Descendant turns Book of the Dead page

Marie Godfrey and Clint Slack Jr. of VFW Post 475 in Newark turn the page in the Book of the Dead honoring the memory of James Allison O’Daniel.

1:13 p.m., May 19, 2005--Marie Godfrey visited the UD campus recently to honor the memory of James Allison O’Daniel, a relative and former Newark resident who died in the service of his country during World War I.

Godfrey--who was accompanied by Clint Slack Jr., vice president of VFW Post 475 in Newark--was invited to turn the page of the Book of the Dead in Memorial Hall on which the name of James O’Daniel is recorded, along with the names of all Delawareans who died in World War I. A page in the book is turned each day.

James Allison O’Daniel, for whom the Newark VFW Post is named, was killed when his plane was shot down over France. He died July 27, 1918, and is buried at Oise Aisne American Cemetary.

His brother was John W. “Iron Mike” O’Daniel, a 1917 UD graduate who also received an honorary degree from UD in 1956. “Iron Mike,” who died in 1975, served for more than 40 years in the U.S. Army, including tours of duty in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

“It was such an honor to do this,” Godfrey said. “Our families go back to the Revolutionary War. It’s hard to go off to war, and so many Americans have died in all the wars that our country has been involved in.”

Memorial Hall, on The Green of UD’s Newark campus, was dedicated on May 23, 1925. The building and the book commemorate the 270 persons from Delaware who died in World War I.

Article by Jerry Rhodes
Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson

Editor's note: This article was modified on Jan. 23, 2008.

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