Melvin Anderson
Captain Melvin Anderson was a native of Union Grove, Wisconsin and graduated from Union Grove High School in 1938. He enrolled in the Industrial Education program at The Stout Institute in September 1939 and completed coursework in mechanical drawing, auto mechanics and student teaching. He was also a member of the Stout Band. He enlisted in the Marines in May 1942 and trained as a dive bombing pilot at the Minnesota Reserve Airbase. He served fourteen months with the 4th Marine Air Wing in the Marshall Islands and participated in at least seventeen air raids. He died from injuries sustained in a plane crash in Texas on July 8, 1945.
Robert Bruce Antrim
Private Robert Bruce Antrim was born November 8, 1900 in Polo, Illinois. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana in 1926. He moved to Menomonie, Wisconsin when he joined the staff of the Stout Institute in 1928. He worked as an assistant librarian on campus until he enlisted in the Army on August 11, 1942. Private Antrim trained first at Camp Rock, Arkansas then Seattle, Washington. He was transferred to Alaska with the 66th Training Battalion in connection with the Army Chaplain Corps. He became ill and was admitted to Valley Forge General Hospital in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, where he died on April 5, 1943. He is buried in the Fairmont Cemetery in Polo, Illinois.
John Richard Aumueller
Staff Sergeant John Richard Aumeller was born May 20, 1917, in Menomonie, Wisconsin. He attended The Stout Institute from Fall 1936 to Spring 1938 and completed courses in auto mechanics, cabinet making and machine shop. He was also employed as a bartender in Menomonie. On March 10, 1941, Aumeller enlisted as a Staff Sergeant in the Headquarters Battery 459th Coast Artillery Battalion. He died of heat exhaustion during training on May 21, 1943, in the Station Hospital at Camp Hulen, Texas. He is buried in St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Menomonie, Wisconsin.
Gerald Bernard Carswell
Technical Sergeant Gerald B. Carswell was born in 1920. He studied Industrial Education at The Stout Institute from 1938 to 1939, and worked as a service station attendant in Eau Claire. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on January 21, 1941, and was stationed in Italy. He served as a gunner with a bombing squadron and died on May 6, 1944, in an air battle over Germany. He was posthumously awarded the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, and his father accepted the award on his behalf at the Stout Auditorium in March 1945. He was buried in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri on April 22, 1949.
James Homer Day
Private James Homer Day was born in Minnesota in 1922. He enrolled in The Stout Institute’s Industrial Education program in 1941 and completed coursework in hand woodworking, machine shop and machine woodworking. He served in France as a Private with the Army’s 507th Military Police Battalion. He died on June 6, 1944, during the D-Day invasion near Normandy, France. He is buried in the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France.
Gerald L. Govin
Private First Class Gerald Lowler Govin was born on May 9, 1923. He graduated from high school in Menomonie, Wisconsin and enrolled in The Stout Institute from 1941 to 1943. While at Stout, he was a member of the Stout Symphonic Singers. On August 20, 1942, he enlisted in Company E of the 381st Infantry, 96th Division. After his training at Camp Hood in Texas, he was stationed with a unit of the Army Specialized Training Program at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. Beginning in July 1944 he served in the Pacific theater. He was involved in conflict in Leyte in the Philippine Islands and later served on the Japanese front. He was killed in action in Okinawa, Japan on April 26, 1945. He is buried in St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Menomonie.
Robert Hassemer
Aviation Radioman Robert Casper Godfrey Hassemer was born on May 12, 1920. In 1938, he enrolled in the Industrial Education program at The Stout Institute and completed coursework including mechanical drawing, machine woodwork and printing. He was also a member of the football team. He enlisted in the Navy in November 1942 and served as the radioman on a torpedo plane operating from an aircraft carrier in the Pacific theater. He died in action on January 15, 1945, over Lingayen Bay in the Philippines. He was buried on October 30, 1948, in St. Henry’s Cemetery in Eau Galle, Wisconsin.
