The daily monitor leader., 1945-11-29
Center
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OCuCCI
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ization formed by national Ma
sonic groups and financed by
membership throughout the ma
ton.
The present director, Auguste
B. Holm, is the last of four dl-
rectors who have been in charge
of the center. Holm will take
a 30-day leave with his family
tor the first time in four years,
before being reassigned to SINH
lar work elsewhere.
Mrs. Harvey c. Whetzel, de.
partment president of the Blue
Star Mothers, of Michigan, has
been Chief Hostess at the center
since early in the program, serv-
ing, as have her co-Workers,
without compensation.
Mrs. Whetzel has been assisted
generously by women of the Ma
sonic Women's Auxiliary, which
she originated, other Masonic
women of Mount Clemens and
Macomb County. Blue Star Mo-
theirs and many other individu-
ais, including Mount Clemens
churches and fraternities.
With the exception of some
Mount Clemens donations, prin-
clpally through organizations
aiding in operating the center,
the entire program has been fl
nanced by the Masons. AT no
time has the center received
anything from the War Fund
collected by public subscription.
PROUD OF RECORD
A necessarily condensed sur
vey of its record shows that the
center served thousands of
warm meals, lunches and free
foods, cookies, candies and Gig
arets-the latter by packs and
cartons. Loose cigarels were al
ways made available for mil
itary personnel.
Free weekly dances were con-
Quoted, usually with a popular,
paid orchestra.
About 10U persons each month
were aided by the free room and
apartment service Of the center.
Christmas holiday, birthday
and special parties were given
regularly. For a lengthy period
a free dinner was given Sunday
afternoon for military personnel
and their wives and friends.
Prizes were given out each
week amounting to a total of
many hundreds of dollars. Free
long distance telephone calls TO
home were distributed by allot-
ment to guests. Hundreds of dol
lars were spent in this manner.
AIDED BRIDAL PARTIES
Catering was arranged for
many military wedding parties
Recreation within the center
included free games and activl-
ties of varied description, in
Guiding four pool tables.
Refrigerated soft drinks were
dispensed freely.
Many sizeable special enter
tainments were furnished during
the three-year program. There
was also a reading room with
hundreds of timely books avail
able and also daily newspapers
Various personal services were
performed, via telephone, for
servicemen and women, such as
purchasing of girts and necessi-
ties, mailing of letters and
multitude of other friendly acts.
The Masonic Service Center
Cadettes were organized from
among the young women OF
Mount Clemens and district, and
they gave assurance that no
lonely soldier or sailor became
a "wallflower" at dances.
Each Cadette wore a service
badge designating the number OF
hours they had served at the
center.
VETS WROTE THANKS
Treasured among the center's
property is a file of letters re-
ceived from all parts of the
world, including many from the
battlefronts of Europe and the
Pacific; in which one-time
guests of the center repeated in
writing the thanks they had ex-
pressed on leaving here for ov-
erseas.
Many said that no matter
where they had been in the
world, no service as generous
and friendly had been accorded
them.
Selfridge Field and its hospi-
tai patients welfare was the
special project of the center.
Regular hospital visitation was
carried on with free services
and gifts for military patients.
The center's Cadettes travelled