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Findlay resident and nationally-published author, Dan Guillory visits Rotary - 05/18/2006 Shelbyville Daily Union
The inspiration for Wartime Decatur came when Guillory uncovered a treasure trove of previously undiscovered WWI documents and photographs in a locked chest in the rear of the Decatur Library Local History Room. In the hands of Guillory, the materials came to life once again, as he researched and read of events in Decatur that occurred during the Civil War and WWI. Guillory commented, “After the battles of Shiloh and Antietam, the war dead totaled more than in Viet Nam. Over 50,000 people died in three days. In Shiloh, the bodies were so numerous, you could literally walk for a mile without touching the ground. The wounded were sent back North and through Decatur, but unfortunately there were no service organizations in place to care for the war wounded.” That is where a kind lady named Jane Johns comes into the picture. “Johns started the Decatur Canteen and served soldiers with coffee, biscuits, and pickles, and offered them dry socks. “Having a simple thing like a pair of clean, dry socks and a hot biscuit made for a tremendous boost in morale,” said Guillory. The Decatur Canteen continued to operate through WWII and became a local landmark, fostering Decatur as a “City of Hospitality.”. Guillory was recently recognized by the Decatur Historical and Architechtural Sites Commission with an award for Educational Achievement for raising cultural awareness of overlooked historical sites. Guillory joked, “When it came in the mail, I thought it was for a delinquent parking ticket. I was really honored to receive it.” Guillory grew up in a bilingual (French-English) family in Louisiana and attended college there earning his Ph.D. at Tulane. Guillory went on to enjoy a 37-year academic teaching career as English professor at Tulane, Louisiana State, University of Wisconsin and primarily at Millikin, where he currently holds the title of Professor Emeritus. He also taught for a year as a Fulbright professor in Gabon, West Africa. Of topical interest, the author also had an interesting side note to the war with Mexico. “Who was the only congressman who opposed the war? It was Abraham Lincoln. He demanded to be shown exactly where Santa Anna had breached U.S. territory. He was booed off the floor.” Guillory also mentioned that Decatur’s claim to technological fame was not just in agricultural machinery. “Decatur also had four distilleries, not because of a booming alcohol consumption, but because it was cheaper to ship grain in liquid form. Hieronymous Mueller invented the self-tapping water valve which made a lot of money and brought other businesses to Decatur. 100 years later, it is still considered state-of-the-art,” added Guillory. His latest book delves into the WWII scene in Decatur. One item of note is a 12 minute film entitled “Jalopies on Parade” which encouraged people to donate their junk cars to be turned into military machinery. Guillory’s insightful and historically revealing books are published by Arcadia Publishers and are available at WaldenBooks, Novel Ideas, and Haines & Essick Co. in Decatur. In Shelbyville at Finks Jewelry. |
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