Benicia centenarian and former riveter dies

(Originally published in the 12/27/15 edition)

   Benicia resident and World War II riveter Dorothy Wivel passed away from pneumonia Wednesday, Dec. 16, at the age of 100. 

   Wivel was born Nov. 20, 1915 in the small town of Cedar Grove, Ark. In 1934, she married Ernie Wivel, and in 1942, she moved to California shortly after the U.S. started taking part in World War II. As her son-in-law Richard Reza described it, she became a bit of a “Rosie the Riveter,” working as a welder in shipyards in San Francisco, Richmond and even at Mare Island.  Her husband served as supervisor.

   “She used to tell us stories about things that happened to her when she was working on ships,” Reza said. “She’d talk about going down into the bilges or having to go to the top of masts on ships to replace the lights and replacing lightbulb holders on Liberty ships that had been shot out.”

   “She had done a lot of things that the other women didn’t want to or wouldn’t do, and she did them because her husband was the supervisor,” he added. “He called for Dorothy to do the things the other women didn’t want to do.”

   After the war ended, Wivel continued to work as a welder until 1955. In 1965, Ernie became ill, and Dorothy looked after him until he died in 1984. The Wivels had moved to Benicia in 1978, and after Ernie’s passing, Dorothy moved into the Benicia Senior Center in 1984. She lived there until 2008, when she was transferred to a senior care facility in Vallejo.

  Even in her later years, Wivel loved the outdoors and traveling to places like Germany and across the country for family reunions in Ohio and Arkansas. Additionally, she shared her husband’s love of hunting, camping and fishing. One of her proudest moments came when she caught a 6-foot-plus sturgeon all by herself while fishing in Rodeo in the ‘50s.

   Wivel also loved her family and would come to visit her grandchildren at their football, baseball and basketball matches.

   “She used to just walk from the senior building to the little league field to watch them play,” Reza said.

   Wivel was also loved for her generosity and perseverance. 

   “She was generous to everyone,” Reza said. “She wasn’t financially set, but that didn’t stop her from doing the things she wanted to do. She was a wonderful lady.”

   A memorial is planned for early 2016, but a date has not yet been set. 

   

   

Author to discuss role of women in World War II

(Originally published in the 11/15/15 edition)

   World War II marked a turning point in the role of women in the workforce. While their husbands were off fighting in the war, women took on the industrial labor and other jobs typically viewed as men’s work.

   They also took roles in the war effort, and it is this part of history that author Jeane Slone has chosen to document in her historical fiction trilogy consisting of the novels “She was an American Spy During World War II,” “She Built Ships During World War II” and “She Flew Bombers from the Factories to the Bases During World War II.” Slone will be doing a presentation on the latter at the Benicia Historical Museum today at 1.

   “She Flew Bombers” tells the story of Violet Willey, a young woman who had aspired to be a pilot since her youth. Willey takes a job as a Woman Airforce Service Pilot during World War II against the urges of her traditional mother. The book details the bravery and hardships of the over 1,000 women who learned to fly over 77 varieties of military aircrafts across America to deliver them to army bases for men to fly into combat.

   The novel is based on Slone’s interviews with six former WASPs and weaves in historical photographs and research narratives. The book received the 2012 Indie Book Award.

   Slone will be presenting as part of the museum’s ongoing exhibit “A Call to Arms: The Benicia Arsenal- World War II." Executive Director Elizabeth d’Huart says this will be a good opportunity for Beniciains to learn about a less-explored part of history.

   “As somebody who works at a local history museum that is housed in buildings that were from the original Arsenal, I know an awful lot about the role of men,” she said. “I like the fact that I learn more about the woman’s role. This is an important period in history for America.”

   “It’s the advent of women emerging out into the workforce during World War II that changed the course of relationships between men and women in the United States,” she added.

   D’Huart also believes that Slone’s expertise will provide a lot of education on the subject.

   “(Slone) is an author who specializes in the period of World War II, particularly focusing on the role of women,” she said. “She does very meticulous historical research. She crafts novels that are basically expositions of the very specific duties of women in helping the military during the war effort.”

   During the war, many women were working the assembly lines in Benicia, d’Huart said. The presentation will let viewers know what that was like. 

   “It gives one a better perspective on their mindset and the kind of challenges that they faced in their day-to-day lives in terms of working in the Arsenal and the additional challenges that they had in working within the constraints of coupon rationing and their husbands, sons or brothers being off at war,” she said. “Combining all those things is an interesting mix.”

