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During World War II, First Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, like many churches, supported the war effort through blood banks, war fund drives, Red Cross bandages, letters to service men and women and collection drives - paper, foil, tires, metal.

The church also offered services, suppers and a publication, all geared toward the military.

"During World War II, the church office building was converted into a hospitality house for military personnel stationed in and around Greensboro," according to "Heritage 150," a publication that summarizes First Presbyterian Church's wartime activities.

The church sponsored evening services and served suppers to about 5,000 soldiers, "Heritage 150" reports. "Through March 1945, 400 members of the church had entered military service of their country ."

The church created a monthly publication, known as "Pillar to Post" for distribution among its members in service, "and it has been one of the most attractive and interesting publications of its kind."

"Pillar to Post" was edited by Mary V. Elzemeyer, Mrs. Harry Myers and Mrs. Jack Hunter "and had carried to those in service news about their friends and fellows in service, about their friends and loved ones at home and items of interest and entertainment," according to First Pres byterian . "It has undoubtedly been of great value in sustaining the morale of church members in service and of other service people as well, for it is so popular that copies are passed from hand to hand until worn out."

Each issued included words from the Rev. Charles Franklin Myers to those in service.

The 400-plus members of the church who had entered the service through March 15, 1945, were represented by stars on a large flag suspended behind the pulpit, "black stars for those who are still alive and gold stars for those who have made the supreme sacrifice," "Heritage 150" reports. "A specific star, in a definite position on a definite line represents each member in service, so that every member knows which star represents his or her loved one."

In fact, in raw numbers, First Presbyterian Church sent more than 13 percent of its family, its young men and young women, to defend this nation during the war years. Twenty First Presbyterian Church members died while in uniform - nearly 5 percent of the 412 who were in service. During World War II, about 16 million Americans were in service, and 407,000 were killed, a death rate of about 21/2 percent. The figure for First Presbyterian Church is a tragedy twice the national figure.

Those were John Moore Albright; William Balsley Jr., Lawrence A. Bearden, Jack Bendigo, Bernard Lee Brimmer, John E. Ferguson, Reuben R. Floyd, Robert P. Garrett, A.C. Hall Jr., Max Hendrix Jr., Miles Smith King, E.D. Kuykendall Jr., John Laughon, T.A. Lyon Jr., Calvin R. McAdoo, J. F. McDaniel, Percy W. Robinson; Harold Ross Jr., J.L. Sullivan, Jr. and J. L. Voehringer.

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A couple of notes on the recent columns about the role of Boy Scouts during World War II. Veteran David Zauber, who was a member of Troop 27, called to remind me that almost all the boys mentioned were Eagle Scouts and later became veterans.

Wade Phillips, treasurer of the Black Caps Veterans Group, wrote that the correct designation for the Greensboro Boy Scouts during the World War II years was The General Greene Council, with it headquarters at 130 Summit Ave. Phillips added, "When I joined the Boy Scouts in 1938, I joined Troop 17 which met at College Place Methodist Church. Our Scoutmaster was E. R. Zane, a CPA with Burlington Industries. He later served on the Greensboro City Council. When he gave up the troop about 1940, I joined Troop 27. I think I was a First Class Scout at the time, and I later earned my Eagle Award. I stayed in Boy Scouts and was actually a counselor at Boy Scout Camp Graystone in June 1943 when I got my orders to go to the Navy. I served three years in World War II and two years during the Korean War and was discharged as a lieutenant."

In two weeks: More on the fine contribution First Presbyterian Church and its members made during World War II.

THOSE WHO SERVED

These are the names of those members of Greensboro's First Presbyterian Church who served in World War II, including five who were in the Red Cross. The names of those killed in the war are followed by an asterisk.