James Thacker Illingsworth
Private First Class James T. Illingsworth was born on September 8, 1921. He graduated from Washington Park High School in Racine, Wisconsin and attended the Industrial Education program at The Stout Institute from 1940 to 1943. While at Stout, he was active in student organizations. He served as vice president of the Manual Arts Players and president of the Kappa Phi Sigma fraternity. He was also a member of the Stout Symphonic Singers. He enlisted in the Army on September 14, 1942, and married Stout student Leola Reynolds on June 27, 1944. He was stationed in Germany and served as a scout in advance of the Battle of the Bulge. He died in action in Eschweiler, Germany on November 24, 1944. He is buried in the Herni-Chapelle American Cemetery in Belgium.
Kenneth Raymond Johnson
Lieutenant Junior Grade Kenneth Raymond Johnson was born in Red Wing, Minnesota in 1920. He attended the Winona State Teachers College for two years before he transferred to the Industrial Education program at The Stout Institute in 1940. While at Stout, he lived in Lynwood Hall and completed coursework including machine shop, printing, freehand drawing and welding. He enlisted in the Naval Reserve and served in the Pacific theatre. Following the end of the war, Johnson was killed while on duty on January 7, 1946. He is memorialized at the Manila American Cemetery in Fort Bonifacio, Philippine Islands.
Robert Keith
Second Lieutenant Robert Harvey Keith was born in 1920 in Columbus, Wisconsin. He studied Industrial Education at The Stout Institute from 1937 to 1940. While at Stout, he was a member of the football and swimming teams. He also participated in student activities including the Stout Band, the Stout Orchestra, Men’s Glee Club, Symphonic Choir, Manual Arts Players and Kappa Phi Sigma fraternity. On September 10, 1940, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps at Camp McCoy in Sparta. He was training for a tour of duty in the Philippine Islands when he died in a plane crash on September 19, 1941. He was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Menomonie on September 24, 1941.
Hjalmer Le Roy Molner
Second Lieutenant Hjalmer Molner was born on September 19, 1921 and grew up in Menomonie, Wisconsin. From 1939 to 1940, he studied Industrial Education at The Stout Institute. While at Stout, he was a member of the all-school champion intramural basketball team. On September 3, 1940, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and was stationed in Germany. He died during his 17th mission with the 452nd Bombardment Group (H). On April 7, 1945, his B-17 was hit by enemy fire and crashed over Steinhuder Lake near Shwarmstedt, Germany. He is buried in St. Paul’s Cemetery in Menomonie, Wisconsin.
Richard Kenneth Notebaart
Staff Sergeant Richard Notebaart was born on May 11, 1920, and attended The Stout Institute’s Industrial Education program from 1939 to 1941. While at Stout he played football and was active in the Stout Typographical Society and Phi Omega Beta. He was also a member of The Tower yearbook staff. Notebaart served with the 444th Bombardment Squadron of the Army Air Force. While he was stationed in Africa and Sardinia, he routinely wrote letters about his service to The Stoutonia student newspaper. He offered many accounts of his war experiences to the students at Stout and reported that he had participated in more than 100 bombing raids. He served with occupying Allied forces in postwar Germany, and on August 31, 1945, he died in a plane crash. He is buried at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Evert Ostrom
First Class Teacher Specialist Evert Ostrom was born on June 20, 1914, in Clear Lake, Wisconsin. He enrolled in the Industrial Education program at The Stout Institute in 1933. During his time as a Stout student, Ostrom participated in student groups including Kappa Phi Sigma, Epsilon Pi Tau and Alpha Psi Omega. He acted in a variety of theater productions and served as president of the Manual Arts Players. Following his graduation, he served as the Manual Training and Art instructor at the high school in Kewaunee, Wisconsin. He enlisted in the Navy as a civilian instructor at the Air Technical Training Center in Norman, Oklahoma. He died of pneumonia at the United States Naval Hospital in Norman, Oklahoma on August 5, 1943. He is buried in Holy Rosary Cemetery in Kewaunee, Wisconsin.
