Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-09-06
COLONEL BAKER
RESPONSIBLE FOR
WAR DOUGHNUTS

q religious body forssitasbrtnga Min
neapQHs, as commanding~oh1cer OF ALL
the army's workatni these three states, /
Colonel William s Barker, the man
organization fof>the American Expe-
dictionary Forces throughoutthe war
really, fathered all the tens Of mil1,
lions of "doughnutsi for doughboys''
which made the Salvation Army and
Its lassies famous in both sF'rance andi
sl
Honored by France.
as well as to the American ARMY.
Colonel Barker was recently cited by
the French government, and to him !
has Just been awarded the French ,
medal Of honor. with Mrs. Barker,
who will actively assist him, the
colonel has this week-taken UP his
new duties in the Minneapolis saliva
ton Army headquarters. OF the
famous Salvation Army doughnut, OF
course all tho world knows, but Of tho
early war days in 1917 when-the first
}~doughnuts were not only in theSmak-
ling but in the imagining as we'll,
comparatively little has been written.
colonel himself, to whom those excit-
ling times in France will EVER remain
la fresh memory.
AS matter of fact, according to
THE colonel. the first Salvation dough-
nut was not a doughnut ut all, but an
Iapple pie. Shortly after Colonel
Barker reached France subsequent &c
the United States declaration Of a
he was comforting with Major General
George b.. Duncan, afterwards cons
lmandef of the 77th and later of the
iS2nd divisions, and had mess with the
general and his staff. The French
chef. after much urging, had assayed
q pie. but it was'a dismal failure and
resembled nothing In the world SO
much as a downcast 1apjack. From
the general down to the youngest
"shave-tail, every n was disap-i
lpointed. a
Never mind said Colonel Barker,
when our lassies get here l promise
THAT you shall have some real Ameri-
can honAe-made pies"
Much enthusiasms was evoked at
the Sal~vationist's promise. and all the
offers swore they would hold him to
lit-or have him courtmarshalled and
shot at sunrise.
Many weeks. later Mrs. Adjutant
Edith Hickey of Marion. Ohio, made
!igood the colonel's promise and saved
5,Thim from summary execution by pre-
pairing d great batch of apple pies for
the generals mess, but meantime
.|salvation Army and doughnut history
had already been made by two other
llassies. /,
Early in the summer of 1917 IL
ammunition train Of the First divi-
sion was located at Montier-sur-
,tSaulx, and with it were stationed En-
signs Margaret Sheldon and Helen
Purviance. Almost their only equip
ment was some primitive utensils and
~ balky French stove. which they had
set up in the open. In the oven OF
1.-THE stove they were baking pies, but
VA n <400E q 1nnr time and the stove
would hold but two pies at a time.
Suddenly the girl b%ethought them
selves Of frying doughnuts atop the
stove while they were waiting for the
Ipies to bake inside. Nc sooner said
than done, and in a short while the
titibit, and reminder of home and
mother of the A. E. r., was launched:
All the world now knows the rest OF
the story and the glory and popularity
that soon came to. h doughty
doughnut- makers.
just Happened.
Thy the .dougtlnut just happenal
led, and yet. it didn't Just happen foi
it was originally meant to be an apple
pie," explains Colonel Barker.
Prior to his assignment to france
the colonel had seen service with thu
Salvation Army in this country from
San Francisco to Boston. In fact
LnOuRH only. 4 I years VI a6e' AS
of the veteran American officers. Borl
in Baltimore in 1873. he was raised II
California and Joined the Salvation
lists in San Francisco in 1898. Sube
qucnt.. appointments took him to Lo
Angeles, back to a headquarters as
signment in San Francisco, then t
lINew England headquarters in Boston
to Buffalo as general secretary OF tina
division and in 1905 he was ordered t
New York.
For the past fifteen years he ha
held the important post Of nationa
Improperly and legal secretary. In thi
position he has had custody of Saliva
ton Army property throughout tn
land, and has seen the total holding
1of the organization grow from abou
ST. 00,O 0 inn19O5 to almost $4,000.
900 today. Moreover. the arny's in
d~ebtedness upon this property ha
been steadily reduced until at tn
present tinse' It is less than 20 per cen
OF the total value. During this sam
period the colonel hak been secretar
Of the Salvation Army, Inc. the OF
ganization holding a corporate char
Hitter under the laws of the state {
'lNew York.
Almost Nas hectic as the war perio
In Frante were the early days OF Co
onel Bakers service. for as a youn
officer In California his nerve Wa
tried again and agsin by the open an
often v1lent hostility which the arm
at thai time encountered from mot
and roughs. Literal soldiers were tn