The demands made by World War II altered life for students, staff and administrators at most universities and colleges across the nation. Canisius University was no exception. From 1941-1945, the Canisius population drastically diminished as 1,766 students and faculty from Canisius University served in the military. Of that number 65 men were killed in action, 46 wounded, 590 commissioned as officers, and 113 men were decorated. The reduced student body and demands of a wartime economy greatly affected student life at Canisius and forced the college to adjust its administrative and educational operations.
This display offers a glimpse at Canisius life during the war years, 1941 - 1945, and the toll the war exacted from this college. It covers the life for Canisians on the homefront, the world of the Army Air Corps stationed at Canisius University from 1943 - 1944, the World War II scrapbook maintained by the College, and several important faculty and students during the war years.
Although not all inclusive, this display attempts to cover the most important aspects of Canisius life as affected by World War II. Every effort has been made to be objective in the choice of materials which were taken from the Canisius Archives collection. Selections were made based on reference to the war or effects of the war on student life. The items are organized thematically and chronologically.
To see the WWII photo galleries, click here.
Canisius University Service Flag. The number 1420 represents the number of men from Canisius University serving in the Armed Forces. The smaller number, 19, represents the number of men who died in service as of 22 February 1944.
The cast of the Canisius University Bards and Boards' theater production "The Game of Chess" heard the news of the bombing of Pearl Harbor just minutes before curtain time. Fr. James M. Demske, S.J., a student and cast member who later became Canisius' 22nd president, reported in his "Grief-N-Fun" column:
"....true to the theatrical tradition, the actors betrayed none of the perplexed emotions confusing their thoughts, and the unsuspecting audience knew nothing of the world-shaking diasaster until they left the theatre after the performance and saw the extras which had already hit the streets."
As a result of intensified draft calls and military enlistments after December 7, 1941, changes in the fabric of the Canisius community were inexorable. The best measure we have today of the impact of the war on daily life at Canisius are the administrative records and the student publications including the student newspaper, The Griffin, and the college yearbook, AZUWUR. These sources illustrate the pervasive effect of war on the college community.
Enrollment and the Draft | Education | Religion
Extracurricular Activities | World War II Photo Galleries
At the 1942 commencement, Canisius president, Rev. Timothy Coughlin, S.J., gave a speech reflecting the impact of the draft on Canisius students:
"The armed forces of our country are daily calling to the colors more and more young men of college age. In this regard, Canisius is proud to say that so far some two hundred and fifty of her Alumni and undergraduates have left to serve within the Army, the Navy, and the Marines. That, we know, is but the beginning. Many more sacrifices will have to be made before this war is finished. Included among these, are college careers that may have to be interrupted or delayed; dreams for a professional future that may have to be set aside. The war has yet to be won. Until that time, the personal interests of all must be held in abeyance."
Just two years before, on October 16, 1940, President Franklin Roosevelt had signed the Selective Training and Service Act (PDF) which authorized the registration of men between the ages of 21-35 for one year of military service. In August of 1941, one year's service was extended to eighteen months for men between 18-45 years old while all men aged 18-65 had to register. After Pearl Harbor in December 1941, a wartime draft was instituted extending the period of enlistment to the duration of the war plus six months.
Draft card from 1941 belonging to a Canisius student.
Realizing the value of college educated enlistees, the military allowed men turning 18 a deferred status on their draft cards, permitting them to complete their education prior to entering the military. This was especially true for those studying science and engineering.
In 1942, at the time of Rev. Coughlin's speech, however, the need for more draftees led the government to rescind student deferments and all men over the age of 18 became draft eligible. Several Canisius students in their Junior year, often the only sons of widowed mothers, wrote letters (PDF) of appeal to the Selective Service office. While understanding the difficulties the draft presented to many, the escalation of the war forced the Selective Service Department to stand by the new deferment policy.
As a result of these draft call-ups, only a mere 23 men received diplomas at the November 1943 Commencement -- a significant drop from the 125 graduates of Canisius' 1942 Commencement ceremony. This dramatic drop in enrollment had far reaching effects on the campus community.
Education
Canisius made several changes to its educational system in response to the demands of war. In January 1942, the College added new courses to the curriculum that would meet the students' need for greater math and science courses as well as mechanical skills. The emphasis on the sciences is reflected in a list of new books added to the library in 1942.