Charles Roesler Pleier
Private First Class Charles R. Pleier was born in 1922 and grew up in Wausau, Wisconsin. He attended The Stout Institute from 1941 to 1943. While at Stout, he lived in Lynwood Hall and was a member of Phi Omega Beta fraternity and the football team. He joined the Army Specialized Training Program in 1944 and trained at the University of Illinois and Camp Carson, Colorado. He was stationed in Belgium, where he died in an accident on October 19, 1944. He is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery in Wausau.
Edward Sheldon Rock
Lieutenant Edward Sheldon Rock was born September 21, 1924. He graduated from Hudson High School in 1942. He attended the Stout Institute from September 1942 to February 1943. While at Stout he took courses toward a degree in Industrial Education, played in the band and orchestra and lived in Lynwood Hall. In April 1942 he enlisted in the Army Air Forces and completed more than 25 flight missions. On January 21, 1945, he died when his plane crashed in the Po Valley of Italy. He was awarded the Purple Heart and an Air Medal for his service. He is buried in Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Robert Louis Roland
Lieutenant Robert Louis Roland was born in Menomonie, Wisconsin in 1917. He enrolled at The Stout Institute in 1936 and graduated in 1940 with a degree in Industrial Education. While at Stout, he was a member of the football team and the Kappa Phi Sigma fraternity. He married his Stout classmate, Cecilia Domke, in 1943 and completed his Army Air Forces training later that year. He was stationed in the European theater and completed more than 25 operations as a bombardier flying out of England. He was killed in action on March 25, 1944, over France. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross, an Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, and a Purple Heart. He is buried in the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France.
George Schultis
Private First Class George “Nick” Schultis was a native of Reedsburg, Wisconsin where he graduated from high school. He attended The Stout Institute from 1941 to 1943. During his Stout career, Schultis played football and was a member of the Phi Omega Beta fraternity. He enlisted as a Private First Class in the Army 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, and served as a radio operator. He participated in the D-Day invasion and accompanied his unit into Germany. He died in action in Belgium on January 29, 1945. He is buried in the Luxembourg American Cemetery in Luxembourg.
Lyle John Schultz
Private First Class Lyle John Schultz was born July 29, 1921. He grew up in Stanton, Wisconsin and enrolled in The Stout Institute in 1939. He completed classes in mechanical drawing, machine shop, auto mechanics and woodworking. He was a Stout student until he enlisted in the Army on July 15, 1942. He began his overseas duty in the European theater on August 15, 1944. While serving as a reconnaissance trooper in a company of cavalry soldiers in Germany, he was wounded on December 23, 1944, and died the following day. He is buried in Peace Lutheran Cemetery in Menomonie, Wisconsin.
Valgene Elmer Schultz
Staff Sergeant First Class Valgene Elmer Schultz was born on June 11, 1924, in Menomonie, Wisconsin. He attended The Stout Institute in the fall of 1942 and studied Industrial Education. While at Stout, he was active in both band and choir, and he completed coursework including freehand drawing and machine shop. He withdrew from Stout to join the Army Air Corps in December 1942. Beginning in August 1944, he was stationed as a radio operator and gunner with the 461st Bombardment Group (H) in the 765th Bombardment Squadron. He was killed in action over Italy on November 15, 1944. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.
Edward Francis Stanfel
Technician Third Class Edward Francis Stanfel was born on September 12, 1918, in Calumet, Michigan. He enrolled in The Stout Institute in 1938 and was a member of the “S” Club and the football team. He enlisted in the Army on August 28, 1941, and joined the 607th Ordnance Automotive Maintenance Battalion in the Middle East. While he was in service, he periodically submitted letters to The Stoutonia student newspaper. His letters described his living conditions and events he witnessed on duty, and he expressed reactions to pieces of news he heard about campus. He died of blood poisoning on November 17, 1943. He is buried in the North Africa American Cemetery in Carthage, Tunisia.
William A. Strese
Second Lieutenant William Strese was born in 1917. He grew up in Durand, Wisconsin and attended Eau Claire Teachers College before he enrolled at The Stout Institute in 1936. While at Stout, Strese completed coursework in the Industrial Education program including machine shop, cabinetry and decorative painting. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps at Camp McCoy in Sparta, Wisconsin on November 26, 1940, and trained at Kelly Field in Texas. He served as a Second Lieutenant in the 91st Bombardment Squadron, 27th Bombardment Group in the Philippine Islands. He was captured as a prisoner of war by the Japanese military and died on a transport ship en route to Japan. A monument bearing his name stands at Fort William McKinley in Manila, Philippine Islands.
Earl Morris Thompson
Private First Class Earl Morris Thompson was born on October 28, 1922, in Colfax, Wisconsin. He enrolled in The Stout Institute’s Industrial Education program in 1940 and completed coursework including machine shop, printing and mechanical drawing. He enlisted in the Army on March 7, 1943, and served in the Pacific theater with the 145th Regiment, 37th Infantry Division. He participated in the Battle of Bougainville in the Solomon Islands. Thompson died in action on February 9, 1945, near Luzon in The Philippine Islands. He received the Army’s Good Conduct Medal and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Menomonie, Wisconsin.
Wilbur Henry Tschopp
Corporal Wilbur Henry Tschopp was born on October 29, 1918, in Chippewa Falls and graduated from Chippewa Falls High School in 1939. Tschopp enrolled at The Stout Institute, where he completed coursework in mechanical drawing and hand woodworking. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on December 8, 1941, and was inducted into service with the 41st Training Squadron on January 16, 1942. He married Lillian Sauber on November 21, 1942, and their union produced a son. He became ill in October 1943 and died while in service at Castle Base in Stanislaus, California on May 9, 1944. He is buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.
Earl Volp
First Lieutenant Earl “Buck” Volp was born in Menomonie, Wisconsin. He enrolled in the Industrial Education program at The Stout Institute in 1934, graduating in 1938. Volp taught high school manual arts in Proctor, Minnesota and Waupaca, Wisconsin. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on December 10, 1942, as a member of the 485th Bombardment Group. Following additional training at Yale University, he became a technical instructor. In January 1945, he became critically ill with meningitis and recovered at a base hospital. He married Ione Schuelke in February 1945 and returned to Waupaca to convalesce. The couple welcomed a daughter in August 1946. Illness returned, and he died of complications from meningitis on November 13, 1946. He is buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Menomonie, Wisconsin.
Patrick Griffin Welch
Technical Sergeant Patrick Griffin Welch was born on April 9, 1923. He was enrolled in the Industrial Education program at The Stout Institute from 1941 to 1942. While at Stout, he completed coursework in printing, woodwork and mechanical drawing. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on June 2, 1942, and became a Technical Sergeant with the 568th Bombardment Squadron, 390th Bomber Group. He flew 18 missions as a waist gunner in Germany and received the Air Medal for meritorious service. His B-17G, “Six Nights in Telergma,” was shot down over the North Sea en route to Emden, Germany on December 11, 1944. Memorial markers bearing his name stand at St. John the Baptist Cemetery in Wilton, Wisconsin and at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten.
Warren St. John Wiesler
Lieutenant Warren St. John Wiesler was born in 1920 and grew up in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. He attended the University of Wisconsin Extension-Sheboygan before enrolling in The Stout Institute in 1941. In January 1943 he enlisted in the Army Aviation Cadet Reserves. He was commissioned as a bombardier-navigator and based in England. He completed eight missions before he was reported missing in action. His aircraft failed to return from a bombing mission over Germany on October 9, 1944. His death was later confirmed when the armor-gunner reported that they had landed on a German pillbox. Lt. Wiesler received a Purple Heart and an Air Medal. He is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery in England and at the Zur Ruhe Cemetery in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.
Frank Eugene Winterling
Sergeant Frank Eugene Winterling was born March 27, 1917. He grew up in Dayton, Montana and later moved with his family to Downing, Wisconsin. He attended the River Falls State Teachers College from 1936 to 1938 and transferred to The Stout Institute for the 1938-1939 academic year. He completed coursework in printing, freehand drawing, and sheet metals. He enlisted in the Marine Corps on December 9, 1941. He was sent to serve in the Guadalcanal campaign on the Solomon Islands in the Pacific theatre. He was killed in action on October 14, 1942. He is buried in the Salisbury National Cemetery in Salisbury, North Carolina.