During the Great Depression, Delbert, Donald, and Dale Wilson loved playing football at Dexter High School before graduating (1933 and 1939). So did Danny Wilson, but his family moved to a Minburn farm in early 1939, the last few years of his sophomore year.
I guess the coach hated losing a good player because he offered to let Danny live with his family so he could finish school at Dexter, and play football for them.
Washington Township School, west of Minburn, was the large rural brick school where Danny and Junior would finish school. But they didn’t have a football team.
Danny chose to move with his family, who were newly-hired tenant farmers, finally with a real income. Sisters Doris and Darlene had jobs, but Delbert was back from the Navy and Dale was still at home.
Danny and Junior helped on the farm when not in school, where during the winter they played on Washington Township’s basketball team.
1939-1940 Washington Township School basketball team
1940-1941 Washington Township School Boys’ Basketball Team: Coach George Haynes behind.
Back: Harold Godwin, Paul Daniels, Dan Wilson, Charles Elliott, Keith Sutherland, Harry Jackman.
Front: Junior Wilson, Ed Kautzky, Jack Jackman, Paul Diddy, Bob Wicks, Harry Reves.
Danny graduated in 1941, valedictorian of the class and gave a speech. When Junior learned about the speech, he backed off on his studies, graduating in 1942.
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Both Danny and Junior Wilson lost their lives during WWII, along with their brother Dale Wilson. They are remembered, along with Navy brothers (Donald and Delbert) on the Dallas County Freedom Rock@ at Minburn, just a couple miles from where they were tenant farmers with their dad.
They are also remembered in Leora’s Letters: The Story of Love and Loss for an Iowa Family During World War II and What Leora Never Knew: A Granddaughter’s Quest for Answers.
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Lovely history, Joy. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, John!
Basketball was the big sport at my high school. No football.
At 9 years old I wanted to be a pilot because of these 3 uncles. But due to 3 of Dad’s friends, I also wanted to be a U. S. Marine. The 3 WWII Marines were Ray (Bud) Lenocker, neighboring farmer and brothers Tom and Charles Lee in Dexter. I didn’t think I could be both. UNTIL, one Saturday Winter afternoon matinee on black and white TV. “The Flying Leathernecks” with John Wayne. Wayne, born Marion Robert Morrison in our Iowa county. It was possible to do both !
Wow!
Those fit-as-a-fiddle farm boys don’t look like they needed to work out to stay in shape for basketball. 🙂
Nancy, you are so right. And before they moved to the farm, the family had lived without a car for five years. They were used to hiking everywhere they went!
And they would have needed to physically carry any of their goods or loads while walking. 💪😁
Yes!
It’s great you told us that they had such a good life before the war, Joy.
It was tough during the Great Depression, but that tenant farm in 1939 changed everything for them. Thank you, Tim.