Paris Goes To War

War came Paris, Texas on December 7, 1941. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent declarations of war of the Axis countries of Japan, Germany and Italy against The United States brought World War II literally to the doorsteps of Paris.

The U.S. response to war hit Paris like a tidal wave and the results were everlasting.

This small East Texas town responded as hundreds of small towns across America did. Its sons, daughters and citizens joined the war effort.

But Paris began to develop its own uniqueness with the opening of Camp Maxey just a few miles north of the city limits in 1942. Two major divisions, the 102d Infantry Division and the 99th Infantry Division, trained there. It is estimated that over 200,000 troops and civilians trained and worked at Camp Maxey during its short 4 years of existance.

Camp Maxey was also selected as a site, as were many other training camp sites in Texas, to house German prisoners-of-war. More than 6,000 Germans were hosted there until well after the last shots of anger were fired in Europe in 1945.

Paris, as was the whole country, was like a stirred pot. The young men and women who came to Camp Maxey to train spent their leaves in town. Many of them met, courted, and married local men and women. Likewise, Paris sons and daughters who left were meeting their future spouses. The long historic ties that had held Paris together as a tight community were stretched around the world.

To and from Paris the letters streamed in and out from friends and families: from the battle fronts, from far-away hometowns, from Washington D.C., to Europe, to The Pacific and literally all points of the globe.

Sad news of soldiers being killed, exciting news of the birth of a new baby, common news about town gossip all swirlled around this small town of Paris. Paris was making its contribution to march the country toward victory.

In 1941 Paris Goes To War.


How To Add A Story & Pictures To Paris Goes To War

If you have stories, pictures or items of interest to contribute to these web pages, please email them to steelyfamilias@yahoo.com. You can send written articles in doc or pdf formats and pictures are preferred in jpg format. Contributions will be posted according the their relevance to Paris, Lamar County, Camp Maxey and World War II. All contributions may be used on these blog web pages as well as any future publications that may appear on the subject.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

In Memory of Raymond Saunders Wunsch, United States Navy

Raymond Saunders Wunsch, 89, of Paris passed away Wednesday December 19, 2007 in Paris Regional Medical Center. He was born on June 2, 1918 in Paris a son of Joseph W. & Bonnie Saunders Wunsch.

In 1939 Raymond became a partner in Joe W. Wunsch Mens Wear, located on the southeast side of the Plaza, a business he’d been around all of his life. The business was opened by his father on June 17, 1910. Following graduation from Paris High School, he attended Paris Junior College for two years before moving on to the University of Texas. He continued in an active role in the business, with the exception of a return visit to the University of Texas to earn his BBA degree in 1941 and to spend 3 ½ years with the U.S. Navy as a task unit commander and as administrative assistant to the commanding officer of Navy personnel stationed in Cuba. Raymond eventually completed his Navy tour and returned to Paris on January 2, 1946. He closed the store in 1990, after 80 years, making it at the time the oldest continuing family owned business in Paris.

Active in community affairs, he served as president of the Paris Jaycees, served as national director of the Jaycees, president of the Kiwanis Clubs, secretary of National Kiwanis for Texas and Oklahoma, a member of the Rotary Club receiving the Paul Harris fellow, president of the Paris Civic Music Club, had been active in Paris Little Theater serving as president, the Paris Parks Council, Rotary, and served as treasurer of the Lamar County Chamber of Commerce. In addition, he had served on the Paris City Council and is a past president of the Paris Junior College Board of Regents.

He also served as first president of the Paris Little League Baseball Association , and had served for 36 years as a Sunday School teacher at the First United Methodist Church where he was a member. He had served as president of the UT ex-student assoc. and the PJC ex-student association. He was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon at the University of Texas. Raymond was the oldest living member of the Paris Golf and Country Club and he was also a columnist for the Lamar County Echo (Random Thoughts) and the Paris News (Meditations). He was also a member of the Lions Club, the Masonic Lodge, and remained a diehard Texas Longhorn fan.

He married Camille Cameron Wunsch on June 28, 1946 in Paris. She preceded him in death on November 7, 2003. He was also preceded in death by a daughter Bonnie Dhu Wunsch in 1960, his parents, his step-mother Elizabeth Wunsch, and a brother Joe W. Wunsch, Jr. in 1936.

He is survived by sons Robert Wunsch and wife Robin of Paris, Cameron Wunsch and wife Heather of Trophy Club, Tx.; grandchildren Melinda Wakefield of Forgan, Ok., Jason Wunsch of Bartlesville, Ok., Katie Wunsch and Sarah Wunsch of Athens, Ga., Daniel Wunsch of Bartlesville, Ok., Aston Wunsch and Evan Wunsch of Trophy Club; great grandchildren Matthew & Bryan Morris and McKenzie Wakefield.

Funeral services will be conducted at 1:00 P.M. Friday in the chapel of Fry- Gibbs Funeral Home with Rev. Van Lazaroff officiating. Burial will follow in the Evergreen Cemetery with Jason Wunsch, Homer Thornton, Derald Bulls, Kirk Kyle, Robert Thornburrow and John Fuston serving as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be John Goode and Bob Thornburrow.

If desired, in lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Scottish Rite Hospital for children, 2222 Welborn Street, Dallas, TX 75219.

Online condolences maybe sent to the Wunsch family by visiting www.fry-gibbs.com.
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