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William Foster “Bill” Alger

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William Foster "Bill" Alger

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    class photo, Oakland School
This January 28, 1943, Lowell Tribune article was found on page 5, column 2:
    A daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. William Algers at the Gary Methodist hospital, last Friday. The Algers moved to Gary from Lowell a short time ago.
This January 6, 1944, Lowell Tribune article was found on page 2, column 2:
    William F. Alger, of Lowell, has been graduated from Specialist Mail school at the U.S. naval training station, Sampson, N.Y.
    Sampson is one of three inland naval training stations recently established under the navy's expansion program, and is under the command of Capt. Harry A. Badt, USN. It is located in the Finger Lakes region of western New York.
This January 13, 1944, Lowell Tribune article was found on page 2, column 1:
    Bill Alger, Petty Officer 3/c, in a letter to his parents, the C.F. Algers, said that he had recently met Seaman Eddie Shutts, a former teacher at Lowell high. Bill also said he was very busy sorting air mail letters. For example: last Tuesday's mail brought in 460 sacks--70 lbs. of letters in each. He is working 9 hours a day at San Francisco post office and rooming at a hotel there.
This January 27, 1944, Lowell Tribune article was found on page 2, column 4:
    Mrs. Lucile Alger and Mrs. Joyce Alger and baby Judy, spent last Friday with Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Alger in Forest Park. Joyce left Saturday morning for San Francisco to visit her husband, Petty Officer 3/c Bill Alger, who is working in the postoffice there.
This Lowell Tribune article was found in the April 6, 1944, issue (page 2, column 1):
    Bill Alger, Petty Officer 3/c, has been moved from his duties at San Francisco fleet postoffice to a place of embarkation in California, which happens to be where his former teacher, Edwin Shutts, Petty Officer 3/c, is stationed.
This April 13, 1944, Lowell Tribune article was found on page 4, column 1:
    William Alger, Petty Officer 3/c, writes his parents, the C.F. Algers that he is confined in a California hospital with a severe case of tonsilitis, but is rapidly recovering. Bill was recently transferred to an embarkation point in preparation for overseas duty.
The following July 13, 1944, Lowell Tribune article was found on page 2, column 1:

    It's Hot in the Marshalls

    Petty Officer 3/c Bill Alger, now stationed in the Marshall Islands, writes his parents, the C.F. Algers that it is so hot there the boys wear nothing but shorts to work in.
The following August 31, 1944, Lowell Tribune article was found on page 2, column 2:

    Writes from South Pacific

    William Alger, Sp. (M) 3/c, who is serving in a navy mail department in the South Pacific, wrote the following recently in a letter to his parents, the C.F. Algers:

      I'll bet you'll envy me when I tell you that we have clean rain water to take a bath in and wash our hair with. Yep! We've got two barrels on our porch under two holes in the canvas roof, so when it rains, it fills the barrels and it's really soft water, too.

      Had to get up and get mail out for some of the fellows. One of them just brought us in a turkey, all cooked and everything. It didn't have any legs on it though. We were supposed to go out to his ship for Sunday dinner yesterday, but had too much work to do, and because the mail clerk knew we wanted some turkey, he brought it in to us. Those guys on the ships sure get good chow and they know we don't. The only time we get good food here is when they bring it in to us. One clerk brought me a gallon of pears and gallon of apricots, two oranges and seven apples. Boy, were they good.

This February 15, 1945, Lowell Tribune article was found on page 2, column 1:
    A letter from William Alger, serving with Uncle Sam's navy overseas, says he has been promoted to Petty Officer 2nd class.
This April 26, 1945, Lowell Tribune article was found on page 4, columns 2-3:
    The following letter was received recently by the C.F. Algers from their son, William, Ma.M. 3/c, who is with the U.S. fleet in the southwest Pacific:
      Dear Mom and Dad:
      I received your most welcome letters yesterday, along with six others from the family. Sure was busy for a while reading them. Spent most of Easter day answering them, and also went to church. We had a fine service--Communion, too. Sure makes one feel a better man.
      We have a radio in the Chief Master at Arms' tent next door and I have a speaker here in my place that's connected to his set. They have a broadcasting station on the other island and broadcast from 6 to 8 a.m., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 4 to 10 p.m. We have mostly armed forces radio service programs that are recorded in Los Angeles, We get Bob Hope, Fibber McGee and Molly, Amos and Andy, Hour of Charm, big dance bands and on Saturday night, the Grand Ol' Opry and Barn Dance that Dad always liked, which always makes me so homesick.
      I had dinner with Ralph Burnell aboard his ship, which sure was a treat. Made me feel for a time as though I wasn't the only one here and away from home. I surely enjoyed seeing and talking to him. He is healthy and doing well as far as rating is concerned. At 20, he is an Aviation Chief Machinists' Mate.
      I gather from reading the Lowell Tribune there aren't many young fellows left around Lowell any more. I want to keep the issue which had the names of the service boys and girls.
      I've got my place all painted, with handy places built for the mail--a front porch with two lawn chairs to cool off in, or try to. Really have a swell place to work and live in now. The guys on the other islands at the post office would sure like to trade with me. I like the job of Navy mail clerk even though the first of the month is always a back-breaker. We serve about 1500 men on all kinds of postal service. We only handle incoming mail for 300 fellows. Our hours are from 8 to 4 with Sundays off. Money orders total between $40,000 and $60,000 a month, which keeps two men pretty busy all the time.
      Well, the Chief Master at Arms and I just spent a quiet evening here at the postoffice fixing up a joke package for the chaplain, then fixed ourselves a lunch. Then the doctor came in and invited us to join their party, and later the cook and I went to midnight Mass. We enjoyed it although neither of us are Catholic.
      It surely made me happy to receive the picture of you and dad. Take care of yourself and don't worry about me as I am very safe here and getting the best of everything--I'm a good friend of the cook.

          With love,
              Bill
The following May 3, 1945, Lowell Tribune article was found on page 6, column 4:
    We wish to give our service boys and girls all the credit they deserve, therefore we wish to correct the rating of Bill Alger, who is a Ma.M. 2/c instead of 3/c as we stated last week.
This December 13, 1945, Lowell Tribune article was found on page 5, column 3:
    Ma. M. 2/c Bill Alger arrived in San Diego on the 10th of Dec. from the Marshall Islands, where he has been stationed for the past 19 months.
This December 27, 1945, Lowell Tribune article was found on page 2, column 1:
    M.M. 2/c Bill Alger, is enjoying a 30-day leave with his wife and daughter and his parents, the C.F. Algers. Bill served in the Marshall Islands for 19 months.
This Lowell Tribune article was found in the February 28, 1946, issue (page 2, column 1):
    Wm. Alger, M.M. 2/c, son of the C.F. Algers, was discharged from the Navy Feb. 3rd. He is now working at the Tubular Mills in Gary.
In an e-mail to the library, Janice E. Lakey, Mr. Alger's daughter, wrote that her father passed away on January 28, 2004 in Tucson, Arizona.
Last updated on September 16, 2006.

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