Justin Fladd’s Global Studies 10 students at Newark High School March 21st learned some interesting facts about Newark history they hadn’t previously known much, if anything about related to their studies on WWII.
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Fladd arranged a gallery walk exhibit station in the NHS library for his classes where they learned:
• There had been a German Prisoner Of War camp in Newark one of four in Wayne County.
“Newark, along with Clyde and Sodus, had German POW camps and Marion had an Italian POW camp. They were established during WWII. In Newark, the location of the camp was where the Alex Eligh Community Center stands today on East Avenue,” Fladd said.
“The POW camp existed from 1944-1946 where there were more than 100 German POWs lived and six days a week were bussed to local farms and factories to work. Five thousand men enlisted to join the military during WWII from Wayne County, so the towns needed labor from the POW camps for the farms and factories.”
As part of that station, students learned more about the POW camps from someone who wrote a book about them, 90-year-old Annette Harris, who worked at Kelley School as a library assistant from 1981-1991.
She wrote two books on local history: “Small Beginnings - A Story of Newark, New York” published in 1986 and “World War II Prisoner of War Camps In Wayne County, New York And Their Prisoners” published in 2004. Always fascinated by history, Harris who loves to read, worked with the late Bob Hoetzel (former Arcadia Town Historian) and Chris Davis (current Executive Director of Newark-Arcadia Historical Society) to write both her books.
“To see the shocked look on the faces of my students when they learned that over 100 German POWs were imprisoned in their village made it all worth it. Listening to them interact with Annette made my day. They hung on to her every word and asked very in-depth questions. Annette thought the world of our students and they couldn't speak more highly of her,” Fladd said.
“I absolutely loved meeting your students,’ Harris told Fladd afterward. “They were thoughtful, kind, and respectful. The students at Newark did an amazing job asking me very in-depth and intriguing questions. I truly enjoyed sharing the stories behind the camps and my research process to write the book. In many instances, the students had no previous knowledge that there were actually POWs in Newark.
• Twenty seven Newark area men, of the 5,000 from Wayne County that enlisted during WWII, who made the ultimate sacrifice and never returned home. Fladd had a copy of the 1945 edition of the Newark Courier Gazette on display that shared the names and faces of those men and how and when each man died.
• More about The Rear Admiral Leslie E. Gehres Memorial Exhibit in the NHS library that include Rear Admiral Gehres’ Navy Cross and his World War II Victory Medal.
Gehres’ accomplishments were many, but certainly his greatest _ the one that captured the attention of the world and the national media in 1945 _ was when he served as captain of the U.S. aircraft carrier, the USS Franklin.
On March 19, 1945, when the ship was 60 miles off the eastern coast of Japan, it was attacked by Japanese aircraft. More than 1,000 members of the crew of 3,000 were immediately killed or injured and with the ship extensively damaged and in danger of sinking or capsizing, then Captain Gehres refused to abandon it and rescued more than 300 sailors trapped below deck and safely removed the injured to other ships. The direct bomb hit caused the ship to burn for 15 hours and with the number of casualties, it was one of the worst U.S. Naval disasters at sea. Amazingly, Captain Gehres was also able to save the damaged ship and bring it back over 12,000 miles through enemy waters to the Brooklyn Navy Yard with a skeleton crew of 704.
Gehres also was responsible for driving the Japanese out of the Aleutian Islands in World War II. He was promoted to the rank of Commodore for his leadership skill in this campaign _ a rank that had not been given to any Navy officer since the War of 1812 when Commodore Oliver Perry chased the British out of Lake Erie.
Thanks to the exhaustive efforts by late Dr. William J. Stewart before his death in 2016, his hometown finally honored _with the dedication of a monument outside and the opening of a historical exhibit inside Newark High School September 28, 2002, the memory of Gehres who served his country with distinction and valor and who arguably is one of the greatest heroes of World War II.
