For Immediate Release

Contact Information:
Stacy McCullough, Sprenger McCullough & Co., 816-221-9716, mobile: 913-927-0128
Edeen Martin, Truman Library & Museum, 816-268-8218

WORLD WAR II VETERANS SHARE THEIR STORIES IN A NEW SATURDAY SPEAKER'S SERIES AT THE TRUMAN PRESIDENTIAL MUSEUM & LIBRARY

First presentation Saturday, February 23 at 10 a.m.

Independence, MO -- February 10, 2002 - "Patriots of War," a new speaker's series at the Truman Presidential Museum & Library will feature World War II veterans and their stories on select Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. All presentations will be held in the Truman Presidential Museum & Library's Whistle Stop Room and light refreshments will be served. The programs are free with museum admission, but seating is limited. For reservations, call the museum special events office at 816-268-8200 ext 254. For more information on the series visit www.trumanlibrary.org.

Glenn Kappelman -- Saturday, February 23, 2002 at 10:00 a.m.
As a gunner with the 106th Armored Cavalry Group, Kappelmann took more than 400 photographs throughout France, Germany and Austria. A documentary based on his photos, "Through My Sights: A Gunner's View of WWII," will be shown during his presentation and offered for sale in the museum store.

Ed Matheny -- Saturday, March 16, 2002 at 10:00 a.m.
Stationed in Tokyo Bay during the occupation of Japan, Matheny served as a Lieutenant on the USS New Jersey. A retired partner of Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin, his new book, "The Pursuit of the Ruptured Duck: When Kansas Citians Went to War," details wartime experiences of many familiar Kansas City residents.

Herman A. Johnson -- Saturday, March 30, 2002 at 10:00 a.m.
A former USAF Major with the Tuskegee Airmen, Johnson is a recognized civic leader on both the local and national levels. His present affiliations include: National NAACP Legal Defense Fund, UMKC Trustees and Jackson County Land Trust. He served two terms in the Missouri House of Representatives and was appointed by the Governor to several state commissions.

Jack Woodson -- Saturday, April 13, 2002 at 10:00a.m.
1st Lieutenant, 17th Ordnance Company (Armored), Woodson arrived in the Philippines in 1941. Three months later, war erupted. His company surrendered to the Japanese in April 1942. During the 3 1 /2 year period as a prisoner of war, he was forced to endure the famous "Death March"-a distance of 70 miles, and internment at camps in the Philippines and Japan.

James P. Meigs & Albert Curley -- Saturday, April 27, 2002 at 10:00 a.m.
Troopers Meigs and Curley served as infantrymen in the 9th Cavalry-also known as the "Buffalo Soldiers." Today they are residents of Junction City, Kansas, and have been instrumental in preserving the "Buffalo Soldier" story.

Presented in cooperation with the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Miller Nichols Library as part of our "Presidential Studies Collection" partnership. For other recollections from WWII, we invite you to visit the web site ""Voices of World War II: Experiences From the Front and at Home".

The Truman Presidential Museum & Library is located at U.S. Highway 24 and Delaware Street in Independence, Missouri. The Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. The Museum is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is $5 for adults, $4.50 for seniors and $3 for children 6-18 years old. For more information, call the 1-800-833-1225 or the web site at www.trumanlibrary.org.

The Harry S. Truman Library is one of ten Presidential Libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration.

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