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Naperville
Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Curious Curator – An Angel in Our Midst

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Someone asked me about the GI trailer park in Kendall Park located on the southwest corner of Washington Street and 5th Avenue. A man using a metal detector showed me some government issued locks found in Kendall Park that presumably held the trailers in place.

Why would GIs be living in trailers? After the World War II, more than 1,150 veterans returned to Naperville and the surrounding area. The severe housing crunch was discussed and many plans including a 44-unit apartment building were scrapped or delayed.

Miss Angeline Gale, a beloved Naperville high-school teacher, counselor and part-time instructor of international relations at North Central College, was chosen to lead the Naperville Service Organization to assist veterans (so many of whom had been her students) re-enter civilian life.

By the end of June 1946, “fed up with the government red tape” she met with a representative of Home-Ola which made pre-fabricated homes. The homes came to Naperville in boxcars complete with plumbing, wiring, and heating units. Gale developed a plan with local contractors and bankers, many of whom were veterans themselves, to finance and build the structures to get veterans into homes. Pre-fabricated homes went up quickly. One crew boasted their homes were built from basement to roof in 99 hours!

Miss Gales’ successful plan is outlined in the 1947 Congressional Record which exemplifies the “cooperative spirit found on the American frontier when from surrounding areas the neighbors helped.”

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 1947 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD

According to the Record, 28 veterans were in new homes by Christmas and ten were waiting in temporary trailers.

Her success and Naperville’s solutions to the post-war housing crunch were reported in national newspapers and magazines.

Miss Gale, an angel to the returning veterans, received hundreds of letters of thanks and praise for her efforts including one from General Dwight Eisenhower!

The Eisenhower letter commending Miss Gale and Naperville for “selfless contribution to a splendid cause” is located in Collection 100 and is available to read on-line or by appointment at Naper Settlement.

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Bryan Ogg
Bryan Ogg
Bryan Ogg is a local historian and curator of local legend, stories and lore.

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