On November 6, 1943, Glenn Husted, superintendent of Daniel Whitfield Elementary School in Sylvan Lake, wrote his first “Dear Joe Whitfield” letter to a graduate of the school serving in the U.S. armed services during World War II. He eventually corresponded with about 45 young servicemen. Recently Mr. Husted’s daughter, Mrs. Sharie Husted VanGilder, found some 70 letters to and from her father. As a girl, Mrs. VanGilder remembers going to Whitfield School on Sunday afternoons as her father wrote the letters on the school typewriter while she helped with mimeographing. Since the end of June, Mrs. VanGilder, along with GWBHS Board member Helen Jane Peters and Randy Rogers, a former Whitfield student now living in Seoul, Korea, have located 16 men or their families and returned the original letters to them. According to Mrs. Peters, “It is very heartwarming when a son or daughter says This is the only correspondence we have from my father during World War II.” For information on the search see the Facebook Daniel Whitfield Elementary School alumni page or call Mrs. Peters, 248-681-9568.
Search for Whitfield School grads who served in World War II
Object ID: 2013-001-011
Date: 2012
Collection: Sylvan LakeSubjects: Whitfield School
U of M Preservation Assessment Survey
Object ID: 2013-001-010
Date: 2011
Collection: West BloomfieldSubjects: Article
U of M Preservation Assessment Survey Thank you again, Sara Sterkenburg, Jeff Nash and Paul Wentzell, University of Michigan, School of Information, graduate students for compiling an incredibly comprehensive report for the GWBHS digitization of gwbhs records. This follow-up report to the Preservation Assessment Survey will help guide our organization both in short and long-term needs. Your recommendations are now being implemented.
Fire Department
Object ID: 2013-001-009
Date: 1952
Collection: Walnut LakeSubjects: Letterhead image
Walnut Lake Volunteer Fire Department letterhead. Incorporated on October 24, 1950 by Roscoe C. Banker. Absorbed by West Bloomfield Fire Dept. on March 10, 1952.