With a donation to the Schuylkill County Historical Society, a World War II veteran from Pottsville saluted a Vietnam veteran from the city who's recovering from a leg amputation.
David Derbes, 77, of Pottsville, the society's president since 2008, is recovering from the surgical removal of most of his left leg. On Monday, the society asked the public to remember him in his absence with donations to the society through a fundraiser called Go Dave! Campaign.
After reading about the campaign in the newspaper, Harold A. Furness Jr., 94, sent the society a check for $25.
"This was the first donation to the Go Dave! Campaign," Thomas B. Drogalis, Orwigsburg, the society's full-time executive director, said Thursday.
"That was very nice. I know Harold," Derbes said Thursday.
"I've known Dave and his wife for years. We're members of the First United Methodist Church of Pottsville. He's quite a worker, and I've always admired him," Furness said.
All financial contributions to the Go Dave! Campaign will be made to the society, J. Robert Zane, the society's acting president, said Monday.
Born in Haddonfield, New Jersey, Sept. 22, 1919, Furness was drafted into the Army in 1941. His adventures included a tour in the Philippines, where he served under Gen. Douglas MacArthur, commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific. Furness served 11 years of active duty and 18 years in the Army reserves. Retiring as a lieutenant colonel, he moved to Pottsville in the early 1950s and worked in the insurance business.
Born in Pottsville, Jan. 1, 1937, Derbes graduated from Pottsville Area High School in 1954 and the U.S. Naval Academy in 1960. He served as an officer in the Marine Corps in Vietnam. He served in the Marines from 1960 to 1967, attaining the rank of captain.