SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-PRESS: More than a gymnasium
It is a great irony that while the midterm elections will be an important factor in determining the fate of our democracy, a grand and sacred war memorial, built in honor of the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives for their country, in defense of this democracy, is, once again, being threatened with destruction.
The ending of World War II brought such elation throughout America, that conscientious and far-sighted citizens of Wallace began planning the building of a World War II memorial, even before Japan surrendered on Aug. 14, 1945, to pay homage to the brave and loyal men and women from Shoshone County who gave so much for their country.
The entire civic organization of Wallace, led by the Elk’s Club, which had a huge surplus of money from its slot machines, and such popular businesses as Rullman’s Mens’ Store and Henry L. Day’s Day Mining Company, were the financial backbone of the movement to build a World War II Memorial, in the form of a civic auditorium and basketball gymnasium.
Still, many donations were received from the families of miners throughout the Coeur d’Alene’s, who were struggling hard to make a living, yet willing to expend their post-Depression earnings for such a noble cause.
Donald Callahan, a state senator, became president of the Wallace Civic Auditorium Association, which promoted and formulated the plans for the building of the Civic Auditorium.
Donald Callahan was none other than the brother of James F. Callahan, a pioneer prospector of the Coeur d’Alenes, renowned throughout the West as the discoverer of the Interstate Mine.
Chosen to build the auditorium was the popular contractor, John Batts, mayor of Wallace at the time, whose roots also went back to the early days of the Coeur d’Alenes.
His daughter, Betty Ableman, was a very popular and highly respected teacher for many years, at Osburn Grade School and later in the Kellogg School District.
When completed, in time for the 1949 Panhandle Basketball Tournament, Batts had built the greatest basketball gymnasium in North Idaho and one of the best in the entire state. Wallace was chosen to host the tournament — for the first time since 1933 — in the beautiful Memorial Gymnasium, which is still regarded by many Miners who played there as the best basketball gym in North Idaho — while it also serves as a great boxing arena.
Wallace and Sandpoint, being tied for fourth place in the Panhandle Conference that year, meant that a game would have to be played to determine fourth place for tournament pairings.
The game, March 4, 1949, was the first ever played in the World War II Memorial Gymnasium, the Miners dedicating the memorial, to the thrill of those whose undying efforts made it possible, by winning 36-31, behind Don Stalwick’s 18 points.
Wallace made it to the finals — beating Mullan before a record crowd of more than 3,500 — and were beaten by Elmer Jordan’s powerful Coeur d’Alene Vikings 51 to 22, as the Vikings won their fourth consecutive tournament and 41st game in a row.
This was the beginning of a long and exciting tradition of great basketball games that would take place in this special, like-an-old-friend, gymnasium for the next 50 years.
Every game with Kellogg, through the 1950s and early 60s, was played before huge, screaming, unforgettable crowds of more than 3,000.
But basketball was only one of the many exciting forms of entertainment that took place in this beloved gym over the years.
There were the Navy and Marine band concerts that drew capacity crowds in the 1950s; there was the wonderfully exciting Horace Hite and the College of Musical Knowledge show, which played before a packed house, that many still recall with much delight; there was the Passion Play from Austria, with people coming as far away as Spokane to see an “absolutely terrific” performance; there were the Harlem GlobeTrotters and the Harlem Clowns and the Phillip’s 66ers;
There was the thrilling and skillful twirling of flaming batons by Margaret Sullivan and Sharon McGatlin; there was professional boxing, with Firpo the promoter and sometimes referee; there was the Silver Jubilee banquet and dance, with Silver Jubilee Queen, Cleo Bardelli, dancing with Idaho’s Governor Smiley, who was in attendance to observe the 75th anniversary of the founding of Wallace; there was Billy Johnson’s spectacular half-court shooting.
There was the young Senator, Frank Church — introduced by student body president, John Bardelli — speaking to Wallace High School students on the importance of conserving nature, in order to achieve a rich and full life; there was the great victory over the state champion Kellogg Wildcats in 1955, when Wallace froze the ball the entire game; there were Bud Riley’s Miners in a repeat performance four years later, again giving the state champions their only loss of the season; there were the Miners of coach Lilienkamp going five overtimes to beat Kootenai.
There was the sports banquet with place mats that honored coach Norm Walker for his great career and induction into the Idaho Sports Hall of Fame; there was the sports banquet highlighted by Wallace Fire Chief, Dale Wickham’s unveiling of the Home of the Miners mural, which has graced the Civic Auditorium for the past 45 years; there were numerous fun-filled dance recitals, directed by the popular and respected dance instructor, Betty Damiano, her daughter, Joni Bartel, and Debi Philp.