Byron C. Abels, Lucas Abels, F. P. Abernathy Jr., J. Mack Albright Jr., John Moore Albright*, A. V. Anderson, George C. Anderson, Harvey Anderson, Robert Anderson, William H. Andrews Jr., Charles W. Angle, R. Holt Ardrey Jr., Robert Moore Armfield, Leroy L. Arthur, Charles Bagley, William Balsley Jr.*, Charles A. Banks Jr., Mason K. Banks, Robert H. Banks, B. C. Barnes, Robert D. Barnes, Frank Barrett, Geo. H. Beall, Cyrus S. Beard, Ernest N. Beard Jr., Hugh Beard, Horace J. Bearden, Lawrence A. Bearden*, William Beerman, Jack Bendigo*, Jas. T. Benjamin Jr., Annie Laurie Bennett, John S. Bennett, Graham Bethune, Robert A. Bevill, William Black, Robert G. Blair, Charles Blake Jr., E. C. Blaylock, Robert J. Boaz Jr., Paisley Boney, W. H. Bogart, Edwin E. Boone Jr., Wm. I. Bowman, Charles T. Boyst, James Boyst, Patrick H. Branch Jr., George W. Bradham, Ray T. Bradley, J. M. Brantley Jr., Julian T. Brantley, John K. Brewer, Bernard Lee Brimmer*, Charles Brimmer, Robert E. Brimmer, James Taylor Brooks, Thornton H. Brooks, Jas. Edward Brown Jr., George A. Bryant Jr., James Bullock, Leonard Bullock, T. B. Bullock Jr., John A. Burton Jr., William P. D. Bush, Carl I. Carlson Jr., Howard E. Carr, Chas. L. Carroll Jr., Edward C. Carson, John M. Carson, William H. Cartland, William B. Caudle, Frank E. Causey, Jack Causey, George K. Cavanaugh, Carl Cease Jr., Heister Cease, H. M. Chamblee Jr., Robert E. Clark, Rosser L. Clark Jr., Perry D. Cobb Jr., Curtis Coble, Jack P. Coble, Ralph P. Coble Jr., Robert L. S. Cole, Archie Coleman, James Connell, Arthur O. Cooke, William Owen Cooke, Thos. W. Cooke Jr., George W. Cooper, Henry Cooper, Edgar A. Cornelius, Marvin S. Cornelius, W. C. Corwin, Edwin G. Couch, Roger W. Couch, William T. Cox Jr., Emory Culclasure, Riley Culclasure, C. D. Cunningham Jr., Geo. William Curran, John C. Davant, Howard M. Davidson Jr., A. Ray Dawson, Robt. A. DeBardleben, John Derr, J. C. Donaldson, Harry S. Donnell Jr., Jere T. Dumas, Donald W. Durham, Willard M. Dyer Jr., Larry East, Walker East, Malcolm Evans, W.D. Farmer, David Thomas Farr, Lee Fentress Jr., John E. Ferguson*, I. L. Ferree, W.W. Ferree, Marion Fields, W.W. Fife, Horace Finch, Karl Fisher Jr., David A. Fiske Jr., Walter Flanagan, Reuben R. Floyd*, Charles O. Forbis Jr., James W. Forsythe, Mark Foster, Stephen Frontis, Clayton S. Furches, W. T. Galliher, Robert M. Gant, Abner N. Gardner Jr., F. F. Garnett, Robert P. Garrett*, C. L. Gentry Jr., John M. Gillespie, Edwin F. Glenn, Charles W. Gold, Lloyd C. Goodman, Frank S. Goodrum, A. C. Goodwin Jr., Ralph Gorrell, W. H. Gosch Jr., William Gould, J. A. Grant, E. W. Graves Jr., E. B. Gresham Jr., Robert J. Grimsley, William T. Grimsley, Carlyle Groome, Charles O. Grubbs, Norris Grubbs, O. L. Grubbs Jr., Kenneth Gunn,
Charles T. Hagan Jr., A. C. Hall Jr.*, Irwin Ham, Issac D. Ham Jr., Robert H. Ham, William W. Ham, James E. Hancock, Henry C. Harrill, George Harris, Marshall Harris, Reece P. Harry Jr., Wallace W. Harvey Jr., Blair W. Hawkins, Frank G. Heine, Max Hendrix Jr.*, Arthur Hendrix, William H. Hendrix Jr., William Holt Heritage, Blake High, Gray Mills High, Charles U. Hill Jr., Hugh Hill, James E. Hines, Martin Hines, P. T. Hines Jr., Robert S. Hines, James Hinton, Charles Hipp, Edward Hipp, Louis Hipp, Harry B. Hoffman, Louis B. Hoffman, T. T. Holderness, Albert F. Holliday, Charles V. Holmes, Erwin G. Holt, Sidney S. Holt, Gordon R. Hope, Ralph W. Hoyt, Nancy Hudson, Thomas Huffines, C. Webster Hunt, Jack Hunt, James Hunt, William L. Hunt, Bynum M. Hunter, Dan S. Hunter, Gray John Hunter, Hill M. Hunter Jr., William P. Ingram, Marjorie Jennings, Wesley Jennings, George S. Jones, Roger Jones, F. C. Kaylet, David Keeler, John D. Kennedy, W.O. Kent, Cornelius V. King, Huger King, Jacj King Jr., James King Jr., Robert R. King III, Miles Smith King, killed. Clarence Kirkpatrick, John A. Kleemier Jr., Joseph Knight, John Knight, Thomas B. Knight, Theodore Koenig, W.S. Koenig, E.D. Kuykendall Jr.*, Harry Kuykendall, Stuart Kuykendall.