In September 1942, Canisius implemented a three year degree program. The school year went to a trimester system, running September through June, that minimized the number of holidays and also shortened Christmas and Easter vacations. In 1943 there were two commencement ceremonies, one in March and the other in November.
Another excerpt from Rev. Coughlin's remarks at the June 1942 commencement indicate a college community dedicated to the war effort:
"Canisius University looks back on the last scholastic year with some degree of pride. Her students have increased, her courses have expanded, Since that lamentable day of December 7th last, she has placed her entire educational facilities at the disposal of our government and our city. The war, then, in which we are now engaged, has not slowed her progress. Rather it has quickened her sense of service and responsibility to the common cause of American survival and our own future safety, once the war is won."
Article from the Feb. 6,1942 edition of The Griffin, p.1
Article from the Feb. 6, 1942 edition of The Griffin, p.1, 5.
The sudden change in scheduling caused some confusion and worry for the remaining students at Canisius. In the October 9, 1942 issue of The Griffin, a satirical article was written which reflected many of these concerns.
Religion
While the war demanded physical sacrifices of Canisius, the Jesuits also emphasized the importance of making spiritual sacrifices for their boys in arms. A practice soon developed in which a Mass was offered every Tuesday and Thursday for the men in the armed service. Those who attended would sign a small Mass book showing their support and prayers. The Griffin includes one article (PDF) urging the Canisians to attend these Masses.
Canisius's correspondent, Fr. J. Clayton Murray, also made sure to send confessional cards and other religious articles to his boys overseas.
A look at some of the news articles, advertisements and the content of extracurricular activities from some issues of The Griffin and Azuwur reveal the pervasive effect of the war on everyday campus life from 1941 through 1945. These excerpts illustrate a college and country that rapidly adjusted to the demands of war; preparing students to be soldiers, sacrificing goods and materials at home, and filling jobs vacated by the hundreds of thousands of men and women in military service.
Photo Galleries of WWII Material
The photo galleries found below are works in progress. They contain representative samples of articles, letters, news items, cartoons, advertising and editorials from the student newspaper, The Griffin and the yearbook, titled AZUWUR.
Presently, there are scans of photos and material for January through December 1942. As more materials from subsequent years are added to the gallery, the increasing effect of the war on all facets of campus life will be evident.
The editorials found in The Griffin newspaper reflect student concern about the war. One notes an attempt to stay above the fray on the part of the editorial staff in early January, 1942. It becomes apparent that this editorial position does not hold as the year progresses and the war's demands increase.
The editorials display a concern for the uncertain future facing students in 1942. Questions are raised regarding how to aid in the war effort and opinions are offered regarding the sacrifices of a country at war.
Below are the editorials that spoke to the war and the efforts on the homefront.
The images presented in the photo gallery below are taken from the Canisius University student newspaper, The Griffin. These pages represent campus life at Canisius during the tumultuous year 1942.
The images are arranged chronologically from January through December, and depict the changes made in school schedules, classes, and students’ extracurricular life. An attempt was made to present the historical documents with as little alteration as possible. Some pages have been physically modified to allow lengthy articles to appear on one page, instead of the two on which they originally appeared. No alterations were made to content of the articles.
Articles can be found throughout The Griffin that illustrate the effects of war on the homefront. From turning corsages sold at a dance to "warsages" made of war bonds instead of flowers, to dispensations regarding fasting for Catholic defense workers, life for Canisius students inevitably became more involved in the war effort on the homefront.
Digitized images of the articles from The Griffin can be viewed by clicking on the thumbnails below.
2/6/42: Announcement of three-year course at Canisius.
2/6/42: New courses offered by Physics and Math departments.
2/6/42: List of servicemen from Canisius as of this date.
2/20/42: Red Cross visits campus.
2/20/42 List of Servicemen from Canisius as of 2/20/42.
2/20/42: Fasting dispensation for War workers who work past midnight.
2/20/42: Alumni offer lectures on problems arising from the war.
5/1/42: This article puts upcoming exams in the context of civic duty.
5/15/42: Announcement of Summer School Sessions.
5/15/42: Canisians respond locally to the shortage of doctors and nurses during the war.
10/9/42: Debut of new Science column occasioned by the war work done in Buffalo N.Y.
10/23/42: Request for current addresses on these Canisian servicemen.
The Canisius varsity sports teams were homefront casualties of the war with most of the varsity teams being cancelled by 1943. Travel was reduced due to gas rationing, making it difficult to keep to the schedule of past seasons. The basketball team was able to continue playing although their travel was limited. They played various service teams as well as other schools in the area.
The rest of Canisius' sports teams became intramural teams and continued with reduced schedules. These changes occasioned some commentary by students via "The Griffin" through various editorials and a regular column, "Griffs on the Wing."
Gasoline was only one of the many commodities rationed during the war. Metals were also needed for the manufacture of weapons, aircraft and other war materiel. The metal shortage resulted in a change in the style of sports awards presented during the war years.
Click on the links below to view digitized images of these articles.
From the Griffin 4/17/42 - The first mention of team cancellations
From the Griffin 11/20/42 - Last paragraph notes intramural team activity
The three main national companies that advertised in the Griffin during the war years were Chesterfield cigarettes, Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola as well as the various branches of the armed services. There is a progression in the content of these advertisements from an emphasis on the collegiate experience to a more war related content.
The Chesterfield cigarette ads have a clear military appeal throughout the war years whereas Pepsi-Cola's ads were slanted more to the college student experience in 1942. Pepsi Cola's last advertisement in The Griffin appeared in May, 1942. Coca-Cola ads did not begin to appear in The Griffin until September 1942. These ads were typical of ads found in the popular press of the day until 1943. It is in the April 16, 1943 edition of the Griffin that the content of the Coke ads were more war-related.
The links below will take you to a representative sampling of these ads as found in the 1942 student newspaper at Canisius University.
3/20/42: A Chesterfield cigarette ad. Note the appeal to service men and women.
5/15/42: Last Pepsi-Cola ad in the 1942 Griffin.
10/23/42: Example of general appeal of Coca-Cola ad.
4/16/43: Coca-Cola ad with war related content.
3/15/42: Ad for the Army Air Force urging students to start officer training.
Front cover of the 1942 yearbook
The graphics on the inside front and back covers of the 1942 AZUWUR yearbook are poignant yet hopeful. The effects of the war on students' day to day activities is more evident in the weekly newspaper, yet the yearbook does attest to the changes wrought by the war on the school population.
Click on the links below to view war related digitized images from the 1942 AZUWUR.
The first part of the frontispiece of the 1942 yearbook, AZUWUR.
The second part of the frontispiece of the 1942 yearbook, AZUWUR.
The theme of the 1942 yearbook which reflects the affects of war.
Student Council activities included keeping in touch with students in the armed forces.
The end of the poem quoted in the Theme of the 1942 yearbook.
August 2006
From "The Griffin", April 2, 1943, p.5
Background
World War II drained the student population from colleges and universities across the country. Selective Service enrollment had begun in 1940 in anticipation of United States involvement in the War in Europe. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 7, 1941, draft calls began and increased steadily over time as enrollment in the reserves rose in 1941 and 1942. In May 1943, 79 men from Canisius reported for duty at Fort Niagara and Camp Upton, New York, the largest number of Canisius University inductees up to that time. [1]
By the last years of the war, a skeleton staff of faculty and administrators was serving a very small student body. Offsetting this financial drain, Canisius received federal funding for an Army air cadet training program and later for a nurse training program. Both contracts enabled the college to stay open during these lean years.
In 1939, a federal law was passed allowing the War Department to send servicemen to colleges and universities for academic and flight training. [2] For this purpose, Canisius University was inspected in January 1943 by the Army Air Force 24. In March 1943 Canisius joined 56 other schools across the nation participating in the Army Air Cadet Training Program. Canisius provided general education courses and housing for this five month program. The Army designation for this training program at Canisius was the 22nd College Training Detachment.
The Canisius Contribution
The cadets came from all over the United States to Canisius. The first 200 arrived March 1, 1943 (PDF) and April 1st of the same year another 150 cadets arrived to begin their training.[4] The first four months of cadet training consisted of academic classes (PDF) which included the required courses of English, Geography, Mathematics, History, Physics, Medical Aid and Physical Training. The fifth month of training was conducted at the Clarence Airfield where cadets were taught to fly small aircraft under the supervision of the Civil Aeronautics Association. [5]
Canisius professors taught extra classes to prepare the airmen for graduation, as well as assist civilian students in completing their education in three years, as a three year degree program was instituted to aid students in completion of their college education prior to reaching draft age. Professors worked double hours, with no time off and no transition as each new class of cadets came in on the heels of the previous class. In addition to the teaching schedule the professors also proctored study hours for the Cadets.
