On August 13, 2025, the Fenton History Center hosted a lecture by Vice President Janet Wahlberg as part of its annual lecture series. Speaking in the dining room of the Gov. Reuben Fenton mansion, and streamed live on Facebook, Janet presented the story of Staff Sergeant John Henry Mann of Stow, the first Chautauqua County resident to be killed in action during World War II.
Janet drew on a series of research articles she prepared for the Walnut Grove Press newsletter to tell the story of Mann’s service and sacrifice. Born in 1919, Mann enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1939 and was stationed at Hickam Field in Hawaii at the time of the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941. He was killed that day and listed as missing in action before being declared killed in action. His mother, Emma Mann, became Chautauqua County’s first Gold Star Mother and was remembered for her efforts on the home front during the war.
Janet also shared the story of correspondence between Michael Toms, the lone survivor of Mann’s group of six friends at Hickam, and Emma Mann. The letter, preserved by Gerald Matthews, offered a glimpse into the personal cost of the war and has since been entrusted to the Harmony Historical Society for safekeeping.
The lecture concluded with the latest development in Mann’s story. In June, his niece, Carole Bakalar, informed the Fenton that the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency had identified his remains through a combination of DNA analysis, dental and anthropological study, and historical records. After more than eight decades, John Henry Mann will be honored with burial at Arlington National Cemetery, and a rosette will be placed beside his name at the Courts of the Missing in Honolulu to mark his accounting.
The lecture was part of the 2025 Fenton History Center Lecture Series, donations support the Fenton’s mission to preserve local history and provide educational programs for the community.
The next lecture will be held on Wednesday, September 10 at 7 p.m. Andrew Kolstee will talk about A. W. Anderson, Advertiser, Prohibitionist, and Historian.
The last lecture will be held on Wednesday, October 10 at 1 p.m. Norman Carlson will talk about Chautauqua County in the 250th Commemoration of the American Revolution.
