American(£2^0 Iegion Four Roses time in New York A No other whiskey In the world’s greatest metropolis—as in cities and towns everywhere—when it’s time for a social drink, people can match the flavor are saying: “It’s Four Roses time.” For Four Roses has come to mean all that’s best in a whiskey . smooth- of Four Eoses ness, mellowness, and a flavor that’s truly distinctive. FRANKFORT DISTILLERS CO.J.Y.C. BLENDED WHISKEY. 86.8 PROOF. 607. GRAIN NEUTRAL SPIRITS. SBa SJocie/e deb £FAe 'jtf/triclican 3?e<jicu ^j£a SBou/ique Qtta'ian/e Ctfomtneb •Wffr/ ^/tevctux THIRTY-FIFTH Qlaa/utti/e 3femine4- NATIONAL THIRTY-SIXTH CONVENTION THIRTY-FOURTH PROMENADE MARCHE NATIONALE NATIONALE 1 c £/7te tj^m.e/t€€a'n £e<fwrt PAGE American Legion Auxiliary 41-45 American Legion Events 28 Business Sessions, American Legion Convention 13, 14, 15 Columbus Day Celebration 35 Convention Committee Meetings 11 Convention Corporation Board of Directors 33 Convention Corporation Committee Chairmen 36 Convention Corporation Headquarters 24 Convention Corporation Honorary Vice-Presidents 52, 53 Convention Corporation Officers 32 Department of Florida 7 Distinguished Service Medal Recipients 9 Distinguished Guests 16, 17 Eight and Forty 55-59 Forty and Eight 47-51 Governor LeRoy Collins of Florida 5 Hotel Assignments 64-66 Joint Opening Session ( American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary ) 13 Map of Parade Route 18 Messages from: City of Miami City of Miami Beach City of Hialeah 6 Miami-Miarni Beach Travel Guide 74 National Commander Seaborn P. Collins’ Welcome 3 National Contests 15, 26, 27 National Convention Commission 31 National Officers of The American Legion 8 Parade Orders 19 Past National Commanders 25 Preamble to Legion Constitution 1 President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Message 4 Religious anti Patriotic Service 11 Reunions 69 Sightseeing 60-63 Standing Commission and Committee Meetings Schedule 10 2 “PVelcome to our 37th National Convention!” As convention delegates, we are here to have a good time—and Ameri- can Legion fellowship, combined with the hearty hospitality of our friends in the Miami area, assure us of that. But we are here also to do good work to renew and demonstrate once again our belief in America and in American Legion ideals. Our concern, as always, is for the safety of our beloved Country and for the welfare of those who have sacrificed health and per- sonal security in America’s de- fense. In all that we do, let us express that concern faithfully. Let us justify, by reasoned and responsible conduct in and out of convention sessions, the confidence of the nearly three million Legionnaires in whose name we meet. Imbued with that spirit, we will make this a convention in which Legionnaires may take pride and the Nation may find profit. SEABORN P. COLLINS, NATIONAL COMMANDER Shown at the controls of his Riley twin is Commander Collins, the first American Legion National Commander to fly his own plane during his term of office. To meet his heavy schedule. Commander Collins, assisted by Jim Parham, his aide and pilot, flew his trim red and white craft into 46 states, logging more than 133,000 miles in all kinds of weather this past year. The Commander has convinced many people of the advantages of air travel, but is probably proudest of the enthusiasm for flying shown by Mrs. Percy A. Lainson, Auxiliary Na- tional President, following a “lift” he gave her from Lewiston, Montana, to Bismarck, North Dakota. He doesn’t yet say “knots per hour” or “port and starboard engines” but Commander Collins has successfully combined his Air Force training with Par- ham’s Navy background, proving that unification can work. 3 8 '- Ae t Co^ fc'W* "'‘'or. ** and throne venU°n n , ve to< ot L,e( aPP° rt d^ai. nauon 4 our on Veterain oi ^ ^ opportun c J ifirin honor and ) 8 , Zat e, tasting P e a S .ncco.sl’- a , ior construction ,„r of yon in » Ml felloe man meeting and God and c efforts for vears ahead. • •• - • . 4 ^ GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA HONORARY PRESIDENT AMERICAN LEGION NATIONAL CONVENTION CORPORATION ,Tive D ’ q OF THE *«d "" region th GOVern extend a- to u aveutrou-venuo-r‘^" „1eaSede°d are P« la^ pieced and n ' of • tiaU° s of ^ as • n bedaU 1 and C3 to aU ig s or -e jr State- F aV lconvenUO^ at‘0“^ -"0n ' nd seen ^ urge a S Y sunsd^e - only id our ^ , a s :z jrig\ *»d soUdlY and -or* d Uve dapPY-/£ 3 deadly.Ttdv. i in tunitres 3 o , or =r~ our n rsdlp ylorr' eturn V/e i° c ’ £or'« a Gove rno* 5 (Cit^j iif JHtmttt, Jfl art frit ABE ARONOVITZ July 14, 1955 MAYOR Mr. Seaborn P. Collins National Commander The American Legion Dear Mr. Collins: It is a pleasure to extend, on