As the nation entered into the throes of World War II, Harrisburg was prepared to answer the call of service. Prideful as a “beehive of industry,” the city was a hub for wartime manufacturing, railroads and distribution. Bond drives attracted celebrities such as Abbott and Costello as locals enjoyed “Coffee MacArthur” and “Doughnuts Doolittle” for breakfast. Market Square’s Caplan’s collected empty toothpaste and shaving cream containers in rationing efforts. The local Pabst Blue Ribbon plant stopped canning, and the Harrisburg Coca-Cola Bottling Works ran out of sugar as everyday products became rare luxuries. Nearly 540 area service members lost their lives in the war, leaving Harrisburg to honor their legacy for generations.

Rodney J. Ross is a Harrisburg native. He attended Forney Elementary, Edison Junior High School and John Harris High. He is a 1962 Shippensburg State Teachers College graduate. He earned a master’s and a doctorate at the Pennsylvania State University. Before retiring in 2017, he taught seven years in the Harrisburg School District and forty-seven at the Harrisburg Area Community College. He has authored academic articles, book reviews and encyclopedia entries. He is researching Harrisburg’s experience with World War I and the flu pandemic. He and his wife reside in Lower Paxton Township with their Shih Tzu, Prince.

Description courtesy of the History Press.

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