Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 12, Number 6, DeMotte, Jasper County, 18 December 1941 — Ivan Cheever Elected To Local Civilan Defense Post [ARTICLE]

Ivan Cheever Elected To Local Civilan Defense Post

The population of DeMotte was well represented Monday night at the Defense Meeting held in the local high school. The meeting was requested by the Civilian Defense Council of Indiana for the purpose of electing a member from DeMotte to the State Council. This member will act as Defense Warden in DeMotte in case of an emergency. Ivan Cheever, trustee of Keener township, was elected to the honorary post by a majority of 16 votes, receiving a total of 62 votes. Mel Struble, runner-up in the election with 46 votes, will act as Sec.-Treas. for the local Defense Council. 0. P. Rowen, president of the DeMotte Business Men’s Association, was in charge of the meeting. He read a letter from Delos Dean, chairman of the Jasper Co. Civilian Defense Council, in which Mr. Dean requested the appointment of a local member. The letter had been origin ally been received by Chas. P. Cuytin, who turned it over to Mr. Rowen. Mr. Rowen said that to the extent or his knowledge this initial meeting was just the start for a lot of other things to come.

The proximity of DeMotte* to the vital Chicago and Calumet industrial centers, made it important that it become organized for Defense if the time should ever come. A collection was taken at thq meeting to meet the expenses of thje local member of the Defense Council, expenses such as postage, telephone tolls, etc. The member will be giving his time gratis, with no remuneration, vrhatsoever. The collection -netted approximately $15.61 for this expense account. Andrew DeHaan was present at the meeting as a member of the Jasper Co. Defense Bond and Stamps committee. A letter from Phil Wood was read .at the meeting requesting donations to help cover the expenses of the county organization. This collection was also taken up, with $9.05 being donated for that cause. Mr. Alfred Ewart said that the local school w n s forming a club for the purchase of Ronds and Stamps by the school children, and announced that it was rapidly nearing* the 1007 c mark. He made a plea to the parents for their assistance to their children in purchasing these Ronds and Stamps, and also thanked those

parents who had already assisted their children in these purchases. The senior class is already 100 (1 <, with the lower classes enrolling rapidly. Ivan Cheever then took charge of the meeting and gave a few new views on the situation. He emphasized the fact that this Civilian Defense movement was to his knowledge n non-military organization, and was simply an organization for the civilan population. The various groups in the population will be organized and' instructed as to duties so that in case an invasion ever did come, the population would be ready and able to act without confusion and chaos. Nurses be registered, the firemen will be schooled in fightine incendiary bombs, etc. He also emphasized the fact that our nearness to the Calumet industrial area would make DeMotte a “hot-spot” in case an invasion ever did come to this country.