NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — When a Middle Tennessee teacher set out to share a local connection to World War II, he was met with a challenge. Not that much existed to help him to tell the story. With some creativity, he found a way.
In the Father Ryan High classroom of Randy Lancaster, there are references all over to the men and women who served during World War II. Randy had several family members serve in that war.
"My mother's great uncle was a World War II veteran aboard the USS Indianapolis," he said. "He lost his life there."
Randy's long carried a fascination with a story of that era and Father Ryan, one detailed in a yearbook from 80 years ago.
"What we know is in 1944, the students at Father Ryan — in conjunction with other schools in Nashville — raised nearly $600,000 to purchase a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress to be named The Spirit of Father Ryan for use in the allied effort in WWII," Randy explained.
The unfortunate thing is, so far, Randy has not been able to find an actual picture of that plane purchased by students in 1944.
A veterans breakfast was held at Father Ryan Friday morning.
"While it is not uncommon in my experience for combat veterans to be humble about their courage, it is in my view an honor to be in the same room with them," Randy said from the podium.
He wanted to share with all these people, the story of that plane in a way they haven't seen before.
"Especially with the nose art, I pulled from our 1944 annual," Randy said next to a model plane.
Using details given in the 1944 yearbook and just general World War II knowledge, Randy created this model, now on display in the school's library.
"It would have had a crew of ten," he explained. "It was probably silver in appearance. We don't know what was on the nose art. A lot of nose art back then had the pin-up girls, which probably did not happen on The Spirit of Father Ryan, so we had the coat of arms. We got to use our imagination a little bit, since we didn't have so many definitive references. This is just something I wanted to do ever since I learned about this aircraft. Whether Father Ryan alum served on or near it, of course, we don't know. What little we do know, I will impart and be glad to do it. It's a real tribute to our past students' efforts in the preservation of our freedoms."
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It's truly the small things that add up to a great day - and Warrick in Lebanon is having a big impact. His familiar face is becoming a staple in one part of the community and inspiring closer connection in the simplest way. Enjoy his warm personality! You may even feel inclined to wave to a stranger today, too.
-Rebecca Schleicher
