Pictures of the following past commanders of VFW Post 1037 in Waupaca are still needed: Harvey Peterson, Orville Handrich, Lester Thomack, Robert L. Sommerfeldt, John Chalstrom, Walter Webster, LeRoy Haberkorn, Alvin Springsteen, Randolf Hansen, fred Weidenhoft, and John Miller.

Those who have pictures of these past commanders are asked to call Steve DeHamer at Framing by Preston in Waupaca at 715-256-9382. Reprints will be made and the originals returned.

Steve DeHamer of Framing by Preston(left) and Al Wickham of VFW Post 1037 in Waupaca hold a frame filled with pictures of past commanders of the post. The two men collaborated on the project and continue to seek the pictures of past commanders. (Angie Landsverk Photo)

(Click on photo for larger image)

Past VFW Commanders Remembered

ARTICLE BY WAUPACA COUNTY POST STAFF WRITER ANGIE LANDSVERK

WAUPACA - Pictures of the 30-some different men who have served as commander of VFW Post 1037 are now being displayed at the post's wall.

"I came up with the idea. Steve (DeHamer of Framing by Preston in Waupaca)helped bring it to fruition," said Al Wickham, who is a member of the post. "It's been a year and a half on the project so far."

A member of the post since 1987, Wickham explained why he decided to take on the project of finding pictures of those who served as commander.

"Someone on a whim had put up four individuals on card board. They weren´t identified. The new people didn´t know who they were. I took it down and started this," he said.

The "this" that Wickham referred to involved working to acquire pictures of past commanders of the post.

He found some of the pictures in photo albums that belong to the post.

In other instances, Wickham contacted those who had previously served as commander. In some cases he had to contact relatives of post commanders who are deceased.

DeHamer is Wickhams taxidermist, and so, they began working together on how to best frame thepictures.

That part of the project began about 2 months ago.

In spite of not yet being able to obtain pictures of every man who has served as commander of the post since it began in 1945, the frames filled with pictures of post commanders were recently hung

on a wall at the hall.

Ten 5-inch by 7-inch pictures can fit on each panel, and they are numbered so that those who look at the pictures will not only see the names of the commanders but the years they served in that capacity.

Two other frames were made for future growth.

"I just got to the point where I couldn´t wait until we had all the pictures," Wickham said in their decision to hang up the pictures now.

Their hope is that it will trigger finding pictures of other past commanders.

Messages for Wickham can be left with DeHamer at Framing by Preston.

DeHamer will put people in touch with Wickham, who will then have reprints made of the pictures. He also has been keeping an extra copy of each picture at his home to make sure they preserve the information.

There are about 200 members in the post, and Wickham said it feels great to have much of the project completed.

"I really like it. It´s exactly how I pictured," he said.

DeHamer said it was an honor to be a part of the history of the post.

Wickham said the post does much to help the community, including helping the families of veterans serving in Iraq and doing yard work each fall at the homes of older veterans.

"We get to know so many people," he said."And, I just thought these guys deserved more than a piece of cardboard on the wall."