The Christian Women’s Fellowship just recently received a letter from a longtime member, Betty McMillen. I realize that a lot of you will not remember Betty, as she moved to Illinois to be near her family a few years ago. Betty’s family, along with many others, was instrumental in the formation of the church here as we know it today.
Betty Linville was born in October 1923 and baptized in our First Christian Church in 1932. During the WWII years, Betty and several “girls” from this church either worked at the Army airbase here in Independence or were volunteers with the very active local USO.
Meanwhile, down in Sherman, Texas, at around midnight one night, J. T. McMillen was standing next to Lee Cain as they were being sworn in to the United States Army Air Corp. J. T. lived in Bailey, Texas, and Lee lived 8 miles away in Bonham, Texas. They were not acquainted, nor did they realize how entangled their lives would become in the future. Both were accepted in the military and both were sent to the Independence Army Airbase, and they both became acquainted with girls at the USO.
Along with Betty McMillen, were several other young ladies who were waiting for their men to come home from the war; thus, they started the Future Planners Sunday school class… planning for the future. Our own Ruth Osborn is one of the remaining charter members of the class.
Both J. T. and W. Lee became members of the First Christian Church. The war went on and, eventually, both married “girls from the USO.”
J. T. and W. Lee were always leaders in the church and both taught the Future Planners Sunday school class. This is a long-ago memory and a blessing, and to think it started with a meeting at the USO and led to a lifelong friendship at the First Christian Church of Independence, Kansas.
Amen.
Submitted by Ernie Cain