There was Dave Morehouse, the most loyal Miner that ever lived, taking his seat at the scoreboard every game for 50 years; there was the unforgettable filming of several thrilling Memorial Gymnasium scenes, for the movie, “Dante’s Peak”; there were numerous proms, dances, and 52 graduation ceremonies; and there were beautiful Christmas programs every year.
In recent years, there were exciting amateur boxing cards, featuring teams from several western states, as well as local boxers, which were promoted by Rick Welliver, a former boxer and now a well-known and respected boxing instructor.
These are only a few of the many memorable and exciting events which have taken place in Memorial Gymnasium and are a colorful and romantic part of the history of Wallace and the Coeur d’Alenes.
In this time when much honor is being given to America’s last remaining World War II veterans and to all those who gave their lives for our nation, it is sacrilegious, and a grievous contradiction, to even consider destroying this sacred Memorial made in their honor.
The destruction of a war memorial can never be justified, especially one that was built by the same generation that fought in the war.
As a nation, we have taken precautions to protect our war memorials and national monuments from acts of terrorism. How then, do supposedly educated and civilized people even begin to consider such an unconscionable act as to destroy this grand memorial to our World War II heroes? “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” Martin Luther King reminds us.
What a hideous insult to all those who gave so much of themselves in the pursuit of an ideal, and looked with pride at its accomplishment, to say nothing of the veterans and those killed in the war.
The passage of 75 years, since the ending of World War II, doesn’t make this War Memorial any less important than any other, nor will the passage of 750 years.
We ought to be honoring their sacrifices (that helped protect America from being overrun by Hitler’s Nazi war machine and preserved our democracy) more than ever, by making every effort to restore and honor their Memorial, regardless of the cost.
Their sacrifices were so great — their Love, and the Love that honors them, so deep, that its embodiment should endure through the ages — and never be wantonly destroyed, or transformed into something it was never meant to be.
It is in respecting and honoring this World War II Memorial — built by the Greatest Generation to symbolize the respect, honor, and love it has bestowed upon all those from Shoshone County (as well as across the entire nation), who sacrificed their lives for their country — that we honor all our national war memorials and veterans everywhere.
The same Love that saved the beautiful sacred Notre Dame Cathedral, the heart of Paris, after it came so close to being tragically destroyed by fire, during the Holy Week of Easter, on April 15, 2019, (personified by the 900 million dollars of donations from around the world — and the “Love and Gratitude” of the restorers, who believe they have “a responsibility to the generation of today and the future”) — and now is on the way to complete restoration for the opening of the 2024 Olympic games in Paris — must also save our beloved World War II Memorial Gymnasium and Civic Auditorium — and lead to its full restoration.
The eloquent and passionate words of a Parisienne woman, concerning the saving of Notre Dame Cathedral, can be applied with equal passion to the saving of our World War II Memorial: “Notre Dame is Notre Dame! We definitely need it back.”
The horrible, agonizing sorrow of watching Notre Dame Cathedral burn, would be repeated by witnessing the senseless, disgraceful, dishonorable, and irreverent destruction of this sacred monument—our Notre Dame Cathedral.
To disgracefully demolish this great and glorious building — a war memorial that Bing Crosby called, on his visit to Wallace, in August of 1949, one of the finest that he had ever seen — would convey to the young and old alike, that all the talk about the respect and admiration we have for our veterans is nothing but talk, and the sacrifices they made for our country mean absolutely nothing.
A city’s architectural heritage is a living connection with the values and culture of its past. The World War II Memorial can have significant influence in the historical and cultural education of Wallace Junior and Senior High School students, and those of other schools throughout the Coeur d’Alene Mining District and elsewhere. (And the gym’s space can be a much needed asset to local schools and the community.)
Memorial Gymnasium is a rare treasure, embodying the highest attainable values and ideals recognized by our society, and the most worthy to strive for — it was built with mastery and perfection of workmanship and materials; it is an honest expression of its intent and purpose; it has a beauty that is uniquely its own, which is enhanced by the Truth it represents; it was conceived, and built with great devotion and dedication, to thousands of men and women who sacrificed their lives for “liberty and justice for all.”
It is a living memorial from the Greatest Generation to all generations, that honors the millions of men and women who sacrificed their lives, in what is perhaps the greatest tragedy the world has ever known. What greater gift could be given to any school district, or any city?
Such historic works of architecture give Wallace its character; and the architecture and mountain scenery combine to give it a unique sense of place.
