The History of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1010
Post 1010 Headquarters
Incongruously situated in a residential neighborhood, the Emeryville Veterans Memorial Building at 4321 Salem Street, one block east of San Pablo Avenue, rises above the surrounding houses. Completed in 1931 at a cost of $90,000, the two-story Modem edifice has been the home of Emeryville Industrial Post 1010. Veterans of Foreign Wars, for 60 years.
The Post was originally organized in Livermore in 1922 as the Peter J. Beyers Post. In 1927 it moved to Emeryville and having received a new charter, was renamed Emeryville Industrial Post 1010. Mort W. Sellar, a veteran of the Spanish American War, became the first Emeryville commander. Only 12 veterans showed up for the first meeting at Town Hall in Emeryville, but within two years the membership had swelled to over 500.
During the 1920s, the post performed the traditional task of providing “service and information. to veterans of all wars and their families.” Post 1010 also performed another important function. By 1929 the members had been organized into a force that could cope with local emergencies. The members were divided into companies of 80 men. Each company contained men of diverse trades and occupations. so that in an emergency situation, a “well-organized group of men would be available for any duty.”
Parades and Ceremony
The recruiting success of Post 1010 in the late 1920s attracted the attention of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, and in 1930 they voted to fund the construction of the Emeryville Veterans Building. The City of Emeryville approved of the project and donated a lot on Salem Street for the site. The proposed building was designed by Henry H. Meyers, architect, and George R. Klinkhardt, associate architect. After a parade and much ceremony, the cornerstone was laid in August 1930, and the building was completed seven months later.
The Emeryville Veterans Memorial Building was dedicated on Sunday, February 22, 1931. A crowd of 5,000 participated in the dedication ceremony, which consisted of a parade, a band, speeches, refreshments, and entertainment. The parade featured the Honor Post Drum Corp accompanied by 20 sets of colors. The parade formed in front of the old Emeryville City Hall on Hollis Street, proceeded up Park Avenue, turned south on San Pablo Avenue, continued down to 36th Street, turned around and marched up to 45th Street, turned east on 45th Street, and marched down Salem Street to the Memorial Building.
Alameda County Supervisor Walter Melvin Davis, a strong supporter of Post 1010 and the memorial building project, delivered an eloquent dedication speech in which he paid tribute to local veterans both living and dead.
“The completion of this building marks the final chapter of a long struggle by Post 1010 for the recognition it justly deserves. As a testimonial of my part in that struggle I present this magnificent memorial. dedicated to my comrades of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. On behalf of the board of supervisors and the citizens of Alameda County I present this building to my comrades here today. and may they find contentment within its walls: and to those who sleep where poppies bloom. may they find peace in the eternal post on high.”
The Interior Admired
A 1931 edition of the Emeryville Golden Gate Herald newspaper provides us with a description of the interior of the building as it appeared upon completion.
“Durability. artistic architecture, commodious rooms and convenient arrangement-these are outstanding features of the new building. As one approaches the entrance, he is impressed with the simple but highly effective arrangement. There are two large front doors leading into a capacious foyer and the arrangement of this is in the height of good taste. Inlaid tiling makes the floor distinctive, and this effect is carried on up the stairway to the right to the second floor. To the left as you go in is a club room that fairly oozes comfort and good-fellowship. This room will be furnished in tapestry and will have the most restful furniture obtainable. A large fireplace will add greatly to its cheer. On your right (as you go in) are two offices, one of which will be used by the Building Commissioner himself.
But straight ahead of you is the masterpiece of the building-the auditorium…Commodious stage (which will have the drops, screen and other theatrical paraphernalia), motion picture projection booth, 750 chairs for auditors and spectators-could you ask for anything more? This auditorium is large enough so that you can seat 500 at banquet tables. The floor is excellent and will make an ideal dancing pavilion. Wall and ceiling decorations are artistically done and the entire effect is unusually pleasing…
Well, let’s go on upstairs. Again, we have a spacious lobby, tastefully done. There are two smaller rooms, but the chief thing of interest is Post 1010’s own lodge room at the far end as you finish climbing the stairway. This room will comfortably seat several hundred who will be provided here, and decorations appropriate to the spirit and aims of the Veterans of Foreign Wars will be liberally used.”
Emeryville’s Biggest Social Institution
Post 1010 emerged in the thirties as a major social institution at a time when the city had no churches. According to the bylaws, its purpose was to: “…perpetuate Comradeship among its members, to honor the memory of those who have answered “The Last Muster,” and assist their dependents, foster true Patriotism, and uphold the principles and ideals of Americanism.”
