World War I Heroes

Stout's fallen heroes from WWI (1914-1918)
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Ole Anshus
Ole Anshus

Ole Anshus 

Landsman Musician Ole John Anshus was born on January 10, 1895 in Menomonie, Wisconsin. He played cornet with the Stout Institute band at athletic events, and he was also a member of the Ludington Guard band. At the time of his enlistment, he was engaged to Stout Institute sophomore Mary Sehring. Anshus entered the Navy and performed in the 300-member “Jackie Band,” directed by internationally renowned composer John Philip Sousa. While on a multi-state Liberty Loan campaign, Anshus contracted influenza and died of complications at Great Lakes Naval Hospital. He is buried in Halverson Cemetery in Menomonie, Wisconsin.

 

Palmer L. Husby
Palmer L. Husby

Palmer L. Husby

First Sergeant Palmer Ludvig Husby was born on July 29, 1895 in Menomonie, Wisconsin. He attended the Manual Training program at The Stout Institute from 1915 to 1916 and engaged in coursework including drawing, forging, bricklaying and printing. He enlisted in the Army on July 15, 1918 and was named First Sergeant with the Army’s 14th Ammunition Train, Company B. He died of pneumonia at Camp Custer in Battle Creek, Michigan on November 3, 1918. He was buried with a full military funeral at Evergreen Cemetery in Menomonie, Wisconsin on November 8, 1918.

 

Robert E. Kendall
Robert E. Kendall

Robert E. Kendall

First Lieutenant Robert E. Kendall was born on May 21, 1892, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He graduated from high school in Menomonie, Wisconsin in 1909. He studied Manual Training at The Stout Institute and graduated in 1912. He was commissioned as a First Lieutenant in the 312th Infantry at Camp Dix, New Jersey. He served in France beginning in June 1918 and received significant injuries from gas in a battle near Argonne. He returned to New York and contracted pneumonia while visiting his wife and young child. He died of complications from pneumonia and gas poisoning at General Hospital Number 46 in Staten Island, New York on August 16, 1919. He is buried at Forest Hill Cemetery in Eau Claire.

 

Emil Carl Kroening
Emil Carl Kroening

Emil Carl Kroening

Sergeant Emil Carl Kroening was born in Texas, Wisconsin on August 19, 1895. Before he enrolled at The Stout Institute, he graduated from Wausau High School and Wausau County Agricultural School. He attended Stout’s Manual Training program and was active in the Gaveleers Literary Society. He also lettered in both football and track. Following his 1917 graduation from Stout, he taught Industrial Arts at Checotah High School in Oklahoma. He enlisted in the Army on June 28, 1918 and entered Camp Taylor in Kentucky. During his training, he contracted influenza. He died on February 4, 1919 of influenza-related pneumonia. He is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery in Wausau.

 

Theodore Thompson
Theodore Thompson

Theodore Thompson

Private Theodore “Ted” Thompson was born on April 5, 1892, in Hayward, Wisconsin. He graduated from Superior High School in 1915 and The Stout Institute in 1917. While at Stout, he was active in the Boy Hikers Club and the Y.M.C.A. He was also a member of the school’s track team for two years. Following his graduation from Stout, he became a Manual Training instructor at Grangeville High School in Grangeville, Idaho. He enlisted in the Army’s Mechanical Training Corps at the University of Wisconsin on August 15, 1918. He died of complications of influenza on October 9, 1918.

 

Marvin Thomas Thompson
Marvin Thomas Thompson

Marvin Thomas Thompson

First Lieutenant Marvin Thomas Thompson was born on May 31, 1896, in Menomonie, Wisconsin. He graduated from high school in 1915 and received his degree in Industrial Arts from The Stout Institute in August 1917. He enlisted in Company H of the Wisconsin National Guard in January 1914 and served on the Mexican border. In 1917, he transferred to the Army Reserves. He served as a gas officer in the 30th Infantry in France. He died in battle on July 15, 1918, in Montigny, France, and he was awarded the French Croix de Guerre for valor in action. He is buried in the Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and Memorial in the Departement de l’Aisne, Picardie, France. A marker bearing his name is placed at his family’s plot in Evergreen Cemetery in Menomonie, Wisconsin.