The Emporia Gazette

February 14, 2012

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Jim Meeks stood on the lawn of White Auditorium Saturday afternoon and let the wind blow through his shirt sleeves.

“So much time has passed, yet I can still see Emporia how it was in ’45,” Meeks, a Florida resident, said during the William Allen White Children’s Book Awards celebration. “It’s really special to be here today.”

Meeks was one of three crewmen of the B-29 Flying Superfortress named after White. Mayor Julia Johnson presented Meeks, Gin Wong of Los Angeles and Karl Samuels of Slidell, La., with a proclamation declaring it their day.

Wong said the visit brought closure to his military service and a chance to thank Emporia residents for the opportunity to represent White during World War II. The men also toured the White home before returning to Wichita.

White, who died in 1944, never met the 11-member crew when they visited in 1945. Prior to the war, White chaired the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies, which lobbied for Lend Lease and Bundles for Britain in an effort to avoid America’s entry into the European conflict.

After December 7, 1941, White, like most Americans, favored our entry into the war. White’s death on Kansas Day, January 29, 1944 moved most Kansans and many Americans to think of ways to honor his contribution to American discourse. The war effort became one avenue. A Liberty Ship and the B-29 Flying Superfortress were named in his honor.

The celebration also presented this year’s winning authors — Andrew Clements who wrote “The Report Card” and Sarah Weeks, author of “So B. It” — with the White medal and a check for $2,500.

Read more about the crew and the award ceremony in Monday’s Gazette.