Unfortunately, much of this heritage has been lost, by the foolish destruction of such historical buildings as the Samuels Hotel, the Grand Theater, the Pacific Hotel, the Union Pacific Depot, the Carter Hotel, the Wilma Theater, Cap’s Gun and Key Shop, Frank Peila’s House, the Providence Hospital, Sydney Shont’s house, and the old Wallace High School and Grade School buildings, to name only a few.
Those who would ignominiously throw the Civic Auditorium and World War II Memorial Gymnasium into the junk pile of history, with the buildings listed above, have no conscience whatsoever concerning the colorful history of the Coeur d’Alene Mining District and the sacrifices made by so many — and to do so will bring everlasting shame to those responsible, and eternal monumental disgrace to the city of Wallace. And what a shame to all people of conscience everywhere; to our students — and, above all, what a deplorable and shameful dishonor to the heroic men who lost their lives in World War II.
The Civic Auditorium, though the property of the school district, is an important part of our architectural, cultural, and historical heritage, and therefore we, and future generations, have the fundamental right to experience it as a meaningful part of our lives.
But in the final analysis, this World War II Memorial belongs to the 80 men from Shoshone County who were killed or missing in action (and one whose death occurred away from combat) — including 17 from Wallace and 36 from Kellogg — and the 2,248 veterans who served with them in the armed forces of the United States of America — to whom it honors eternally:
Killed or Missing in Action
Dale Anderson, Wardner
Clifford O. Barker, Pinehurst
Leslie Bayes, Kellogg
Waldemar H. Beck, Mullan
Donald Bewick, Caltaldo
Maxwell C. Bilton, Wallace
Edwon Bisaro, Kellogg
John Brennan, Osburn
Tom Brennan, Kingston
Cecil N. Brooks, Kellogg
James B. Brook, Mullan
Arthur W. Carlson, Wallace
Franklin E. Carlson, Gem
Jack Chandler, Wallace
Donald M. Clark, Kellogg
Sam Clem, Wallace
Joseph Coffey, Mullan
John E. Conwell, Mullan
Dennis Cornelius, Burke
Terry Cosgriff, Kellogg
Cecil Crane, Kellogg
John Deeder, Kellogg
George D. DeJanovich, Kellogg
Boyd J. Fagan, Wallace
Alfred Fields, Kellogg
Eugene R. Glahe, Wallace
Robert J. Graham Jr., Kellogg
Jack Grant, Wallace
Evon Gustafson, Kellogg
John Haffner, Kellogg
Harold Harlan, Kellogg
Robert J. Harris, Kellogg
Sam Hendrickson, Wallace
Everett W. Henslee, Gem
Wallace Hiassen, Kellogg
Andie Hoffman, Kellogg
Karl Houliston, Osburn
Leland Hughes, Wardner
George W. Howard, Kellogg
LeRoy Johnson, Elk Creek
Toivo Juntilla, Enaville
Kenneth W. Keith, Kellogg
Jay G. Kenworthy, Wallace
Robert L. King, Wallace
Emil Kinsel, Kellogg
Robert Kinsel, Kellogg
Lauri Koski, Mullan
Joseph Lamuth Jr., Kellogg
Fred Lehman Jr., Kellogg
Alvin Lien, Kellogg
Eldon Lockett, Mullan
Willys K. Mattmiller, Kellogg
Mahlon T. Milner, Wallace
George Nelson, Wallace
Robert A. Nelson, Kellogg
Robert A. Nicholson, Kellogg
Delmer G. Olson, Wallace
Edward P. Owen, Kellogg
George Papesh, Kellogg
Elmer Perjue, Kellogg
Melvin E. Peterson, Wallace
Glenn C. Pierson, Wallace
Kenneth Platte, Kellogg
Lee V. Price, Kellogg
Robert W. Ringel, Wallace
Robert Schreiber, Kellogg
Kenneth Sherman, Wallace
Wayne S. Slusher, Kellogg
Robert Stephey, Osburn
Lynn Strand, Osburn
Fred Swinnerton, Burke
George Tatsumi, Home Unknown
Curtis F. Thomas, Wardner
Steve Vairetta, Gem
Victor H. Westrand, Kellogg
Dale Williams, Burke
Raymond Wirta, Kellogg
William Woolum, Kellogg
Frederic A. Zamboni, Wallace
Raymond C. Zurnstein, Burke
Non-Active Combat Death
Viota Juntilla, Home Unknown
Prisoners
Alonzo K. Ellis, Kellogg
William Grebil, Wallace
Parkman S. Huston, Mullan
• • •
Frederick K. Bardelli is a Osburn resident.