Wilma's graduation photo, even though she noted that she was either 17 or 18 years of age. The commencement ceremony took place on May 21, 1917, so she would have been 18 years old in this photo.
Above is the graduation announcement for the Sac City High School Class of 1917. My mother's name is at the top of the list of students, which are printed alphabetically. The school colors were Scarlet and Steel Gray, and their motto was 'Launched, But Whither Bound!' A class play is also listed, as are the names of those dignitaries who gave the Commencement Sermon and the Commencement Address.
The program for Wilma's Commencement ceremony, May 31, 1917
"World War I was going on at this time and my boyfriend, Gold Sonneborn, went into the army. I had gone with him for a couple of years, but he was more serious about me than I was about him. I didn't want to make him feel badly before leaving to serve his country, so I continued the friendship. He went into training camp and eventually to France to serve in the Balloon Corps -- I believe that was what it was called.
This photo of Gold Sonneborn was taken from a book I found at the Sac City Genealogical Society Museum. According to the paragraph about him, he lived in Early, Iowa, was the son of C. (Christian) Sonneborn of Early, was born in 1896 and enlisted at Omaha, Nebr., March 13, 1918, and first served with the 17th Balloon Co. (Air Services), at Ft. Logan, Colo. He also served at Fort Omaha, Nebr., Camp Morrison, Va. He sailed overseas October 21, 1918, and saw service 7 months overseas. He was discharged May 23, 1919, with the rank of Chart Room Sergeant. (Strangely, he was discharged on the day of my mother's birthday.) Gold had a brother who served on World War I by the name of Cash Sonneborn.
"My friend Bertha Clampitt and I decided we wanted to do something for our country, too, so we decided to go into nurses' training. We went to Chicago to the Augustana Hospital for three years of training. For awhile, we thought it was alright, but as time went on we decided there was a lot about it we didn't like. There was a shortage of nurses because of the war, and we worked very hard being on duty for 12 hours each day with a 2-hour break for lunch and rest. I finished my 3-month probation and received my striped uniforms. But, I was homesick and every day became a bad dream -- some more than others. I think I was pretty immature to start a career in nursing so far from home, so I finally decided to give it up and go home. It was a good experience, and I learned a lot that helped me when my children were sick.
"I'm sure my mother and my family were disappointed that I did not finish my training, but I felt I could not." (Mother told me of one incident where a Russian soldier who had been wounded and sent to their hospital to recover, had kept saying "Pish, pish!!" with some urgency. She did not understand his meaning, and probably had never heard that term [piss] so could not help him. I'm sure this bothered her a lot, because she was always very kind-hearted toward everyone.)
"At home I enrolled in a post-graduate business course in the high school in Sac City, and when I finished it, I got a job as a stenographer and reporter for The Sac Sun -- a Republican newspaper. Our rival newspaper was The Sac County Democrat, also in Sac City.
During the time he was overseas in France, Gold sent my mother several very poignant letters. I made a scrapbook of these items, along with some drawings he had done (one of her is quite lovely), and other World War I era postcards and booklets used by the servicemen. Mother had kept all of these letters tied in a blue satin ribbon on a shelf in her closet. I was a pretty precocious child, and investigated everything! and had located them and asked her about them, but had not untied the ribbon until we cleaned out her house. At that time, I took charge of her old photographs and these letters, and kept them as mementos of her life. I got the scrapbook done while she was still living, and showed it to her at her 98th birthday. She gave me a very stern look, but I think she was pleased that I had so carefully kept her love letters in the book.
Outside front cover of the scrapbook with all of Gold's
love letters and other mementos inside.
love letters and other mementos inside.
The caption beneath his photo is the same one
as below his photo at the beginning of this post.
as below his photo at the beginning of this post.
Card from Gold (in his beautiful handwriting..) telling my mother
that he had arrived in France.
that he had arrived in France.
Post cards from France, with no comments on the backs.
Gold probably just sent them as souvenirs.
Gold probably just sent them as souvenirs.
More 1918 post cards from France - Bordeaux, as the titles tell.
Gold was a talented artist, and here is a pen and ink drawing of my mother Wilma he sent to her in December of 1918, when he was very homesick and lonely for loved ones back home, I'm sure. As you can see from the photo, the drawing and the envelopes, as well as all the very tissue-paper-like stationary, are in terribly delicate condition, and scanning them was a challenge because they kept wanting to slid out of the photo corners that hold them in place on the pages. Perhaps I will try to find some archival sleeves to put them in, so they are better preserved, realizing that these papers are now nearly 100 year old!
As one can see from the number of items Gold sent to my mother, and the urgency of his feelings, he was definitely thinking of her as 'bride' material. Come back to my blog, and see how this all turns out....
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