Historian Center

“The Long Line: Department of California”

This video chronicles the Legionnaires who have served as Commander of the Department of California from 1919 to present day. Fred Shacklett, Department Historian (Post 51) and Michael Toschack, Department Web Team (Post 105) collaborated on the development of this wonderful historical video.

Post & District Historians

It takes commitment and dedication to be successful as a historian. It is not a difficult task but requires attention to detail and a willingness to serve. At the post/district level, the Historian should record all events, take notes on dates/times of meetings, work with the post Commanders and Adjutants to collect important documents, photographs, correspondence, copies of awards presented/received, and provide for the archive of significant, historical data. You don’t have to attend every event but should know when, where, and who attended. And have someone represent you if you are unable to attend.

The post/district Historians should work with their newsletter editors, webmasters, and social media leads to stay on top of relevant announcements. And it is highly recommended to get connected with local historical organizations in your city or county. The American Legion culture and its local history are embedded in the communities we serve. Get and stay connected.

It’s critical that posts and districts start thinking in terms of storing data electronically on cloud-based servers.

Postscripts

Consider making a copy of your entry in the event it should become a national contest winner. With your permission, it will be retained in the library archives of The American Legion National Headquarters in Indianapolis for visitors to view.
In the event that your post records are missing and there is no history, the post historian may search the local newspaper files and interview past commanders, adjutants and older members. Many important post events can be found using these methods. Also, the Digital Archive provides full-text access to newsletters, press releases, and other publications published by the national organization.
Information about the post charter can be obtained by writing to the Charter Clerk, The American Legion, and P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, IN 46206.
Many departments have organized department historian associations, patterned after the National Association of Department Historians of The American Legion (NADHAL). These groups render assistance in carrying out a successful historian’s program. Ask if your department has such an organization and join in its activities. If there is no such department organization, consult your department historian.
The serious post historian will find informative and interesting any one of the following published histories about The American Legion: Michael J. Bennett’s “When Dreams Come True: The G l Bill and the Making of Modern America” (Brassey’s, 1996); Thomas A. Rumer’s “The American Legion: An Official History” (M. Evans, 1990); Raymond Maley’s “The American Legion Story,” (Duell, Sloan & Pearce, 1966); Richard Jones’ “A History of The American Legion” (Bobbs-Merrill, 1946); and Marquis James’ “A History of The American Legion” (William Green, 1923).
Where possible, use digital voice recorders or video cameras to record oral histories and interviews of American Legion Post founders and leaders to capture firsthand information about the post’s history.

The Officers Guide of The American Legion states this about the Historian:

Historian

The work of post historian is cumulative. It is wise to leave the responsibility to one person if handled well.

There should be close cooperation between the post adjutant and the historian. The former works with records on matters of current interest, the latter on matters of historical interest. The post historian should also keep in touch with the department historian and be prompt in answering inquiries. An annual report
should be made to the department historian prior to the department convention.

Copies of printed material regarding the post should be deposited in local and state libraries, as well as in the post and department archives. This will prevent complete loss of records through fire or other catastrophe, as well as provide source material for those looking for information about The American Legion. An outline for a one-year post narrative history and yearbook is provided in the appendix (see pages 124-133).

18 THE AMERICAN LEGION | OFFICER’S GUIDE | 2021

The post historian should attend department conventions and make a point of knowing what historians of
nearby posts are doing. The department historian can advise post historians on department and national
post history contests, historians associations, and materials to assist in maintaining best practices.

Historian Resource

* National Association of Department Historians

A post yearbook is a pictorial history of the post’s annual activities. Remember, though, that this is a permanent record that will be seen by others for years to come, so the suggested outline should be followed as closely as possible. It would be advantageous to check any compilation against this outline so as to include as much of the material suggested here as possible.

List of Department Historians

Historian List (PDF)

From	To	Name
1920	1921	Peter Kyne
1921	1922	N.W. Armstrong
1922	1923	Dwight Robinson
1923	1924	Harold Ellenstein
1924	1925	Gil Rankin
1925	1926	William Kollender
1926	1927	William Prager
1927	1928	Fred W Smith
1928	1929	Walter Killiam
1929	1930	Newton F. Armstrong
1930	1931	John DK Perry
1931	1932	Henry Marshall
1932	1933	StanleyF Dunmire
1933	1934	Joseph Chrisman
1934	1935	Walter J Rerce
1935	1936	Floyd Helmick
1936	1937	Otto Hintermann
1937	1938	J A Bennett
1938	1939	Walter Naughton
1939	1940	Walter Naughton
1940	1941	Walter Naughton
1941	1942	Walter Naughton
1942	1943	Walter Naughton
1943	1944	Walter Naughton
1944	1945	Walter Naughton
1946	1947	Walter Naughton
1947	1948	Walter Naughton
1948	1949	Arthur Atkinson
1949	1950	Walter Naughton
1950	1951	Al Weinberg
1950	1951	Walter Naughton
1951	1952	Daisy Ulrich
1952	1953	Hope Kennedy
1953	1954	William Bucknam
1954	1955	Louise Graham
1955	1956	Gertrude Denham
1956	1957	Loyce Cook
1957	1958	Virginia Farber
1958	1959	Rebecca Wyland
1959	1960	Frances Avila
1960	1961	Rachelle Baker
1961	1962	Juanita Wright
1962	1963	Natalie Harper
1963	1964	Merle M Birnie
1964	1965	Florence Land
1966	1967	Richard Michling
1967	1968	Anna T Brown
1968	1969	Hope Kennedy
1970	1971	John J Bettencourt
1971	1972	Evelyn Wallace
1972	1973	Phyliss Meyer
1973	1974	Dorothie Raymond
1974	1975	Norie White
1975	1976	LeReine Maxey
1976	1977	Sylvia S Hendry
1977	1978	John C Hallyburton
1978	1979	Daniel O’Brien
1989	1990	Paul McGinnis
1990	1991	Joseph O Early
1991	1992	Elmer L Caster
1992	1993	James Higuera
1993	1994	Elmer L Caster
1994	1995	Lawrence E Johnson
1995	1996	Bobby O Mahaffey
1996	1997	David R Glover
1997	1998	Marian F Landis
1998	1999	Kelly M Sanders
1999	2000	Charles P Wendt
2000	2001	George G Briggs
2001	2002	John M Lighthill Sr
2002	2003	James N Creacy
2003	2004	Walter J Quinn
2004	2005	Bud Simmons
2005	2006	Marilyn E Rideaux
2006	2007	Henry Hosea
2007	2008	Raymond C Baxter
2008	2009	S R Barghoon
2009	2010	Steven C Weber
2010	2011	Kevin E Kilkenny
2011	2012	Joseph A. Garcia
2012	2013	Joseph F. Handy
2013	2014	Edward M. Alvarez
2014	2015	Richard Carpino
2015	2016	Lillian Moss
2017	2018	Wayne Yee
2018	2019	Wayne Yee
2019	2020	Henry Sanchez
2020	2021	Fred Shacklett
2021	2022	Fred Shacklett
2022	2023	Fred Shacklett
2023	2024	Lillian Moss
2023	2024	Auggie Galaviz

Historian Center

Post & District Historians

Postscripts

Historian Resource

List of Department Historians

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