Spokes of the Wheel

Thomas Colclasure sat down with his grandfather, Henry Raymond “Ray” Colclasure in the summer of 1998 to begin chronicling his grandfather’s WWII experiences as a member of the elite 82nd Airborne Division. Ray unexpectedly died of heart failure in November of that year, and Thomas decided to continue his work of tracing his grandfather’s footsteps during the largest conflict in human history. He attended unit reunions, spent time with the men who had shared his grandfather’s experiences in the killing fields of Europe during the war, and traveled to Europe to follow the trail of the 82nd Airborne.

In his quest, Thomas also met and documented the experiences of many other residents of his hometown of Galesburg Illinois who had their own unique experiences during WWII. In these pages you will meet: a Pearl Harbor survivor, a former German soldier who was captured by the Russians at the battle of Stalingrad, a British war bride, a Japanese-American who was interned in an American camp in Arizona, an African-American driver for the Red Ball Express and many others who found themselves living in Galesburg either before or after the war. You will also learn about the Mayo hospital which was built in Galesburg during the war and the German prisoners of war who were kept there.

The stories and people which make up this book demonstrate the interconnectedness of the people of the small town of Galesburg with the world at large. Here, you will see World War II through the lens of Galesburg as the hub, with the Spokes of the Wheel formed by people who went out into the world during the war and those who settled there afterwards.

Author Biography

Thomas H. Colclasure lives in Galesburg, Illinois with his wife Heather Hellenga. Mr. Colclasure has four adult children and four grandchildren. He holds master’s degrees in history from Western Illinois University and in divinity from Chicago Theological Seminary. Mr. Colclasure is the circulation manager at Knox College’s Seymour Library.