From “Doc Alders, Farmington’s Lone Eagle”: The recession was about to end. The nation was poised on the brink of war. In 1940, Lockheed started selling the Hudson Bomber to England. Beleaguered England was in financial distress. She could no longer pay for war material being sent from the United States. In March of 1941, the Lend Lease Act was passed by Congress. Lockheed soon received a large order for Hudson Bombers to be flown over to England.

An ad appeared announcing that Lockheed had opened a recruiting office in Stockton. This did not escape the notice of Doc Alders with his keen interest in aviation. He went in to Stockton to apply and take the written examination. Soon he received word that he had been accepted to work on the Hudson assembly line in Burbank. He would leave Pete to run the service station.

Warren “Bing” Cozby and Bud Reynolds also went in to Stockton and applied for work at Lockheed. They too were accepted. Bud Reynolds lived out on Mobley (Stanley) Road across Johnny Creek and beyond the Drais place.

Bing worked at the Burbank plant. As the war progressed, he received greetings from the President of the United States. Informing him that he had been selected by his friends and neighbors to represent them in the armed forces. He ended up on Guadalcanal. After the war, he worked for Hogan Manufacturing Company in Escalon.

The three traveled down the Great Valley, up over the Grapevine, down through the San Fernando Valley and on into Los Angeles area. They had to locate a place to live down there. They found a place in Alhambra where they lived together. They commuted from there to work at Burbank or Los Angeles.

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Happy Birthday wishes for David L. Kalebaugh on June 27.

Happy Birthday to Jake Kroon on June 28.

Also Happy Birthday to Matthew Wayne Bailey on June 29.

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Please contact me if you have items for the Farmington News column. E-mail me at farmingtonnews@gmail.com or phone 896-6697.