Oscar Theodore Bentrup...

O. T. Bentrup was born in St. Joseph, Missouri on June 15, 1920 to Alfred C. and Mary Elizabeth Hermesmeyer Bentrup, and passed away on November 30, 2010, at his home in Belle Prairie, Illinois.  He was preceded in death by his parents and all of his siblings: Raymond, Maurice, Alfred (Dutch), Dorothy, Lloyd, and Donald.  He worked as a brakeman, and then as a conductor on the CB&Q Railroad (later the Burlington Northern) from 1940 to 1982, except for the years during World War II when he served in the Third Marine Division.  During his time in the Pacific he fought in the invasions of Bougainville, Guam, and Iwo Jima. 

He married Patricia Ann DuLany in St. Joseph, Missouri on November 6, 1949 at the Zion United Church of Christ, where both remained members.  Patricia survives, along with daughters Susan Johnson (David N.) of Dahlgren, and Jill Heffernan (James P.) of St. Louis; grandchildren Stephanie Heffernan of Columbia, Missouri, Joshua Heffernan and Cora Heffernan of St. Louis, and Ezekiel Johnson of Brookfield, Illinois.

In the top photo we see O.T. on his final run for the Burlington Northern Railroad.

This photo was taken on Ray's wedding day in 1932.  Ray is the tall one on the left.  Lloyd, in front of Ray, died from wounds received on the USS Colorado during the shelling of Tinian in 1944.

Maurice, who was in the SeaBees visited O.T. on Guadalcanal.  I don't know if this photo was taken before or after the Bougainville campaign.

O.T. with his younger daughter Jill, in 1957.

Daughter Susan, O.T., and Pat, with dogs Teddy and Liza, planting another tree on the farm.

Final Figures Published By Soldiers' Angels!

Soldiers' Angels has posted the final results for the special fundraising competition for Project Valour-IT, and the numbers are impressive!  Project Valour-IT and Soldiers' Angels need contributions year-round, so if you weren't able to contribute during the competitive fundraiser, don't despair!  You can click on the links for Soldiers' Angels or Valour-IT on the left side of this page to make a contribution anytime.  Our servicemen and women are laying their lives on the line for us every day, so please send them a little love once in a while.

Ruger's "History of the Gun," Parts 3, 4, and 5

These three videos from RugerFirearms fit very well together and bring firearms up through the muzzleloading era.  I am old enough that during grade school, my teachers read stories to us of people using muzzleloading firearms, with descriptions good enough that you could have gone out and shot one if you had never seen one before.  I can remember one teacher reading to us from Laura Ingalls' books about Pa casting bullets at the fireplace in their cabin because he thought that Indians might attack them.  I don't think teachers are reading stories like these to kids today, if they take the time to read at all in the classroom.  I was lucky; I had four teachers during my grade school years that read every day to the class, and that greatly increased my desire to read books myself...and to shoot muzzleloaders.  Thank You, Ruger, for posting these great videos!

Tomorrow's Monday, And You Know What That Means...

Back To The Old Grind!

Not My Victrola

EdmundusRex posted this delightful Ben Bernie record for us to enjoy.  How often do you hear "Hollyhocks" used in a rhyme?  The title made this one irresistible to me, and it is an added bonus to listen to a new song from my dad's favorite band.

Weekend Steam

This is nice little slide show of photos taken nearly fifty years ago, and shared with us by Strobx1, the little boy in the pictures.

Here are Strobx1's notes about the photos from his YouTube site:  View a slide show with big band music and see GTW Pacific type 4-6-2 #'s 5627 and 6323 In Muskegon Michigan in 1957 and August of 1961. See the 6323 as it travels east bound along Laketon Avenue towards Simpson Jct. The 6323 will cross Laketon Ave then head south to "Shaw Jct" where it will head East on the Pennsylvania tracks (The GTW used the PRR to gain access to Muskegon) to Marne MIch where it will join the Grand Haven line at "Penn Jct". Then east to Grand Rapids crossing the Grand River and ending up at Durand Mich. The 5627 had a famous sister. Dick Jensen's 5629 which was one of the main steam excursion engines along with steamer off the CB&Q. An unresolved dispute between Metra and Mr Jenson resulted in Metra scrapping the 5629. See the 5629 in service and it's scrapping at the Metra Blue Island (ex Rock Island Yard). I was only three years old at the time the 1957 photos were taken.I do not remember these. But I do remember the 6323 in August of 1961. Liability was NOT an issue and my Dad & I were free to climb all over the engine. My Dad asked permission to do so. He received it. Likely because the GTW guys knew the PM/C&O guys.The whole experience was frightening for a 7 year old child. My dad stepped on a floor pedal and the "Butterfly" firebox doors swung open. He asked me to look inside. The heat was unbearable in this white hot coal fire. I was scared. If that weren't enough, we climbed on the tender. When I got to the rear platform, The engineer blew two LOUD whistle blasts, then started to move with my Dad & I on the tender. Now I was REALLY scared. But he stopped after about 10 feet to blow water out of the cylinder cocks. We lived a 1/2 mile from the Pennsy. So my Dad wanted me to listen, When he heard the 6323 coming he said "Remember this sound because you'll never hear this sound again!" Steam had died on August of 1961 according to my Dad. That was my only experience with steam until we saw the ex Southern Mikado 2-8-2 #4501 in Birmingham Alabama.. This time I wasn't scared!

Crankin' It Up

This is not the song I expected when I pulled it out of the record cabinet. I was thinking that it was "All Alone, By The Telephone" as sung by John McCormack; but this is a delightful novelty song that would have fit well on the Vaudeville stage. It was recorded on April 5, 1911 by Ada Jones (Soprano), and Walter Van Brunt (Tenor). The original owners of this disc dearly loved it, and played it to death with old needles. The old Brunswick was making boiler room noises near the end of the song, but hey, it's authentic, it's educational, and it's free.

Bonus!!! Pax41 has posted the song I was thinking about when I saw the title:

While You Have The Family Together...

...Print out the rules and a bunch of targets for the Mr. Completely November e-Postal Match, and share some shooting with your brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandkids, and anyone else who shows up for dinner.  This month you are shooting at 25 yards, but it is a big bullseye, and everyone should make some points.  Every entry is a chance to win a $50 gift certificate from Cheaper Than Dirt, a fine store offering superb online service to shooters.  Cheaper Than Dirt is also sponsoring a season long Zombie Shooting Contest, which is listed in the Get Out and Shoot section on the left side of this page. 

This is the last e-Postal shoot of 2010, so be sure you enter; you know you need the practice!

Nobody Has Said It Better...

"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789." G. Washington

Got Punctuation?

The Mrs. noticed this sign while I was gassing up a recently, and asked me if I wanted to win a boatload of candy cigarettes. I wasn't interested, but just in case you want to be a winner, this place is on Broadway in Mt. Vernon, Illinois.