Preserving History Class Digitizes World War II Scrapbooks
Index of Veterans’ Names
With gratitude, the Preserving History Class of Whitehall High School presents the World War II scrapbooks assembled by Clarence (Chink) H. Johnson, of Whitehall, Wisconsin. He saved every piece of news he could and greeted the returning veterans with clippings of their exploits as well as the clippings of their comrades.
Polio prohibited Chink from active military service. However, during the World War II era, he served as the Trempealeau County Selective Service officer, which involved the conscription of many young men. This burden weighed heavily on him and as a consequence Chink felt that he owed each one of these soldiers an account of their stories.
Chink, a lifelong resident of Whitehall, was born in 1911 and graduated from Whitehall High School in 1928. He was proud to be a member of Whitehall’s first state basketball team. He graduated from LaCrosse Business College with a degree in stenography. Over a career spanning 35 years, Chink also served as Trempealeau County Clerk of Circuit Court and Court Reporter, and Whitehall City Councilman. Chink retired from his work in 1975.
His death in 1984 brought sadness to his wife, Arline; son, Keith Johnson; and daughters, Linda Johnson Hanson and Claire Johnson Nelson. The 2013-2014 Preserving History Class is grateful to the family of Chink Johnson for allowing these books to be digitized and displayed online.
The class is led by Gary Giese, assisted by Pam Sosalla and Barb Sylla. Members of the class assigned to this project include Amanda Southwood, Chandler Johnson, and Chase Kane. The original index was compiled by Julie Fremstad.
The original scrapbooks and index pages are presently housed at the Veterans Services Department in the Trempealeau County Courthouse, Whitehall, Wisconsin.
To search the pages of these scrapbooks use the following link: