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Note: Eugene Julius Kuhn was born January 12, 1916 at the New Fairmount Maternity Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri. His biological mother was Emma Dudenhaus from Carroll County, Missouri; and his birth name was Tom Dudenhaus. On January 31, 1
Note: 916, he was adopted by Emil J. and Lydia S. Kuhn. (Sarah Lydia Kelso) It Took a Day to Get the Story, But It Took Him a Year to Get the Girl This is about a reporter who went out to get a story and got himself a wife. It's about a romance which began one July afternoon in 1940 in Horton's Civic Center and culminated in a marriage ceremony in July this year at Kansas City. The second annual Mother's Vacation Camp of Atchison County farm women here this week recalls the scene of that beginning. To set an exact date, let's say July 31, 1940. It was a hot day, much like Wednesday of this week. The reporter was Gene J. Kuhn, at that time newsman for The Headlight. That Wednesday afternoon he walked down to the Civic Center to "cover" the Mother's Camp, then in progress. In order to get his story, he interviewed Atchison County's young home demonstration agent, Miss Alice Ruth Gulick, just fresh out of Kansas State College and in her first month on the job. Having a reporter's instinct, Kuhn "followed up" that first meeting, but for purposes other than editorial. He returned to the camp site Thursday and made arrangements for a second interview, to take place Saturday night under more sociable circumstances. Other "dates" followed that first Saturday night meeting. Throughout August, the young couple saw each other often -- although the fact she worked in Effingham and he in Horton made these engagements less frequent than they might otherwise have been. In mid-September, Kuhn returned to the University of Kansas at Lawrence -- a move that added even more distance to their handicap. By February, when he got his K. U. sheepskin, Gene also had got a fiancee. Upon finishing his college work, he took a job with the United Press at Kansas City. Miss Gulick still was on the job with the farm bureau units of Atchison County -- and to the best knowledge of her constituents -- was still an eligible young woman. This spring, Kuhn applied for and obtained the job of publicity director for the National Youth Administration in Kansas. After that a wedding date was set and the marriage performed in Kansas City, July 2, 1941. Upon announcing to Atchison County that she intended to put her home demonstration training to practical use, Miss Gulick made arrangements to stay on the job until September 1. Then she'll leave Effingham and join her husband at Topeka. So this week at the Civic Center, it has been Mrs. Kuhn, instead of Miss Gulick. For it took less than a year for the first "How do you do," to become an "I do." And about that hot day last July. We forgot to tell you that Kuhn, being a good reporter, got the story, too. Source: Horton Headlight, July, 1941 ______________________________________________________________________ ____________ Military Service: Commissioned September 20, 1942, entered active service October 5, 1942, Princeton, New Jersey. He served as Gunnery Officer and Executive Officer. Stationed aboard the following ships: SS Maltran, Freighter - sunk July 5, 1943 - torpedoed - U. S. Navy Armed Guard SS Joseph Wheeler, Liberty Ship - Launched at ADDSCO, October 11, 1942. This ship was sunk by enemy action at Bari, Italy, on December 2, 1943 - bombed by German aircraft. Dad was on shore at the time of the bombing, due to return about two hours after the time of the bombing. Everyone on board was killed. - U. S. Navy Armed Guard SS Joseph H. Hollister - U. S. Navy Armed Guard USS Grafton, APA 109 USS Merrimack, AO37 -- Dad was in Tokyo bay aboard this ship in October, 1945 when I was born. He was discharged from active duty December 9, 1945. He again entered active service November 30, 1950 during the Korean War. Stationed in Sasebo, Japan. Discharged December 8, 1953. Entered active service again during the Vietnam War, January 26, 1968, and discharged December 30, 1969. Dad arrived in Vietnam about two weeks after I left Saigon, in April, 1968. He was stationed at MACV Headquarters, Saigon. Awarded the Bronze Star and Joint Service Commendation Medals. The following two newspaper articles appeared after the sinking of the SS Maltran: U-Boat Sinks U.S. Vessel Without Surfacing Ship's Gunners Get No Chance at Caribbean Raider NORFOLK, Va., July 17(AP) -- A small American merchant ship been torpedoed and sunk in the Caribbean Sea by a submarine which cheated the vessels' armed-guard crew of a chance to fire at it by remaining below the surface. Five Navy gunners who were rescued in their lifeboat by another vessel three hours after they abandoned ship told a public relations officer here that the armed guard crew remained at the guns as long as possible, but did not get a glimpse of the U-boat. The gunners reported that the ship's entire merchant crew of thirty-five and the gun crew of twelve were saved. Other survivors were landed at Miami. Sub Sinks Small U.S. Cargo Ship WASHINGTON, July 17 (AP). - The Navy reported today that a small U. S. merchant vessel was torpedoed and sunk by an enemy submarine in the Caribbean early in July. Survivors landed at Miami and Norfolk. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------ The following article appeared in the Olathe Mirror the latter part of October or first part of November 1945 -- LIEUT. E. J. KUHN NOW IN TOKYO Liet. E. J. Kuhn, USNR, finally succeeded in reaching Tokyo, goal of the Pacific campaign, on board the USS Merrimack. Lieutenant Kuhn's wife, the former Alice Ruth Gulick, and their daughter, Lydia Jean, and small son, Pete Jay, are at present residing with Mrs. Gulick's parents, Mrs. William Gulick in Olathe. The Merrimack, a fleet oiler, was originally scheduled to enter Tokyo Bay with other units of Admiral William F. Halsey's 3rd Fleet, but at the last minute was ordered to pump out her cargo of fuel oil to a group of carriers, cruisers, and battlewagons and return to her base in the Western Caroline Islands -- to the disappointment of her officers and men. ______________________________________________________________________ ____________ Former Bee reporter Kuhn dies at 86 Navy veteran's service in three wars won him several honors. By Louis Galvan The Fresno Bee Eugene "Gene" J. Kuhn, a retired Fresno Bee reporter and Navy veteran of three wars, died Saturday at Saint Agnes Medical Center. He was 86. "He started having a lot of health problems about two years ago," his widow, Ruth said Tuesday. Mr. Kuhn started with The Bee on Sept. 3, 1963, and retired on Feb. 9, 1981. In between, as a lieutenant commander with the U.S. Naval Reserve, Mr. Kuhn took a military leave of absence from The Bee in January 1968 to serve one tour of duty in Vietnam and left in May 1969 for a second Vietnam tour. Mr. Kuhn also was a Navy veteran of World War II and the Korean War. He was awarded numerous honors and decorations during his military service, including: - Naval Reserve Medal. - American Theater Medal. - European-African Theater Medal. - Asiatic-Pacific Theater Medal with stars for the Okinawa campaign and the carrier strikes against the coast of Japan. - World War II Victory Medal. - Japan Occupation Medal. - National Defense Service Medal. - Korean Service Medal with two stars. - United Nations Service Medal. - Bronze Star for his tour in Vietnam. His military background helped to keep him on top of events involving Fresno's Air National Guard base, the Lemoore Naval Air Station and Castle Air Force Base. He covered military units on assignment, including reporting on the Watts riots in Los Angeles and on military operations in Florida. "He really enjoyed doing the stories out of Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida when the Air National Guard went there for training." his widow said. Mr. Kuhn also covered labor for many years for The Bee, earning a reputation for fairness and accuracy, which included plaudits from management and unions when he retired. He also served on contract negotiating committees for the The Newspaper Guild, representing Fresno Bee newsroom employees. "He was a solid hand," recalled George Gruner, who was Mr. Kuhn's city editor for many years and who was The Bee's executive editor when he retired in 1988. "He was a crackerjack reporter." Mr. Kuhn's hobbies included collecting Japanese woodblock prints and books, photography, boating and collecting stamps. "He had about 11 albums of stamps," his widow said. ((actually about 17 albums -- 6 Piscasso topical and 11 U.S. commerative plate blocks)) Mr. Kuhn was born in Kansas City, Mo., on Jan. 12, 1916. He attended junior high and high school in Junction City, Kan., and received his college education at the University of Kansas. Before joining The Bee, he worked as a reporter for the San Jose Mercury News and as a "rewrite man" and reporter for the Stockton Record. Before coming to California, he worked as a reporter for the Olathe (Kan.) Mirror and as managing editor of the Kansas Government Journal. He was married July 2, 1941. "We met while he was working on a story," his widow recalled Tuesday. In addition to his widow, Mr. Kuhn is survived by a son, Peter Jay Kuhn of Michigan; a daughter, Lydia Jean Kuhn of Fresno; and three grandchildren. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the Stephens & Bean Chapel. Remembrances may be sent to the Friends of the Fresno County Library, 2420 Mariposa St. Fresno, CA 93721. The reporter can be reached at igalvan@@fresnobee.com or 441-6139. Source: The Fresno Bee, 27 February 2002. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------ EUGENE "GENE" J. KUHN Born in Kansas City, MO, on January 12, 1916. Gene passed away on February 23, 2002, at the age of 86. He joined the Fresno Bee in September, 1963, where he was a reporter and feature writer in the fields of labor, military, energy and aviation. He retired from the Fresno Bee in March 1981. Gene graduated from the University of KS, at Lawrence in 1941 with a BA in Journalism. He entered the U.S. Navy and was commissioned as an Ensign. Gene served his country in WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He received a Bronze Star and a Joint Service Commendation Medal for his service in Vietnam. He retired from the US Naval Reserves in 1968, at the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Gene spent most of his non-military career in the field of journalism. He was assistant to the managing editor of the Olathe Mirror in Olathe, KS, City Editor of the Champaign-Urbana Courier, Rewrite Man at the Stockton Record and a reporter for the San Jose Mercury News. Gene was a member of Sigma Delta Chi, Past President Navy League, Past Commander Military Order of World Wars, and member of Retired Officers. Gene is survived by his wife of 60 years Ruth, daughter Lydia of Fresno, son Peter and daughter in law Yoke-Chun of Rochester Hills, MI, and three grandchildren. Remembrances may be made to Friends of the Fresno County Library, 2420 Mariposa St., Fresno, CA 93721 Stephens & Bean Chapel 202 N. Teilman, Fresno (559) 268-9292 Lic. #11 Source: The Fresno Bee, 28 February 2002 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------ Pastor D. Kevin Smith officiated at the funeral service, and the two songs sung were: Amazing Grace and The Navy Hymn. An eleven man military honor guard was provided by Lemoore Naval Air Station for the burial service. ______________________________________________________________________ ____________ The following information was part of Dad's application for commission in the U. S. Naval Reserve: "Immediately following graduation, February, 1941, I was employed in the Kansas City, Mo., bureau of the United Press as an apprentice newsman. I disliked the desk work connected with a wire service, and I had made application with the now defunct Kansas City Journal for a reporter's job. However, I was recommended to Miss Anne Laughlin, state NYA administrator, for a position as information or publicity director by Mr. Ray Runnion, former editor of the Journal, and after an interview I took over my present duties April 28, 1941. As administrative officer in charge of information for the National Youth Administration for Kansas, I prepare news releases, occasional radio transcriptions and broadcasts, write informational reports and pamphlets, schedule motion pictures of NYA films, check on publicity photographs, arrange exhibits for fairs, conventions, and meetings. I should be glad to furnish samples and photographs of my work. I recently purchased a press type camera and can take photographs for publicity work. My salary at the present time is $2,100 annually. (1) Other information concerning qualifications not shown above, including languages in which proficient As may be noted from the enclosed transcript of my college record, I have had 10 credit hours of German. However, I am not proficient either in reading or speaking the language. Further study would be necessary. My foster father's full name was Emil Julius Kuhn. To the best of my knowledge he was a natural born citizen of the United States. I believe the place of his birth was Galveston, Texas. Although I have no actual records, I understand that his parents died soon after coming to this country from Germany, and that he and a brother were raised and educated by friends of his parents. He served in the United States Army, and was employed as a locomotive carpenter at the Union Pacific railroad shops in Junction City, Kansas. He died at St. Marys hospital, Kansas City, Missouri, in 1926. My foster mother's full maiden name was Lydia Sarah Kelso. She was born at Delphos, Kansas. Her father, James Kelso, was a veteran of the Civil War, and maintained a residence at Skiddy, (Morris Co.), Kansas, for many years before his death. My mother and a foster half-sister reside at 208 East 16th Street, Junction City, Kansas. My mother owns the lot and a small house in which she resides. She has resided in Junction City for at least the past 23 years. I decided on newspaper work as a career while still in high school, and I have found it very interesting. While I should prefer some branch of Naval public relations, I would perfom any duties assigned to me to the best of my ability. (j) Complete statement of all business and professional experience (give dates, names of employers, etc). From about September, 1934, to September, 1935, I was employed on a part-time basis as a reporter for the Junction City, Kas., Daily Union, covering both sports and general news. There was very little renumeration for this work, the idea being that I gain reporting experience. I had been promised, verbally, a full-time job as telegraph editor of the paper. However, I could see little future on a small-town paper, and I left in September, 1935, to enter the University of Kansas. I worked under Mr. Lee Rich, city editor. During the school year, 1938-39, I was employed as an assistant in the K. U. News Bureau, publicity office of the University of Kansas. This was on a part-time basis, since I also was attending class. The salary averaged about $40 a month, enough to pay subsistence and incidental expenses. My employer was Mr. Ray Heady, now a member of the journalism faculty at the University of Oklahoma. My duties consisted of writing news releases from material gathered from the administrative offices and various departments of the University. I also served as Lawrence correspondent for the United Press from September, 1938, until I was graduated in February, 1941. This work included sports and general news coverage. My employer was Mr. Joe Hearst, then manager of the Kansas City bureau, now transferred to the New York City bureau. During this time, I also worked occasionally for the Lawrence Daily Journal-World. With the Journal-World I helped cover elections, wrote up athletic press conferences, dictated play-by-play accounts of football games from the press box to the newspaper office, and covered other stories on assignment. I worked under Mr. Robert Busby, city editor, who now is with the Kansas City Times, Kansas City, Mo. (see "m" under references). I served in most of the editorial offices of the University Daily Kansan, from reporter to editor-in-chief. I was appointed to the latter post during my last semester at the University. This work for the most part was general news coverage of the University with some city news thrown in, particularly the police station; and, of course, editorials. I was given the Flint award for 1940 for the best news story of the year. In the summer of 1940 I was employed as city editor of the Horton, Kas., Headlight, a semi-weekly newspaper published by Col. Charles H. Browne. I took the job with the understanding I was to remain during the time the Kansas National Guard regiment, which the Colonel then commanded, was in Federal service. However, an unexpected financial landfall made it possible for me to return to the University and I resigned in September, 1940.
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