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1931 – Dedication
– 1968
In the year 1930 the only
Veterans Of Foreign Wars Post in DuPage County
was in the village of Glen Ellyn. Since the post
could not accommodate all DuPage County
veterans, four comrades decided to form a new
post.
Frank Moore, Elmer Taft,
Arthur Berbig and Malcolm Seely met at the home
of Leon “Mac” McClelland in Lombard. There
DuPage Memorial Post 2164 originated. Since
quite a few of the comrades lived in Lombard and
Wheaton, the decision was a hard one to make as
to where the post would have its home. A lengthy
discussion followed, but no decision was
reached. Mac's wife said, “Why not toss a coin?”
The five comrades searched their pockets to no
avail. Frank Moore finally found a coin and the
toss was made. Wheaton won!
Wheaton was to become the site
of a new VFW home and the second in the County
of DuPage. Letters went out to VFW Department of
Illinois and National Headquarters in an attempt
to get a charter for the new post. In June 1931
a long dream was fulfilled. DuPage Memorial Post
2164 was officially installed.
Memorial Park, then known as
the Community House, was the location of the
first meeting. A few years later an option was
taken on ten acres of land at Papworth and
Geneva Roads. The first great test came when
they were ready to build a new post home.
The members could only get a
loan for some of the materials, with labor to be
furnished by the members. Many members worked
for the Aurora and Elgin Railroad who agreed to
furnish railroad ties. Robert Burgeson, a
member, loaned his truck to haul the ties. There
was an old barn at the corner of Park and
Butterfield Roads, and the owner stated he would
donate the stone but the members would have to
take the barn apart.
Construction could begin.
Friendly cooperation, mutual respect and
individual competence were the essential
elements of this teamwork. The work was done on
weekends, with wives serving meals and the
children helping where they could. These
successful efforts took one year. The infant
post took form. The following photo shows the
west end of the original building with the
volunteer workers in front .
This is a view of the east end
of the building under construction.
The next ten years were ones
of many meetings, parties, dances and activities
all held to further the organization. New
members were sought and the post began to grow.
New facts and helping hands brought the post to
1944. In this year the last of the mortgage was
paid.
In 1931 there were 70 members,
in early 1943 there were 56 members. In 1943 WW
II veterans began to join the ranks, swelling
the membership to 356 members in 1946. Then in
1950, war clouds gathered once again this time
Korea, more men joined VFW. In 1956 once again
Americans joined to battle in Vietnam.
There are now few survivors of
the beginning of DuPage Memorial Post 2164, but
in the year 1968 no one should forget the
loyalty and determination of a group of men
whose love of Country helped from DuPage
Memorial Post 2164.
Let us always uphold the
obligations of unselfish comradeship as did our
comrades before us.
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