John J. (Black Jack) Pershing
John
J. Pershing was born in Missouri on Sept. 13, 1860. He went
on to become one of the most famous military figures in our
nation's history.
His military career spanned Indian uprisings, the Spanish-American
War, the Philippines Insurrection, the Mexican Expedition
and World War I. He was the overall American commander in
Europe during the First World War.
He died in 1948 at the age of 88 at Walter Reed Army Medical
Center in Washington, D.C. He is one of the few Americans
to have his funeral held in the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington
Cemetery.
But, as were his wishes, he was buried in the cemetery's
Section 34 under a plain white gravestone. He said he wanted
to be buried near gravesites of the ordinary "doughboys" who
served with him in WWI.
His was from a military family. Two grandsons, 2nd Lt. Richard
Warren Pershing and Col. John Warren Pershing III, are buried
beside him. Lt. Pershing was killed-in-action in Vietnam in
1968.
For General Pershing, his choice of a military career was
almost accidental. He had planned to become a lawyer when
he saw an announcement of an examination for admission to
West Point.
He was born in a cottage near Laclede, Mo. His father was
a section foreman for the old Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad.
The first Pershing in America was Frederick Pfoerschin, who
came in 1724. (The spelling of the last name first changed
to Pershin and finally to Pershing.)
For more about General Pershing, visit www.arlingtoncemetery.net/johnjose.htm
Livestock shows at 1904 St. Louis World's
Fair
In
recent years, one way to "dis" St. Louis is to refer to it
as a "cowtown."
But, at the 1904 World's Fair, being a "cowtown" was a good
thing. For the last half of September, 1904, the Fair was
the site of daily cattle shows that displayed about 2,400
head of beef and dairy cattle.
Many of the cattle were large. But, none were larger than
"Sampson," a steer owned by Kansas State University. The steer
weighed in at 3,500 pounds.
The World's Fair also had a mule show that drew more than
1,000 head. They were from Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee,
Arkansas and other states. Missouri was reputed to have the
best breeds of mules.
The term "Missouri mule" denotes official positive configurations
in mules.
At the show, a mule, named "Missouri Queen," was introduced
as the largest mule in the world. It weighed in at 2,300 pounds.
For more about the livestock shows, visit the Southwest Missouri
State University's website at www.lyndonirwin.com/04horse12.htm.
The YWCA in St. Louis
The St. Louis YWCA was organized formally in 1905. But, it
wasn't until Sept. 23, 1911, that the cornerstone for its
first building was laid at 1411 Locust St.
The event was a big one. President William Howard Taft traveled
to St. Louis to put the cornerstone in place.
Money to build the YWCA building was raised in just 12 days.
In 1908, the St. Louis association was the largest in the
world, with 8,159 members.
The worldwide YWCA movement started in England in 1855. At
first, the organization was for the purpose of providing housing
for nurses returning from the Crimean War.
The U.S. YWCA movement was active early on in fighting racial
injustice. In the 1890s, the first black YWCA branch opened
in Dayton, Ohio. The first YWCA for Native American women
was opened in Oklahoma.
In 1936, it helped co-sponsor the first co-ed, intercollegiate,
interracial student conference in North Carolina. In 1942,
it extended services to Japanese-American women and girls
who were incarcerated in World War II "relocation centers."
For more, visit www.ywcastlouis.org/nwhistory.htm.
Poet Walt Whitman in St. Louis
Walt
Whitman (1819-1892) is considered to be one of the nation's
premier poets and essayists. His "Leaves of Grass" series
told in poetic terms of the life of this country during the
1800s.
His connection to St. Louis was through his brother, Thomas
Jefferson Whitman. The brother, who went by the nickname "Jeff,"
supervised the building of the large Bissell Point water station
here. Thomas lived in St. Louis from 1867 until his death
in 1890.
Walt Whitman first visited his brother in St. Louis in 1879
on his way from the East to a celebration in Kansas. On his
way back East, illness and a lack of funds kept him in St.
Louis until January, 1890.
For interesting looks at some of Whitman's hand-written manuscripts,
you can visit www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/whitman-home.html.
