Welcome back, Monroe history lovers. Today’s Monroe Memorial Day history takes us to the Cutler’s Farms District, specifically to the Monroe Consolidated School, which was built on Monroe Turnpike in 1935. We refer to it today as Monroe Elementary School. Our first photo was taken at the school on Memorial Day in 1947, and shows Mrs. Ellen Winspur (left) and Mrs. Bessie Sippin (right) laying a wreath in remembrance of their sons David and Victor who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom during WWII.

Behind these proud war mothers is the Monroe Honor Roll, a wooden three-panel plaque that included the names of all of Monroe’s residents who were involved in the war effort, in all theaters of war, as well as here on the home front. The Honor Roll stood out in front of the school’s auditorium beside the flagpole for years but was eventually removed. The details of its fate remain a mystery today. Concerned residents searched for its whereabouts for years, but no considerable evidence was ever discovered. Some suspected it was destroyed, while others surmised the wood was recycled into a local building project. We may never know.

Our second photo shows Victor Sippin smiling for the camera in happier days before the war, and our third photo shows a formal portrait of David Winspur in uniform. Victor Sippin (Motor Machinist's Mate Second Class, USN) died in the south of France on August 24, 1944. His PT boat struck an underwater mine in Port-de-Bouc near Marseille. All five souls aboard were lost. David Winspur (Corporal, USMCR) was shot and killed in combat on Iwo Jima on March 13, 1945. The Sippin-Winspur American Legion Post 176 is respectfully named in memory of these two Monroe/American heroes.

I hope you appreciate this week’s historic spotlight on Memorial Day in Monroe in 1947. Please share this post with your family, friends and any military service members you may know. As always, thank you for your continued support and interest in Monroe’s rich history. On this Memorial Day, we remember and honor all our servicemen and servicewomen who paid the price of our freedom with their lives. Until next time. Please make the time to reflect on their sacrifice, and always remember, freedom isn’t free.

Regards,

Kevin Daly
Historian, Monroe Historical Society
www.monroecthistory.org
Our Past is Always Present