A retired University of Cincinnati College of Education professor emeritus, Stewart, who had lived in Florida with wife, Eleanor _ and who wrote “A Call To Duty” about this extraordinary man _ doggedly determined Gehres would not be forgotten and that he would have the prominent place in local history he deserves.
Born in Newark in 1898, Leslie Gehres and his sisters attended Newark schools with Stewarts’ mother for a time before they moved to Rochester in 1912. Gehres left school and enlisted in 1914.
What did the students think of their unique history lesson March 21st?
Ethan Klock - I was shocked that a POW camp had existed in Newark without current traces. You wouldn't even know. I truly believe it's important to keep veterans’ memories alive and to always talk about them or take inspiration from their dedication.
Jimmy Pelligrini - I enjoyed finally learning and knowing the context behind the Leslie Gehres display in the library. I was shocked to learn that Nazi soldiers were just imprisoned in the middle of Newark. After learning about Newark during WWII, I will be honoring veterans by making sure their story is always remembered.
Maggie Lynch - I loved learning about the town I live in! I was shocked to learn how many people from Wayne County served in WWII.
Gabby Baker - I really enjoyed talking with Annette and hearing her first hand experiences writing her book. She was so kind and knowledgeable. To honor a veteran I am going to lay some flowers on a soldier's grave.
Sakurako Weigand - I enjoyed listening to Annette Harris speak about her book and what she loves. I'm still shocked to learn that Newark had its own Nazi prisoner-of-war camp.
And what about Fladd?
“I strive daily to make history more "real" for my students by connecting the content and curriculum to something more meaningful to them. Teaching in Newark gives me a great opportunity, with its rich WWII history, to make that connection. They were amazed and intrigued by what they learned.”
A Surprise And Mystery Solved
90-year-old Annette Harris, a local author and history buff, shared some interesting local history recently with 10th grade Global Studies teacher Justin Fladd’s classes.
But in the process, she was both greatly surprised and delighted to learn something about her late husband, John, who taught math at Newark High School from 1963 to 1988, that she hadn’t known about and it also solved a mystery NHS Math teacher Shannon Hersh had been wondering about for some time.
Harris, who was born in Dresden moved to Newark in the 1960s, worked as a library assistant at Kelley School from 1981-1991 and wrote two books on local history: “Small Beginnings - A Story of Newark, New York” published in 1986 and “World War II Prisoner of War Camps In Wayne County, New York And Their Prisoners” published in 2004.
She came to NHS March 18th to meet Fladd and discuss what she would be talking about in the high school library to his students March 21st.
“As we walked into the library, Shannon Hersh was there making copies for an upcoming lesson. I still have no idea why, but I asked her if she knew that Newark during WWII was home to a German POW camp. She had no idea and then I mentioned that Annette wrote a book about it. I also told her Annette's late husband, John Harris, taught math at NHS for 25 years. Mrs. Hersh had a shocked look on her face and told Annette that she would be right back and had something to show us.
“She dashed out of the library and came back with a piece of her desk drawer on which John Harris had written some messages about when he began teaching and on his last day of teaching in 1988. Mrs. Hersh was surprised to learn she uses the same desk he did for his entire teaching career. Before that she didn’t know who he was and or anyone at NHS who knew him.
“And Annette's face was filled with joy when she saw her late husband’s writing. It was an amazing experience for all of us,” Fladd continued. “I still have goosebumps thinking about it right now and it's something that I will never forget. Whether one believes in a higher power, fate, or the pure randomness of the world, what happened that day in the Newark High School library was nothing short of magical.”
After Hersh met Annette Harris March 18th, she curiously looked on the undersides of the other drawers in her desk and found he had written a few more musings on them. She showed them to Harris March 21st when she came to the school to speak and again, Harris, Hersh and Fladd and were delighted.
Hersh called the experience “remarkable” and said meeting Annette was an absolute joy. It was powerful moment to see her recognize his handwriting. It was a hello from heaven from John.”