However, the post also functioned as a relief agency and an employment agency during the grim years of the Depression. In 1932, the post established an employment office at the Veterans Memorial Building; its staff encouraged job-seeking veterans to register and then offered to supply local businesses with any type of trained labor. Post 1010 also became involved in a county program to provide food for needy veterans. In order to qualify for the program, a veteran had to be married, have a family, and be recommended by a local fire house or veterans’ organization. In 1932 the Emeryville Golden Gate Herald reported that Post 1010 had:
“…expended thousands of dollars in the relief of destitute and deserving citizens. During the winter of 1930 it served more than 200,000 free meals to American citizens without question, the only requisite being that they be hungry and without work.”
Post 1010 offered its members numerous activities and services in the 1930s. The building had a club room where the veterans gathered to play cards and pool. They could also take advantage of the canteen, which remained open from 9 a.m. until midnight. Members participated in social and athletic activities, including the drum corps, rifle team, baseball, bowling, orchestra, and dancing. Members also took an interest in Emeryville’s youth and for several years sponsored a Boy Scout Troop. 10 The post continued to expand its membership in the 1930s. By 1936 it had become the largest VFW post in the United States, a position it held until 1942.
Post 1010 did not long remain an exclusive preserve for male veterans. In February 1932 it authorized the formation of a Ladies’ Auxiliary, an organization in which wives, daughters, mothers, and sisters of veterans who had served in the Navy, Army, or Marine Corps were eligible to join. Other organizations found sanctuary within the walls of the Veterans Memorial Building in the 1930s, including the American Legion Auxiliary Military Order of Cooties, Native Sons of the Golden West, the Native Daughters of the Golden West, Court Shell Mound, and the Emeryville Industries Association. 12
World War II
The advent of U.S. involvement in World War II disrupted the routine of Post 1010. One post member, Fred Moresi, recalled listening to the radio on December 7, 1941, and hearing for the first time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. As the news came in, he and his buddy got drunk on wine, knowing that the coming war with Japan would be long, violent, and the outcome far from certain. Emeryville’s first casualty was Ensign Jack N. Emery, age 25, the grandson of Joseph Emery, Emeryville’s founder. Emery was killed December 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor.
Post 1010 members experienced many changes during the war years. The relief program received less emphasis, as the post prepared to support the war on the home front. Perhaps the most dramatic change was to see their headquarters converted to a barracks for troops. The Minnesota National Guard, on maneuvers in the Bay Area at the outbreak of the war, stayed for two years in the Emeryville Veterans Building. Bunk beds were set up in the auditorium to accommodate the force of 200 men. Fortunately, the big kitchen had the capacity to feed everyone.
The Minnesota guardsmen became temporary residents of this small town, confiding to VFW Secretary Mary Hanush as an adoptive mother. Marjorie Doyle Vinther, a long-time Emeryville resident, recalls bringing water to the guardsmen as they exercised in the hot sun, prior to going overseas. Their drill field behind Vinther’s house on 61st Street is now the playground of Ralph Hawley School.
Impressive Growth
Membership in Post 1010 increased dramatically during World War II. In 1943 Victor Bartley, a dedicated member, recruited the “astounding total of 1,839 new members from October 1, 1942, to October 1, 1943,” by dint of “hard effort, gasoline and leg-work.” 15 As of September 1943, membership had reached 4,015. By 1944, Post 1010 was the largest post in California. At war’s end its membership totaled 5,072 and included the illustrious Senator William Knowland. While most members worked in Emeryville, the vast majority lived outside the city.
“Buddy Poppies”
The annual “Buddy Poppy” campaign, a VFW tradition since 1922, assumed major importance during the war years. The poppy was a fitting symbol of the U.S. troops who died on the Western Front in 1918, bringing to mind the famous poem by Lieut. Col. John McCrae “In Flanders Fields.”
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row…
Buddy Poppies were artificial flowers assembled by disabled veterans in government hospitals. The crepe paper poppies were purchased by the 3,600 posts situated all over the United States. Post members would then sell the poppies to the general public during the week prior to Memorial Day. Proceeds went to support the VFW National Home and the dependents of ex-servicemen. Every year a National Buddy Poppy Girl was chosen in a contest to make the campaign more interesting. In 1944, this honor fell upon Alexis Smith, “one of Hollywood’s most attractive blue-eyed blondes…”
The Ladies’ Auxiliary VFW also contributed to the home front war effort both by donating blood and by visiting Service Hospitals. The Sisters periodically prepared a “Hospital Box” full of supplies and distributed them to wounded and disabled veterans at local government hospitals, including Oak Knoll Naval Hospital, Livermore Veterans Hospital, and the Yountville Veterans Home. The Hospital Box contained items such as cigarettes, matches, coat hangers, soap, books, games, puzzles, stationery, stamps, playing cards, sheets and pillowcases, shoelaces, men’s clothing, washcloths, toothbrushes and powder, fresh fruit, candy, and home-made cookies. The hospitalized veterans looked forward to these visits and were happy to receive the much-needed gifts.