Command of the 22nd College Detachment
The commanding officer of the 22nd College Training Detachment was 1st Lieutenant James J. Foran.
He had a staff of three officers: the Adjutant, 1st Lieutenant William Christopher; the Plans and Training Officer, 1st Lieutenant Thomas Christoff; and the Tactical and Supply Officer, 2nd Lieutenant Murray Asch.
Along with a three-man military staff, a civilian physician, Dr. Kerin Lyons, was hired by the Army to serve as the 22nd College Detachment’s surgeon. Dr. Lyons’ military medical staff consisted of Sergeant Ezio Agresta, Corporal Arthur Herman and Private 1st Class Frank Davidson, seen in the photograph below, along with the rest of First Lieutenant Foran's staff.
There were three chaplains, one military and two civilians that served the 22nd Detachment.
REV. THOMAS FAY, S.J.
Catholic Chaplain
Fr. Fay was also a professor of History at Canisius University. He was known as “Father Duffy” of the 22nd, according to Lt. Col. Samuel L. Biank, Jr., a past Military Science professor at Canisius, in his “History of Military Training at Canisius University”. [3]
DR. RIESNER
Protestant Chaplain
"Dr. Reiner made a hit with everybody the first Sunday he appeared at the Consistory. He is well liked by all because of the friendly manner in which he conveys to us the principles that we are fighting for."{"Chandelle" caption}
CAPTAIN HAROLD A. DUNKELBERGER
Coordinating Chaplain of the New York and New England Area, Army Air Forces Eastern Flying Training Command.{ Chandelle" caption}
Cadet Life
The cadets were housed in what was then known as the Masonic Consistory (PDF) which was leased by Canisius University from the Buffalo City Council. This building, now Canisius High School, is located on Delaware Avenue in Buffalo, N.Y. A popular venue for many of Buffalo’s social events prior to 1943, the Consistory’s large main ballroom was converted into barracks for the Cadets. According to the March, 1943 issue of The Griffin student newspaper, the two large glass chandeliers hanging in the barracks were all that remained of the Consistory’s former elegance after the transformation.
Taken from the Army Air Corps 22nd Detachment's magazine, "Chandelle" Winter 1944 issue
On any given weekday the Canisius students were regaled with the sounds of the Air Cadets’ singing as they marched to the Consistory some 6-7 blocks away, to their class or Drill at the Canisius University Campus and back at night. [6] The football field behind Old Main served as the drill field and obstacle course for the Cadets.
Daily life for a cadet consisted of classes and study hall Monday through Friday, drill and and inspection on Saturday and Saturday night and Sunday were left for relaxation. As the Cadets came to Buffalo from all over the country, a home cooked meal was a rarity. Many Buffalo families invited the cadets into their homes for dinner. Other forms of entertainment were sightseeing, going to the theatre, or getting together after class with friends in a local bar or restaurant.[7]
From The Army Air Corps magazine, "Chandelle" Winter 1944 issue
Although the Cadets were a class unto themselves given their military affiliation, in the short time they were at Canisius they involved themselves in college life as much as their rigorous schedule allowed. In April 1943, the Cadets initiated their own column,“On The Beam," (PDF) in the school newspaper, The Griffin. This column was a compilation of mostly humorous news of the Cadets as well as engagements and marriages. They also found time to form a basketball (PDF) and a baseball team, competing against other military units in the area.
Marching songs were not the only ones sung by the Air Cadets, as they also formed a Cadet Choir. Photo from "The Griffin", April 16, 1943, pg. 5
As each cadet class graduated, a Graduation Ball would be held in the Consistory. The May 14, 1943 issue of The Griffin states that “the Consistory once again acquired its pre-war color as Buffalo’s showplace, the occasion being the graduation of the first class to pre-flight school.” [8]
From Army Air Corps magazine, "Chandelle" Winter 1944 issue
The Air Cadet Training Program was terminated in May 1944 as the War Department realized that fewer pilots would be needed in the coming months. In an interview in 1991 with Rev. James M. Demske, S.J., Rev. J. Clayton Murray, S.J., a philosophy professor at the time of the war, stated that the closing of the 22nd Detachment "…caused quite a bit of turmoil among our cadets as they had hoped to go on to become pilots." Dr. Charles Brady, former professor of English at Canisius, states in his history, “Canisius University: the First 100 Years”, “These would-be pilots were diverted to Infantry boot camp.”
