The Year - 1941
The Family News..:

Richard was born to Lucille (Farenga) & August Fiorini in Chicago on April 27th.
Mary Jo was born to Geraldine (Farenga) & Alaxender Cascio in Chicago on May 1st.
Louis Farenga, husband of Maria (Trotta), died in Chicago on Aug. 8th.
Patricia A. was born to Marge (Bagnole) & Patsy Farenga in Chicagoon Sept. 5th.
Jerome Stewart married Delores Palicki in Chicago on Nov. 7th.
Camille was born to Rose (Farenga) & Sam Siciliano in Chicago on Dec. 18th.

The #1 Songs Were .....
AmapolaJimmy Dorsey
Beat Me Daddy (Eight To the Bar)Will Bradley
Blue ChampagneJimmy Dorsey
Chattanooga Choo ChooGlenn Miller
DaddySammy Kaye
Dream ValleySammy Kaye
Elmer's TuneGlenn Miller
Green EyesJimmy Dorsey
High On A Windy HillJimmy Dorsey
I Don't Want To Set the World On FireHorace Heidt
I Hear A RhapsodyJimmy Dorsey
In The MoodGlenn Miller
IntermezzoGuy Lombardo
Maria ElenaJimmy Dorsey
My Sister and IJimmy Dorsey
'Till ReveilleKay Kyser
Tonight We LoveFreddy Martin
We Three (My Echo, My Shadow & Me)Ink Spots
You and I Glenn Miller


AT THE MOVIES....
How Green Was My Valley (Twentieth Century-Fox) - Outstanding Motion Picture
Blossoms in the Dust (MGM)
Citizen Kane (Mercury; RKO Radio)
Here Comes Mr. Jordan (Columbia)
Hold Back the Dawn (Paramount)
The Little Foxes (Goldwyn; RKO Radio)
The Maltese Falcon (Warner Bros.)
One Foot in Heaven (Warner Bros.)
Sergeant York (Warner Bros.)
Suspicion (RKO Radio)

Academy Awards..:
Gary Cooper, Sergeant York - Best Actor
Joan Fontaine, Suspicion - Best Actress
Donald Crisp, How Green Was My Valley - Supporting Actor
Mary Astor, The Great Lie - Supporting Actress
John Ford, How Green Was My Valley - Directing
Music Song - "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good, Jerome Kern, music; Oscar Hammerstein II, lyrics
Short Subjects Cartoon - Lend a Paw (Mickey Mouse) (Walt Disney Productions; RKO Radio)


In The News..:
Germany attacks the Balkans and Russia.
Japanese surprise attack on U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor brings U.S. into World War II; U.S. and Britain declare war on Japan.
Manhattan Project (atomic bomb research) begins.
Roosevelt enunciates �four freedoms,� signs Lend-Lease Act, declares national emergency, promises aid to U.S.S.R.
Orson Welles's Citizen Kane.

UNITED SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS (USO) - HISTORICAL OVERVIEW...
In 1940, America�s military was rapidly growing in response to the increasing threat which preceded entry into World War II. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt challenged six private organizations�the YMCA, YWCA, National Catholic Community Service, the National Jewish Welfare Board, the Traveler�s Aid Association and the Salvation Army�to handle the on-leave recreation needs for the members of the Armed Forces. The six organizations pooled their resources and the United Service Organizations�which quickly became known as the USO�was incorporated in New York State on February 4, 1941. By 1944, USOs were found in over 3,000 locations throughout the United States primarily staffed by the USO�s most precious resource, volunteers. President Roosevelt became the first USO Honorary Chairman, a position accepted by every President who followed.

Early in 1941, entertainment industry professionals helped the USO begin "Camp Shows" with the entertainers waiving pay and working conditions to bring live entertainment to the troops at bases within the United States. With America�s entry into World War II, "USO Camp Shows" expanded to bring live entertainment to Americans fighting overseas. Bob Hope made his first USO tour in 1942 and the USO/Bob Hope partnership has continued for more than five decades. Between 1941 and 1947, over 7,000 "soldiers in grease paint" performed an incredible 428,521 USO shows. The USO show concept has endured and continues today as "USO Celebrity Entertainment."

Following the Allies liberation of Rome in 1943, The first overseas "USO Canteen" was established in Rome following the Allies liberation in 1943. The Canteen served American troops in the midst of World War II.

The USO.

Last updated on February 17, 2000