OTTUMWA NAVAL AIR STATION

ONAS

Field 01785

www.nasottumwa.org

National Register of Historic Places

https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/13000273.htm

MT OLIVET CEMETERY

OTTUMWA HEIGHTS

The Daily Reporter – November 4, 1957

College resumed at Ottumwa Airbase, Nov. 4

College classes resumed at Ottumwa Heights airbase headquarters Monday, Nov. 4, according to word received from the office of sister Marie Ancille, Dean. Miss Mary Bray, daughter of Mr and Mrs Tom Bray of Spencer, is a sophomore at the college.

Beginning at 8:10 a.m. Monday was a brief orientation session for all the students. After that classes followed the regular schedule, used before the total-destruction fire at Ottumwa Heights, Oct. 8.

Latin American classes, a special department for Spanish speaking students , has been in session since Oct. 14, less than one week after the fire. Resident who had not yet returned to the new airbase campus of Ottumwa Heights were scheduled to return Sunday, Nov. 3. Over half the resident students are already back. Many returned early to help complete renovation of four buildings at the airbase for Ottumwa Heights use. Ninety-five high school students returned to school at the airbase Oct. 28, all day students, who had attended before the fire, returned. Lacking residence for  them the Heights staff discontinued housing high school students on campus. Several former are living in Ottumwa homes so that they can continue at Ottumwa Heights as day-students. Special buses will carry both high school and college students to ad from the airbase campus.

BOQ, former Navy building intended to house resident college student Sisters, is not yet ready for occupation. Until ready, resident students will live in dormitories in Barracks 5 and in the second floor rooms of the Operations or “Tower” building, Biology and secretarial science classes will meet in the Administration building. Other classes will be held in the main classroom building called Instruction 2.

Skilled and general workers volunteered labor over three week ends in order to turn four former airbase buildings into comfortable and attractive quarters.

Clinton Mirror – Nov 1, 1902

Albert Haverfield, of Ottumwa, enlisted at Ottumwa, and assigned to infantry service at Presidio, Cal

Sarasota Herald-Tribune – Jun 22, 1944

In the first ten months of operation, the four bowling alleys at the Ottumwa, Iowa, naval air station were pounded for 46000 games.