Although short-lived, this program changed the face of Canisius for a time and helped keep Canisius' doors open during this difficult time. The Army Air Corps Cadet training program trained approximately 1000 men in the 15 months prior to its abrupt end. The final Graduation ceremony for the Air Cadets occurred in May, 1944.
[1] From the WW II files of Rev. J. Clayton Murray, S.J., held in the Canisius University Archives
[2] Lt. Col. Samuel L. Biank, "A History of Military Training at Canisius University." Held at Canisius University Archives, Buffalo, N.Y., 1982.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Rev. Clayton, S.J. Murray, publisher of "A Historical Retrospective of the last 125 Years of Canisius University: a document which combines and updates Vols. I, II,and III of Datelines."
[5] Biank, “A History of Military Training at Canisius University," 1982.
[6] Charles Brady, "Canisius University: the First Hundred Years" (Canisius University: Buffalo, New York), 1969.
[7] Biank,“A History of Military Training at Canisius University," 1982.
[8] “The Griffin” student newspaper, column titled “On the Beam”, May 14, 1943. Canisius University.
Rev. J. Clayton Murray, S.J., who served as professor and later as archivist at Canisius University, compiled a scrapbook of newspaper articles with reference to servicemen with Canisius connections. In the list of " Honored Dead" often the letters "J" "M" and "ex" will be found following a serviceman's name. These refer to the month of graduation, "June" or "March" and the abbreviation, "ex" indicating the year of expected graduation.
Below is the well worn cover of this resource with links below to selected pages found within.
"For God and Country" (PDF)
"Statistics" (PDF)
"Our Honored Dead" (PDF)
“When they put me down here, I looked up what should and shouldn’t be put into archives. Everywhere I looked, it said, ‘Nothing living.’ That’s how I know I’m the only living archive."
-- Father Murray
John Clayton Murray was born on June 24, 1900 to John Murray, a railroad worker, and his wife Margaret. He grew up on the West Side of Buffalo, N.Y. where he attended public schools until he was awarded a scholarship in 1916 which enabled him to complete his secondary education at Canisius High School. It was here that John C. Murray was first introduced to the Jesuit life. When he graduated from Canisius High School in 1918, he chose to become a Jesuit himself and took his first vows in 1920.
A picture of Canisius High School's class of 1918.
Fr. Murray can be seen on the extreme left of the top row.
For ten years, John Murray applied himself to his Jesuit studies, earning an A.B., A.M., and finally his Ph.D. at Georgian University in Rome. After his ordination in 1931, Fr. Murray took his first position teaching Latin, Greek, and English at Brooklyn Preparatory School in Brooklyn, NY. From 1932-34, he taught philosophy at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. In 1935, Fr. Murray returned to Buffalo to teach philosophy at Canisius University. In addition to his teaching duties at Canisius, Fr. Murray also served as a student counselor and director of the student chapter of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Two officers of the 1936 student chapter of the St. Vincent de Paul Society with their first-time advisor.
L-R:John J. O'Brien('37), Fr. Murray, Thomas F. Quinlivan('37).
When World War II interrupted student life at Canisius, Fr. Murray made sure to keep in contact with alumni and students serving in the war. He mailed copies of the student paper The Griffin overseas and maintained correspondence with Canisians through letters. Fr. Murray also encouraged the students still at Canisius to attend Masses and services for their fellow brothers-at-arms.
After the war, Fr. Murray continued his teaching duties but cut his classroom time in half in 1965 when he began working as the college’s part-time archivist. By 1975, Fr. Murray retired entirely from teaching and became the full-time Director of the Archives. It was here that Fr. Murray was able to indulge his love of history while often adding his own anecdotes to the history of Canisius University. One of his most important legacies was the compilation of the College's history entitled "Datelines: A Historical Retrospective of the Last 125 Years of Canisius University" which was published in the 1980s. Successive editions have been published to update the datelines while the Archives maintains an on-line Datelines page that covers Canisian history from 1995 to the present.
