Adapted from an article in the June 1943 issue of Penn State Alumni News.
In 1943, during the early days of World War II, a weary soldier on his first leave after a year in the Army, ran out of funds in Tyrone, Pennsylvania. The people who he encountered on the streets appeared friendly, but nevertheless, home was still 200 miles away. The soldier was hungry. Night was coming. Then, as he wandered dispiritedly down Pennsylvania Avenue, he saw a large sign. It read:
WARINGS – TYRONE CANTEEN
The soldier walked through the door of the DeFerie Building (976 Pennsylvania Avenue). His troubles were over! First, he told his story to a motherly looking lady who had smiled a greeting as he entered. He was given a meal; he took a shower; he came back into the main lounge room and relaxed on a comfortable davenport. He picked up a magazine; he dozed off; he entered the sleeping quarters, and in five minutes was sound asleep on a soft bed.
The next morning he was awakened, given a hot breakfast, and told that his train was leaving in a half hour. He was handed a ticket and enough money to buy meals that day. In the evening, he was home.
But before he left the Canteen that morning, he sat down at a desk and leafed through a large book. More than 500 soldiers and sailors had leafed through before him and had signed their names. After their signatures, most had tried — boyishly and awkwardly — to express their appreciation for the things that had been done for them.
This soldier, on this morning, signed his name, too. Then he paused; gratitude was in his heart, but no words he knew could adequately express his feelings. After a moment, he wrote: “We’ll win the war for people like you.”
How It Started
It had all started when Earl Rothrock, a well-known Tyrone businessman, was visiting his friend, Fred Waring, in New York City. They discussed the plight of stranded servicemen — of how, even in New York, they get homesick in the worst way. Fred told about the canteen in New York that he and his brother, Tom Waring, had opened for service personnel in 1942. Earl then related how so many uniformed men came through Tyrone, “the hub of the highways” in central Pennsylvania, at all hours trying to find transportation to their hometowns over the mountains and surrounding areas. With gasoline rationing in effect at that time, they had difficulty in getting rides home. While waiting for a bus or a train, some servicemen paced the streets all night and some slept in the police station.
As the discussion continued, the idea of a canteen in Tyrone came up. Fred said he would offer his financial aid if Earl could stimulate interest in the good citizens of Tyrone.
After returning home, Earl called an open meeting. A large majority attacked the problem like enthusiastic, patriotic Americans. A committee of three was appointed: Mrs. Florence Beaston, manager; Miss Anne Calderwood (Fred’s maternal aunt), treasurer; and Earl Rothrock, secretary. Quickly, fifty Tyroneans pledged $5 per month, and just as quickly, Fred Waring contributed a matching $250. That was plenty to get started, and on April 6, 1943, the first soldier signed his name to the register. He was Charles Vogt, of E. 10th St., Tyrone, a member of the 359th Infantry at Camp Barkeley, Texas. He subsequently died in action.
Other contributions poured in from the townspeople along with another $250 check from Fred.
“Keep ‘Em Comfortable” and “Get ‘Em Home”
To “keep ’em comfortable” and “get ’em home” had been the aims of the Canteen. Hostesses were employed for eight-hour, day-and-night shifts. Engaged early on were Miss Rose DeFerie, Mrs. Gloria Kloss, Mrs. Mary Westover, and Mrs. Grace Yinger. There were daily contributions of food — much of it unsolicited.
Tyrone policemen as well as state troopers were extremely cooperative, especially with getting the boys on their way as quickly as possible. Often, policemen went out on the highway to stop a motorist to see if he would agree to go miles past his destination to get the soldier home. (When policemen were needed for this purpose, a hostess flashed a red light outside the Canteen.)
The Canteen was located in the DeFerie Building — in the first block from the Pennsylvania Railroad Station. It was an ideal site because all the buses stopped directly in front of the door. Its attractive food bar offered free refreshments and coffee prepared by hometown cooks unsurpassed in the U.S.A. A homey atmosphere in the lounge was provided by reading lamps and flowers. There also was a piano and a jukebox. Incidentally, the only way a serviceman could spend a cent was by playing the jukebox!
Mrs. Beaston was a real guardian angel. Reportedly, she gave all of her spare time to the project and beamed when she talked about “her boys.” She often gave cigarettes to them.
The Canteen News
Mrs. Marjorie Rothrock published Tyrone-Waring Canteen News, a monthly newsletter that sold for ten cents. Four thousand copies were printed each month, 1400 of which were mailed free to all Tyrone service personnel over the world. The newsletter regularly featured the “Soldier of the Month,” deaths of Tyrone servicemen, holiday events, marriages, births, highlights of Tyrone activities, sports coverage, donations of money and food, registrations, and jokes. From overseas in June 1945, PFC David Reeder wrote to say, “The Canteen News sure helps build up morale. Most of my buddies read it too, even though they’re not from Tyrone. They say it’s about the best way they’ve seen to let the boys know where their buddies are without having to write a lot of letters.”
The Tyrone-Waring Canteen opened in April 1943 and closed in July 1946, having served more than 78,000 servicemen. Registrations listed servicemen from over a hundred Pennsylvania towns, thirty-nine states, and the District of Columbia.
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