Witness history as several surviving British war children return to North Canton to describe their experiences living in war-torn England during the early years of WWII, their five-year stay in North Canton coordinated by The Hoover Company, and their lives following their return home at the end of the war.
This special event, "The British War Children and Their North Canton Neighbors: A Conversation of Memories," will be held on Wednesday, October 7, with a reception at 5:30 p.m., and panel discussion at 6 p.m., at Hoover High School’s Hoover Hall, 525 7th Street NE, North Canton.
The panel discussion will be moderated by Hoover Historical Center Curator, Megan Pellegrino. The event will include a short introduction with photographs by Pellegrino about the history of the British children in North Canton. This event is free and open to the public. No registration required.
The panelists will include:
- Vina (Wales) Williams: British war child who is returning from England. Williams is a graduate of North Canton High School class of 1948.
- Eileen (Carter) Cooper: British war child who is returning from England.
- Dorothy Warren Mathewson: British war child who moved back to the US and now lives locally in Stark County. She is the author of the book Sweet Memories, a memoir of her time in North Canton during WWII.
- Neva (Greenho) Shocksnider: Local woman who was friends with some of the British children and stayed in contact with them after the war.
Dorothy Mathewson's book Sweet Memories will also be on sale for $15 a book during the event (cash or check accepted) and is also available in the Hoover Historical Center gift shop.
The British War Children 75th Anniversary Commemorative Series has been held in collaboration with the North Canton Heritage Society, Canton Palace Theatre, North Canton Public Library and North Canton City Schools and funded in part by a grant from Ohio Humanities. For a full list of series events,visit the official website at www.walsh.edu/WarChildren