In June 1983, age and health complications forced Fr. Murray to retire from Archives altogether. In 1988, Canisuis's faithful servant died at the age of 88. Because of his contribution to and love of the Archives, the Rev. J. Clayton Murray, S.J. Archives now bears his name.
Edward
(1912-1984)
Preston
(1915-1944)
Robert
(1919-1944)
Fredrick
(1920-1983)
The History
One of the most poignant stories of Canisius' involvement in World War II is that of the Niland family. Edward, Preston, Robert, and Frederick were the sons of Michael and Augusta Niland. The four brothers, who lived in Tonawanda, NY, a town north of Buffalo, all went to Canisius University except for Preston who attended the University of Buffalo. Thomas and Joseph Niland, their cousins, also attended Canisius. Thomas was in the same grade as Frederick while Joseph was a year ahead.
Before the United States entered the war in Europe, Preston and Robert enlisted in the service. Edward and Fredrick (also known as "Fritz") followed after volunteering in November 1942. Because of the famous 1942 Sullivan case in which five brothers had been killed when their ship was sunk, the new army rule mandated that immediate family members could not serve together. As a result, each brother served in a different unit: Technical Sergeant Edward Niland as a pilot in the Army Air Force, Technical Sergeant Robert Niland with the 82nd Airborne Division (505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, Company D), Lieutenant Preston Niland with the 4th Infantry Division (22nd Infantry Regiment), and Sergeant Frederick Niland as a member of the 101st Airborne's 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment. The brothers' cousins also joined - Thomas Niland also served in the 101st Airborne Division but in a different unit than Fritz while Joseph Niland was in the 20th armored tank division.
Tragedy Strikes
On May 16, 1944, Michael and Augusta received the first bad news that their son Edward, 31 at the time, had been shot down over Burma and was missing. Soon afterwards on June 6, 1944, the Allied forces began their costly invasion of Nazis-controlled Europe. Preston, 29, Robert, 25, Fritz, 24, and Thomas Niland, 24, all took part in the first waves of the invasion. Robert was killed on D-day while manning his machine-gun post in Neuville, a city not far from the beaches. Preston was killed the next day near Omaha Beach. Fritz, meanwhile, had been dropped between Omaha and Utah beaches while Thomas was involved in a glider unit that landed in France. Joseph, 25, was not involved with the invasion.
When the Army heard of the tragic story, they determined that the Nilands would not suffer the death of their last child. Fr. Francis Sampson, the chaplain of the 501st Regiment, found Fritz and began the paperwork necessary for his return home. Fritz stayed with his men a few more days until he was shipped back to England and, finally, to the U.S. where he served as an MP in New York until the completion of the war.
From August 1942 to April 1946, Fr. Murray, a philosophy professor, compiled a scrapbook of local newspaper articles that mentioned any of Canisius's "boys at arms." Listed here are the articles directly related to the story of the Niland family.
"3d Son Missing Parents Learn; All Since D-Day" (PDF) (B.N. 7-8-44)*
"One of 3 Missing Brothers Killed" (PDF) (B. N. 7-31-44)
"Tonawandans Lose Second Son in France" (PDF) (C.E. 8-5-44)**
"Tonawanda Flier Freed from Japs" (PDF) (C.E.5-5-45)
"400 Prisoners in Crossfire Aided by Native: Tonawanda Lad Freed by British in Burma" (PDF) (C.E. 8-5-45)
"Athlete Cited for Gallantry on Battlefield" (PDF) (C.E.12-12-45)
*The Buffalo News
**Courier Express, no longer in press
The Followup
Robert and Preston Niland were buried at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in France.
After more than a year of presuming the death of their son Edward, the Nilands happily learned that he was still alive in a Burmese POW camp. Edward had parachuted from his plane and wandered the jungles before being captured. The POW camp had taken a severe physical toll on Edward who weighed only 80 pounds (from his original 170) when he returned to the U.S. Edward lived in Tonawanda until his death in 1984 at the age of 72.
