By Steve Hathcock
Special to the PRESS
Moments in Time is a collection of recovered newspaper briefs and other publications, compiled by local historian, Steve Hathcock, offering a look back at the history of the Rio Grande Valley.
Steve Hathcock is a local historian and a regular columnist for the Port Isabel South Padre Press. He has spent many years collecting and sharing the history of the Rio Grande Valley, as well as treasure hunting and formerly owning an Island-based bookstore.
Yacht Club Bids Opened Contract on Building Will Be Awarded Saturday
Bids for the new Point Isabel Yacht club building were opened Monday afternoon but because all four bids submitted were within $500 of each other, the date of awarding contract has been postponed until Saturday.
The bids will be reconsidered in the meantime, according to H. B. Hall, manager of the project.
The projected club is to be two stories, Spanish design, of stucco and hollow tile construction. On the ground floor there will be ten bedrooms, 12 by 14, a large dining room and connecting dance floor and a spacious lobby and lounging room. Fireplaces on each side of the lobby will assure comfort during cool weather. On the second floor of the club house ten more bedrooms of the same size will be built and a long porch will run the full length of the building. A dome and lookout will surmount the second story.
(The Brownsville Herald August 30, 1927)
Women To Serve on the Home Front
From: Assistant Secretary of the Navy, (Transportation Branch) To: Commandants, all Naval Districts and River Commands
Subject: Use of Motor Transport Service of American Women’s Voluntary Services Reference: (a) D. W. Bell, Acting Sec. of the Treasury, letter. to Sec. Nav. dated 4th of Jan. 1944Enclosure: (A) Copy of Reference (a).
By reference (a), the Secretary of the Treasury accepted on behalf of the United States the offer of the Motor Transport Service of the American Women’s Voluntary Services to volunteer drivers for Navy vehicles in areas where a shortage of Navy drivers exists. The services were accepted in accordance with the recommendations of the Acting Secretary of the Navy and pursuant to provisions of the Second War Powers Act of 1942.
The addressees are authorized to work out local arrangements with the Motor Transport Service of the American Women’s Voluntary Services wherever the need for service of this type exists.
Arthur M. Hill
Jan. 6, 1944
Editors Note: During WWII, women in the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), the U.S. Navy’s women’s reserve, took on many roles traditionally held by men, including driving vehicles, trucks, and ambulances to free up male personnel for combat duties.
The “All Women Volunteer Service” exemplified how American women contributed to the war effort outside military service. It highlighted volunteerism, blurred traditional gender roles by training women in “masculine” skills like driving and mechanics. Its work supported total mobilization and boosted morale on the home front.