William A. Lambert, Chalmers G. Laird, John Laughon*, Frank P. Latham, Joseph M. Leak, William R. Leonard, Ralph L. Lewis, Ford D. Little Jr., Riley Little, Robert Claude Little, Robert Edward Livingston, Mrs. J. Spencer Love, J. Spencer Love Jr., W.R. Lovell Jr., R. E. Lowes, R. B. Lloyd Jr., Guy Lumpkins, Chas. B. Lynch Jr., Josephine Lynch, Brockton R. Lyon, Brockton R. Lyon, Jr., Muir Lyon, T. A. Lyon Jr.*, Calvin R. McAdoo*, A. W. McAlister Jr., John W. McAlister Jr., R. V. McAlister, W. B. McCain Jr., Glenn McCall, Jr., Andrew McCaskey, Hazel P. McCollum, Archie S. McDaniel Jr., J. F. McDaniel*, Jerry McDaniel, William C. McFayden, Robert H. McGlamery, Robert McGhee, W. B. McGeachy, Bradford McLean, Ernest C. McLean Jr., Robert J. McLean, Laurens McLeod, Roger McManus, William D. McRoy, G. E. McWhorter, Julian W. Maness, W. S. Maxwell, Ballard May, Robert J. Mebane Jr., John Bynum Merritt Jr., Frank T. Miller Jr., Beverly Moore, William Locke Moore, David W. Morrah Jr., Graham Morrison, James Thomas Morrison, John J. Morrow, Frank Morton, L. M. Murphy, William Murphy, Ernest W. Murray, William G. Murray, Erlu Neese, Burton M. Newell Jr., Robert V. Newell, Clifford J. Nolan Jr., Robert Nolan, John Nutt, Howell H. Overton, Bruce Paddock, Fred Pearce, Robert E. Perry Jr., William R. Perry, Jack Phillips, Claude P. Phipps, David Phoenix Jr., Julius Phoenix, Furman Pinson, R.K. Porter, W.C. Porter III, A.D. Potter, W.A. Pressley, Norris Watson Preyer, Richardson Preyer, Robert. O. Preyer, Peter W. Price, Hazel Quinn, Jesse R. Rankin, W. L. Ray, Graham Reavis, Berry Reid, Jack C. Reid, Henry Reynolds Jr., W. Espy Rickart, Sam D. Roane Jr., Robert G. Roberts, Ben T. Robertson, Percy W. Robinson*, Harold Ross Jr.*, Joseph Ruzicka Jr., Frank Russell, Jack Russell, A. H. Scales, Irving Scales, Jeremiah Schenk, Virgil L. Schenk Jr., C. G. Schenken, E. A. Seager, Lacy C. Sellers, E. M. Sellars Jr., John C. Shelton, Frank Joseph Shea, F. C. Sheppard, Harry Smith, Eddy Smith, Frank S. Smith, Helen Smith, Jack B. Smith, Julius C. Smith Jr., O. Norris Smith, Roy L. Smith Jr., William T. Sockwell, F.N. Southard, Thornton V. Sparrow, Ray Stallings, Harry R. Stanley, George Stevens, S. Irvin W. Stewart, Frank E. Stone, William H. Stone Jr., Floyd Stout Jr., H. G. Strickland, Gordon Sturm, J. L. Sullivan Jr.*, J. D. Swain, Hamilton Tatum, C. Edward Taylor, James L. Taylor, Donald Thacker, W. L. Thacker, I. D. Thomas, Charles W. Thompson, Donald L. Tingen, C. D. Tolley Jr., Dwight L. Turner, John C. Turner, Perry P. Turner Jr., Frank B. Tye, Charles R. Vance Jr., H. F. Underwood, William B. Underwood, James Van Hecke, J. L. Voehringer*,
Fred L. Walker Jr., James Waddell, Dan R. Warren, Ray Warren, Ed. Washington, Robert Washington, William Washington, Charles W. Wells, Richard L. Wharton, Daniel A. White, Harry R. White, Leonard White, Abbott Whitney, George Whittington, Robert W. Wildman, Samuel S. Wiley, William E. Wilkins, Albert R. Wilson, Lewis H. Wilson Jr., William F. Wilson, William M. Wilson, Conrad A. Wimbish, Clarence Woods, Charles D. Wootten, Clyde A. Wooten, O. I. Wrenn, Alvey Wright, Harvey Wyrick, Charles G. Yates Jr., Jean C. Yates, Margaret B. Yates

Members in Red Cross service: Dorothy Clement, Dorothy Donnell, Emily Harris, Frances Grubbs Potts, Rosamond Tatro