Fritz Niland went on to earn a degree in dentistry at Georgetown University and worked for a year at a government dental program on Guam. Afterwards, he returned to Tonawanda and set up his own dental practice in Niagara Falls. Fritz was awarded a Bronze Star for his service. He died in 1983 in San Francisco at the age of 63.
Like Fritz, Tom Niland also went back to school and completed his degree at Canisius in 1947. Tom then served as Le Moyne College's first basketball coach and athletic director until his retirement in 1990. He was awarded a Silver Star for his actions in the Battle of the Bulge at Bastogne. He died March 16, 2004 at the age of 83.
Joseph Niland's tank division became known as the Liberators after freeing the Dachau concentration camp. He eventually returned to Tonawanda where he finished his degree at Canisius in 1946 and continued pursuing his love of sports as a well known and respected coach of the Canisius basketball team. Niland posted the second-highest winning percentage in school history. After his years at Canisius, Joseph Niland also served as a basketball coach at local high schools and as a scout for such teams as baseball's Cincinnati Reds and basketball's Buffalo Braves. He was also an aide for the general manager of the Buffalo Bills.
The gravesites of Robert and Preston Niland in Normandy, France.
The story of the Niland family still inspires and even influenced the writing of Stephen Spielberg's 1998 movie "Saving Private Ryan." Although a unique story in its tragedy, the Niland family was only one of many families in which several children simultaneously served for their country. Listed here are several articles pulled from Canisius's WWII Scrapbook that recount other local Canisius families and their stories.
"One of Six Durkin Brothers Killed in Action" (PDF) (B.N. 5-7-45)
"22 Months of Uncertainty End" (PDF) (B.N. 5-18-45)
July 2006
Joseph E. Driscoll was the president of the Canisius University Class of 1943. He served on the Student Council as Secretary-Treasurer, was a member of the International Relations Club, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, The Coffin Club, AZUWUR staff, played Intramurals, and was in the United States Army Enlisted Reserve Corps. He participated in the Freshmen Academia and took a Philosophy Medal his junior year.
As president of his senior class, Joseph Driscoll wrote a letter (PDF) for his yearbook that foreshadowed his own future as he addressed what the times demanded of them. To the men of the class of ’43 Driscoll wrote, "...when, in a short time we shall be called upon to actively serve our country, we are determined that we shall not fail. We will serve our God and we will serve our country with every ounce of our courage."
In May of 1943 he was called into active duty by the U.S. Army. July 1943 found him posted to Camp Fort McClellan, Alabama and in March 1944, he was sent overseas with the Second Indianhead Division. In the September 1944 edition of The Griffin, Canisius University’s student newspaper, Joseph Driscoll was listed as “Missing.” By the November 17, 1944 edition of The Griffin that status changed to “Deceased.”
In 2000, Mr. Robert R. “Duke” Maynard of Bristol, CT contacted Mr. John J. Hurley, Canisius University Vice President for College Affairs. Maynard was interested in learning more about Joseph Driscoll as he and Driscoll served together in combat during WW II. In subsequent conversations between Maynard and Hurley, Maynard shared the events of 27 July 1944. The correspondence between Maynard and Hurley resulted in an article printed in CANISIUS magazine (PDF), Winter 2005 edition.
Hurley wrote:
Early in the morning of July 27,1944, Maynard and Driscoll, both infantry scouts, were in the fields east of Normandy, doing advance work for the Allied forces as they began the push toward Paris. The day before had been very eventful for Maynard and Driscoll as about a dozen German troops had surrendered to them in the field. They were proceeding in their reconnaissance as fast as they could walk when Maynard felt something hit him. He fell to the ground, knocking out his front teeth. He had been struck in the throat by enemy fire and was spurting blood. Within seconds, Driscoll was at his side using first, Maynard's aid kit and then his own to bind Maynard's wound. He pulled Maynard to safer ground and turned to seek medical help. As he stood, he cried out, "I've been hit. I've been hit." Maynard never saw him hit the ground. He lapsed in and out of consciousness for a long period until medical help arrived. When the medics arrived they told him Driscoll had been killed.
A very grateful Duke Maynard has lived for 60 years with this vivid memory of Driscoll's noble act of courage. He wrote to me last year, 'You at Canisius University should be aware of and proud to have such a true hero among the ranks of your graduates.' Amen, Duke Maynard Requiescas in Pace, Joseph E. Driscoll '43.