behalf of the City of Miami, a most cordial welcome to The American Legion. Miami considers itself honored to have been chosen as the meeting place for the Convention of your organization, the members of which have fought and shed their blood for the preservation of our great country, its ideals and its form of government. It is our hope that your Convention will be the most successful of any in your history. You can rest assured we shall do everything possible to see that your visit to Miami is a most pleasant one. We would like you to stay as long as you conveniently can, and we hope you will enjoy yourselves so much you will come back to see us often, both as a group and as individuals. Sincerely yours, ABE ARONOVITZ Mayor OFFICE OF THE MAYOR CITY OF HiAT.FA IT CITY OF MIAMI BEACH MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA HENRY A. MILANDER COUNCIL Mayor JAMES H. GOODLET A. H. CASWELL City Clerk and President of Council Treas. V. J. ASHLEY Vice-President of D. LEE POWELL Council MAYOR W. LOCKWARD ARTHUR R. R. F. WOODRUFF Sr. CHAPMAN, C. E. BRADY 19, 1955 Fire Chief July J. H. SMITH M. E. THOMPSON The American Legion Honorable Seaborn P. Collins, 1955 Convention Corporation of Florida National Commander P. O. Box 2830 The American Legion Miami, Florida Dear Sir: It is a great privilege and honor to welcome The Attention: National Commander, Seaborn P. Collins American Legion Convention to Miami this year. Dear Legionnaires: We certainly hope that you will have a successful and memorable Convention in our Wonderful As Mayor of the City of Miami Beach, it is my Community. pleasure to extend to you a cordial welcome to our beautiful city. Very sincerely yours, We are pleased to again have the opportunity CITY OF HIALEAH, FLORIDA of placing our many facilities for comfort and enjoyment at your disposal, and it is our wish that HENRY MILANDER this reunion will be a most successful one. Mayor And to all of you, individually, I sincerely hope the memories of the pleasant moments you spend with us will motivate your return to Miami Beach—again and again. FRED HARTNETT, Sr. Most cordially, Mayor Coral Gables D. LEE POWELL Mayor 6 LEGION TTHE AMERICAN department of fl.or.oa C pabtment°commander THE de j« A J. THOMAS. “* 3 . o. d.»m STARKE. FLORIDA C lllM P ' ° »°“SS”co™St - ^rilp l “ lt3 » -5 *“; for ,» jrjrtsi f Florld . - >- -111 . J r. » M. Thomas Florida Department Legion ofox Th e American PSNSACOlA KSONVIUE tauahassee ‘ CITY ST. PANAMA AUGUSTINS VMARINELAND V ^DAYTONA SUWANNEEn \BEACH SILVER SPRS ^©OREANOOl sas^S lakeland $ W TOUj TAMP.Aji O 4.BOK ©L.WAlES V VERO BEACH POERSBURCp SARASOTA PALM each .MEYERS p FT boca AFRICA VI.S.A RATON EUERCLADES MIAMI MIAMI f b beach DEPARTMENT FLORIOA ADJUTANT w mQ& REVS KEY WEST 7 T/iettcan PATRICK H. DR. CARL J. HOWARD C. MANGAN REES KINGDOM Vice Commander Vice Commander Vice Commander Vermont Delaware Ohio LEONARD L. ROBERT L. REV. ALBERT J. JACKSON SHELBY HOFFMANN Vice Commander Vice Commander National Chaplain Louisiana Utah Iowa ROBERT T. RALPH B. HENRY H. NEAL E. A. FAIREY GREGG DUDLEY GRIDER BLACKMORE Historian Judge Advocate Adjutant Treasurer Ass’t Adjutant South Carolina Indianapolis Indianapolis Indianapolis Indianapolis 8 | MAJOR GENERAL ELLARD A. WALSH % * -1955 £> MARSHAL FERDINAND FOCH, of France ADMIRAL W. S. SIMS MAJOR GEN. LEWIS B. HERSHEY Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces of the U. S. Navy— 1930 -1946 in World War 1-1921 GENERAL DOUGLAS MacARTHUR CORDELL HULL ADMIRAL DAVID EARL BEATTY -1942 -1946 Head of the British Navy during GENERAL GEORGE C. MARSHALL LT. GEN. WM. S. KNUDSEN World War 1—1921 -1943 -1947 ADMIRAL ERNEST KING GENERAL BARON JAQUES J. HONORABLE EDWARD MARTIN -1943 Commander-in-Chief of the Belgian Army United States Senator in World War 1-1921 FRANK KNOX -1947 ( Posthumously —1944 GENERAL ARMANDO V. DIAZ ) HONORABLE FRED M. VINSON Commander-in-Chief of the Italian Army HENRY FORD Chief Justice, U. S. Supreme Court during World War 1—1921 -1944 -1947 GENERAL H. H. ARNOLD CHARLES BERTRAND, of France PRESIDENT HARRY S. TRUMAN -1944 Founder-president of Fidac— 1921 -1949 FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT GENERAL GEORGE HERMAN (BABE) RUTH JOHN J. PERSHING ( Posthumously )— 1945 (Posthumously )— 1949 Commander-in-Chief of the A. E. F. GEN. THEODORE ROOSEVELT, JR. in World War 1-1922 GENERAL FRANK PARKER ( Posthumously )— 1945 (Posthumously )— 1949 ADMIRAL R. E. COONTZ ERNEST (ERNIE) PYLE of the U. S. Navy—1923 War Correspondent CHARLES F. JOHNSON, JR. -1950 ( Posthumously —1945 GENERAL JOSEF HALLER ) A. of Poland— 1923 HONORABLE HENRY L. STIMSON MILTON RECKORD -1950 Secretary of War— 1945 IGNACE JAN PADEREWSKI MRS.