Published: November 13, 2009 04:59 pm      

WWII exhibit features Robert Stephens’ story

At Frazier Museum in Louisville

LOUISVILLE—McCreary County has a long tradition of citizens eager to serve their country.

One such man is sharing his story on a national level.

Robert Stephens Sr. is being featured in WWII: 48 Local Stories That Changed the World, a temporary exhibit hosted by the Frazier International History Museum through March 28 in Louisville.

The exhibit captures the stories of local men and women from a variety of social, economic and ethnic backgrounds whose experiences exemplify the regional and national World War II experience and provide insight into why America’s “greatest generation” rose to the challenge of

sacrifice with such patriotism and passion. The wars since have not been so universally accepted as a worthwhile task by the American people as was the global conflict that lasted from 1939 to 1945.

WWII: 48 Local Stories explores this marvel through oral histories, interactive audio and video clips (including newsreel footage and radio commercials), hands-on elements, over 100 photographs, music and dozens of artifacts, including equipment, uniforms, maps and personal memorabilia.

Stephens’ involvement with the project came through a result of his son, Robert Jr., who had visited the museum before and was part of its

mailing list. When the museum announced it was seeking WWII veterans, the younger man urged his father to call and participate.

Stephens Sr. served a total of 30 years with the Marine Corps: 20 years on active duty and 10 years with the reserve. Unlike many WWII vets who answered the call to duty in droves following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Stephens was already in the military when the U.S. entered the war.

Stephens had run out of money to continue his studies at Georgetown College. After coming home in 1940, he traveled to Louisville where he joined the Marines. Stephens was then sent to boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina.

When news of Pearl Harbor broke, Stephens was on shore patrol in Jacksonville, Florida. He recalled hauling sailors to shore throughout the night as many felt that they wouldn’t get another chance at liberty for some time.

Stephens himself traveled to the Marine Corps Base at Quantico, Virginia, where he joined General Roy Geiger’s 1st Marine Aircraft Wing which entered the Pacific Theater through North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego and was ultimately stationed at Guadalcanal.

“People don’t realize how touch and go it was,” Stephens said of the battle for the Pacific. “If Japan had won, the empire would have spread

through those islands.”

After the Allied victory, Stephens got to come home for three months in 1946 before he was called to China where the Marines were involved with the conflict between the nationals and communists.

Stephens was there for a year before having to make a run for Hawaii.

“It was get out or go to prison,” Stephens recalled. “The situation was that our ship was in frozen water. We had to break out with hot water. It was a good adventure but it was my first defeat.”

Following his military service, Stephens settled in Louisville where he worked for Devoe Paint — a job that allowed him to travel all over the country. He returned to McCreary County in 1964 where he worked for the local school system. Now 88, the Marshes Siding man has become a noted historian and environmental advocate in his retirement.

Besides individuals’ stories, the exhibit also details how Kentuckiana businesses responded to the war effort. For example, Ford Motor Company, JeffBoat, DuPont and others retooled their plants in order to produce vital war supplies. Others, including Curtiss-Wright Aircraft Company and Standard Oil Company, hired women to replace the traditionally male workers who had gone off to war.

The Stephens family traveled to Louisville this past Saturday to see the exhibit first hand.

“It’s a really good exhibit,” Robert Stephens Jr. said. “There was a Jeep that you could get in which the kids loved.”

From the exhibit, he learned that some 300,000 Kentuckians served during the war.

“That’s huge considering the population back then,” he said, “and 9,000 didn’t make it home.”

In addition to traditional photographs and memorabilia, the oral histories were available through touch-screen technology. McCreary County was well represented not only with the elder Stephens’ story but also a mention of Wilburn K. Ross winning the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Though Stephens Sr. didn’t personally get to hear his recording, he enjoyed the trip and was honored to see one of his quotes posted on the wall.

“Frazier Museum includes all the wars up to World War II,” he said. “It would be a great place for all schools to schedule a stop.”

Throughout the run of the exhibit, the museum will be offering a number of WWII-related programs and events including a special Veterans Day program for school groups and the “Frazier Canteen - a USO Dance” on Valentines weekend. For a complete list of WWII: 48 Local Stories events

and more on this intriguing exhibit, visit www.48stories.com.

Do you or a family member have the 49th story?

The Frazier Museum is looking for another story to be featured in its exhibit, WWII: 48 Local Stories That Changed the World. Go to www.48stories.com to submit your own World War II-related story today for the chance to be included in this moving temporary exhibit that explores the Kentuckiana’s region response to this world-wide conflict.