Emeryville Golden Gate Herald
By World War II Post 1010’s membership exceeded the population of Emeryville, and it attained the distinction of being the city’s largest institution. The many activities of the post and the other veterans’ groups that met in the Veterans Memorial Building needed to be publicized. By 1941 the Emeryville Golden Gate Herald, a local newspaper with an office at 5700 San Pablo Avenue, had become the post’s official organ. The Herald reported the post’s activities, as well as those of all the major East Bay veterans’ organizations. It took a special interest in Post 1010 after the editor of the newspaper, H. A. Jouvenal, became the Post Commander in 1938.
An institution of such size and influence would be expected to play a part in the politics of a small and contentious town like Emeryville, and a few VFW leaders were active as elected officials. Foremost among these was Donald Heinz, who was a two-term city councilman. At his death, his Wife, Dottie Heinz, took his council seat and was re-elected, remaining in office for eight years. She became Emeryville’s first female mayor in 1983 and presided over the beginning of Emeryville’s spectacular growth.
“Here Comes Ten-Ten”
Post 1010 also supported a Drum & Bugle Corp unit, established in 1928 with eight pieces, and reconstituted four years later as a formidable marching band of 48 men. Under the leadership of Drum Major Joe Silla, this unit of dedicated veterans drilled on a regular basis in the Veterans Building Auditorium and at the Emery High School field, perfecting their precision parade maneuvers. According to Fred Moresi, one of the original members. they had the best uniforms and instruments.
“We did not have cheap stuff,” he once recalled. “Those uniforms were real heavy wool–you didn’t need permanent press to keep a crease in those pants.”
The Drum & Bugle Corp. performed on Flag Day, Admission Day, and Armistice Day. as well as performing at the Yountville Veterans Home on various occasions. The Corp also performed at the East-West Shrine game at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco, benefiting the Shriner’s Crippled Children’s Hospital. Its appearance in a parade was an exciting experience, this 1941 article from the Emeryville Golden Gate Herald suggests:
“And there was Ten-Ten in all the glory of the past and army and navy leaders as well as public officials recognized the outfit and through the reviewing stand went the cry. “Here comes Ten-Ten.” And it was the great big maroon and tan outfit of the past, clean, brass aglitter, and that stirring music that brought fame to Ten-Ten over a decade of civic turnout.”
Postwar Decline
When World War II ended in September 1945, Post 1010 had reached the greatest membership in its history, and as the city’s largest institution, it wielded considerable influence. However, the post experienced a decline in membership and a decrease in activities during the period following the war. It could not maintain its variety of programs after a large number of members moved out of the area. The Drum & Bugle Corp disbanded, and the band uniforms and instruments were donated to the Emery High School. The Emeryville Golden Gate Herald, for many years the official organ of the post, ceased publication. Despite the decline in membership and the curtailment of activities, Post 1010 continued to hold meetings and to function as a viable organization.
By the 1970s, a civilian movement emerged that advocated the establishment of a Senior Center at the Emeryville Memorial Building. Proponents argued that the facility was underutilized, especially in the daytime. Both Dolores Fusich, Director of the County Department on Aging, and John George, Alameda County Supervisor. supported the proposal, and the Emeryville Senior Center became a reality in 1977.
Initially, Post 1010 veterans were reluctant to share the building with the seniors, but now, according to Senior Center Directory Mary Payne. the “relationship is quite warm, and a spirit of cooperativeness prevails.” The remaining VFW members, seniors themselves, are pleased that the building is once more the scene of a variety of social and benevolent programs. The seniors are served lunch five days a week and can participate in many activities, including bingo, art classes, dancing, and quilting classes. There are also medical and educational programs and a variety of group tours offered.
“Something to be Proud of”
Post 1010 has had 17,000 members since its inception in 1922. Their names are kept on 4 x 6-inch cards in a file cabinet at the office. Many of the men represented in this file now reside in the “eternal Post on high.” Surviving Post 1010 Veterans might agree with this appraisal, written 60 years ago:
“Certainly, with this fine temple dedicated to patriotism and the men who fought under the Stars and Stripes, every member of Emeryville Industrial Post should feel a little tug of pride at his heart that he has the good fortune to belong to this group of Emeryville live wires.”
Members would also agree with the late Fred Moresi’s statement: “We’ve got a history here. We’ve got something to be proud of.”
Worth a Visit
The Veterans Memorial Building has been well maintained over the decades and remains in good condition. Its only alteration occurred in 1950 when a barroom was added to the south side of the building along with a row of offices on the upper floor.
The City of Emeryville purchased the building in April 1991, paying the County of Alameda the total of one dollar and taking over responsibility for maintenance. The City’s policy is to continue the use of the building as a Senior Center, while encouraging wider use of this community resource. In the early 1980s. the Emeryville Neighborhood Improvement Association packed the hall annually with local residents and fed them innumerable platters of cooked crab. The auditorium remains available for civic and private events at very reasonable rates.
This story originally published in 1996 for the Emeryville Centennial Celebration and compiled into the ‘Early Emeryville Remembered’ historical essays book.