   Overall, d’Huart feels the presentation will be an interesting window to the past and how it relates to today.

   “It’s always interesting to be able to connect the dots between what each of us as individuals are experiencing today and what our mothers, fathers or grandparents were experiencing during those same time periods in their own lives,” she said. 

   Slone will be delivering her presentation through a Power Point and will read passages while acting them out in character. A question and answer session and book signing will follow, and attendees are encouraged to go upstairs and view the rest of the exhibit afterwards.

   The presentation will begin at 1 p.m. today at the Benicia Historical Museum, located on 2060 Camel Road. The event is free, and refreshments will be served. 

Benician reunites with fellow veterans

(Originally published in the 11/8/15 edition)

   Back in September, 91-year-old World War II veteran and Benicia resident John Lipsey joined two of his fellow fighter pilots for a nine-day excursion to Rapid City, S.D. There, they visited the Mount Rushmore National Monument, stayed at the Grand Gateway Hotel, shared stories and pictures and reminisced about their war experiences. 

   It was not the first time the men made such a trip, nor will it be the last.

   Lipsey is an accomplished veteran, having done 58 missions in his P-47 Thunderbolt, including one across the Pacific. He also served in the Korean War, did reconnaissance missions over Cuba and crashed his plane twice but recovered with only minor bruises. 

   Unfortunately, Lipsey was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2009, which has made speaking very difficult for him. Nevertheless, Lipsey continues to travel the country every year with his fellow squadron mates, according to his daughter, Ginger Young.

   The trips have taken them everywhere from San Diego to Savannah, Ga. to Albuquerque, N.M. Next year, they will be visiting Nashville, Tenn.

   “They’ve been to nearly every state in the union, sometimes even twice,” Young said.

   The idea for a reunion trip came about by a woman named Jean Kruferer, Young said. Her father was a colonel in the 58th Fighter Squadron of the Army Air Corps, which Lipsey was a part of.

   “He wanted to get together with as many of the gentlemen that he could to establish some kind of rapport,” Young said. 

   Since then, the squadron members have reunited every year, usually in the second week of September. Kruferer’s father has since passed away, but she continues to keep the tradition going, even though the crew is now down to three members: Lipsey, Marty Jackson and Gene Holmes, Young said.

   “My mom and my dad never missed a meeting,” Young said. “They attended about 30 of them, and then my mom passed away five years ago, so my sister, my brother and I have been holding up that tradition to go with my dad.” 

   Even after the war ended, Lipsey continued to fly planes. He got a job as a pilot for Island Creek Coal Company in West Virginia. 

   “He was known to be a great pilot for flying in mountainous areas,” Young said. 

    He also served as a private pilot for several famous people, including original “Today Show” host Dave Garroway, actress Lee Meriwether and former Vice President Hubert Humphrey back when he was a senator. Additionally, Lipsey also flew a camera crew to Puerto Rico for a National Geographic special. 

   Additionally, he opened Lipsey’s Muffler and Tire in Vallejo. The Sonoma Boulevard tire shop was sold to Lipsey’s son in 1990 and still carries his name, although the family no longer owns it, Young said.

   On top of that, Lipsey was a commercial pilot for Eastern Air Lines and operated a transport company out of Oakland International Airport.

   “He’s just done it all,” Young said. 

   After his diagnosis, Lipsey sold his plane, which is currently being housed at the Napa County Airport, but he still has his flight gear and goggles from his war days, Young said.

   Young recalled her father’s proudest moment of when he repaid his commanding officer Steve for a gesture that happened in 1941. Lipsey and his crew, after surviving a mission, were ensconced in a foxhole in Japan. Having lost 42 planes that week, they figured Steve would not return. However, he did return the very next day. 

   “He said to my dad ‘If we survive this, you’ve got to find me a beer at the next place we go,’” Young said. 

   The men eventually did find a place, but Steve only had three coins from three different countries. 

   “My dad kept these coins all these years and gave them back to Steve (the commander) last year,” Young said. “Steve told him, ‘We survived some of the toughest eras of our lives. You’ve had these since the ‘40s. You just keep them.’” 

   Moreover, “His happiest moment was when the war ended,” Young said. 

   Overall, Young sees the trips as a good way for Lipsey to connect with his longtime friends.

   “I’ve learned so much during these trips,” she said. “The men don’t talk about it until they’re together, and then they talk and cry and hug and laugh.”