Marsha Smith in honor of her late father Gregory Smith who served in World War II. The photographs are labeled by Mr. Smith. It is so helpful to know who is in the photographs, where and when they were taken and what the occasion was. The photographs are copies, saving the originals for the family, and saving wear and tear on the originals. The collection also included Mr. Smith’s discharge papers and a newspaper clipping about his enlistment.
We are grateful to Ms. Smith and Mr. Hubbard for sharing these family items. We hope this encourages others to keep their family history alive and share it with their local historical society.
