A Tale of Two Charters: Maulding instrumental in securing second Clearwater American Legion Charter

Don Maulding remembers the day paperwork to charter an American Legion Post in Clearwater arrived from the state post in Lincoln.

He walked from Contois Motors, located where Orval's Auto Service currently sits, to retrieve the mail.

"There was a form to fill out," Maulding said. "We were so anxious to get our post."

He walked back to the garage, reviewed the form and developed a plan of action.

"I started down Main Street, going door to door."

During his walk, he secured signatures from Bernard Harriman, Harold Filsinger, Jarl Carlson, Dean Filsinger, George Uhrenholdt, Joyce Wilcox, LaVern Allen, Donald May, Lynn Smith, Wallace Short, Floyd Neal, Fred Nolze, Harry Graham and Bernard Luben.

They signed the front of the charter paperwork.

An additional list of names, supporting the charter, was also submitted separately at the time. Names listed include R.E. Stevens, Herbert Schuster, Wayne Jaeke, Wayne Switzer, Glenn Wolfe, Benny Prater, Walter Claasen, Wayne Patras and Edward Walter.

Maulding remembers talking with several World War I veterans about the Legion that day also, especially Max Hanson, Earl Flowers and Roy Stevens.

"In approximately two hours, I secured the signatures and the $25 membership fee," he said. "That was a heck of a lot of money then."

That's Maulding's style: don't wait, just do it.

"I was in a rush to get the paperwork signed. I just wanted a Legion."

The lead-up to securing a charter began earlier.

Maulding said, "That's quite a story."

As the bodies of area servicemen returned home, military funerals were requested.

Clearwater didn't have a Legion.

Enter Wayne Jaeke, who trained a group "of eight to 12 guys for a funeral firing squad."

"We'd borrow rifles from Neligh," Maulding said. "We wanted to buy them, but they wouldn't let us because we weren't a Legion Club."

Jaeke and Maulding talked to state Legion officials in Lincoln and kept getting the same message: You can't get the rifles unless you have a post.

Once the paperwork and membership fees were paid, it didn't take long to receive the charter.

The document, viewable online at https://centennial.legion.org/nebraska/post267/gallery/1948-charter is stamped as received on Oct. 11, 1948.

The second endorsement, giving approval, is stamped two days later.

According to Maulding, Jaeke deserves a lot of credit for securing the Legion.

"Caroline probably lost a lot of hours because Wayne gave a lot of the hours he had to the Legion," Maulding said.

American Legion members met monthly.

And there were dinners. Lots of dinners.

"We'd have coon feeds," Maulding said. "One guy would pick all the fat out of the meat and then we'd serve it."

During free days, Legion members would stand out front "all day and night," selling food and drinks.

And, there was entertainment.

Maulding said the group would host shows and put on plays.

"There was always a lot of people there. We did anything we could do to raise money," he said.

"Anything," at one point, included having slot machines.

Maulding said, "A lot of wives wouldn't let their husbands go in the Legion because of that."

Through it all, Maulding credits Legion Post 267 for providing a place for town events, offering a sense of community.

Interestingly, the charter submitted in 1948 is the second charter for a Clearwater Legion Post.

On June 4, 1920, Fred Mitchell, Bud Olds, Henry McDonald, Carl Hemenway, Lionel Grow, William Rogers, Lyle Smith, Harry Harwood, James Prater, Dale Eyman, Glen Miller, John Wulf, Roy Kelly, Harry Graham and Roy Jessup submitted a charter to Earl Cline, department commander of the American Legion.

That charter received approval on June 11, 1920.

Fred Mitchell was elected post commander and Clyde Wells, post adjutant.

The original charter may be viewed online at https://centennial.legion.org/nebraska/post267/gallery/original-charter.

Why do two charters exist?

According to officials at The American Legion - Department of Nebraska, located in Lincoln, many posts shut the doors during the Great Depression.

Clearwater's Post 267 was no exception.

Dues were expensive, people didn't have extra funds to spend on socializing.

Maulding and his group of fellow veterans, part of the Greatest Generation, resurrected the chapter.

Now, Maulding said, "I'm the last one of the charter."

In late March, Maulding, 96, received a certificate for 50 years of membership in the American Legion.

Longtime friends Billy Kruger and Jeannette Bearinger presented the certificate to Maulding at his residence at the Homestead of Norfolk.

"I sure appreciate it," Maulding said.

Maulding received his draft notice on his 18th birthday, while he was in a Norfolk hospital, recovering from an appendectomy.

"I was there 11 days," he said.

He attended basic training at Camp Joseph T Robinson, in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

"At that time, it was eight weeks training," Maulding said, adding that during wartime, basic training took 13 weeks.

"I didn't go overseas. I had all stateside service," he said, noting that he worked as a mail clerk, serving in the infantry, second division, at Ft. Lewis, Washington.

He served his country until January 1947.

He reflected on the new and updated Legion building, currently under construction in Clearwater. He hopes he will be able to visit once the facility is completed.

"I hear it's quite the project, he said.