 Samuel Leroy Mendel,
Galva's oldest citizen, died today at 9 a.m. in
his home at 114 SW Ninth Ave.Among many other
distinctions and honors, Mendel was nationally
recognized as America's oldest living war
veteran.
Mendel was born in
Ft. Worth, Texas, on June 23, 1884, the son of
vaudeville performers. He inherited from them a
gift of showmanship that was present throughout
his life, performing songs, poetry and speeches
across the country.
At the age of 17,
he enlisted in the artillery corps. Because of
his age he was not allowed to leave the country,
but served for three years stateside during the
Spanish-American War.
On the Army
football team, Mendel was pitted against a team
led by Douglas McArthur. Mendel became the only
player to score a touchdown against the
formidable opponent and was named the Army's
athlete of the year in 1902.
Mendel then had a
short stint in professional baseball, served as
an overseer in Spokane, Wash., and as a minister
traveled the Pacific Northwest.
After feeling
limited in ministry, Mendel went back on the road
as a vaudville performer in 1908.
 During his travels, he encountered
the likes of Buffalo Bill, Booker T. Washington,
Carrie Nation, Theodore Roosevelt and gangster
Frank Dalton.
Mendel attempted
to rejoin the Army during the first World War but
was told he couldn't join because his last name
was German.
Recently widowed,
he went back on the vaudevillian circuit,
arriving in Chicago in 1919. In 1923 he met his
second wife, Selma, a native of Bishop Hill, who
preceded him in death in 1984. Mendel was working
as an auditor at the time of the Stock Market
Crash of 1929.
His days in Galva
were spent writing a weekly newspaper column for
The Galva News, coaching Little League baseball,
and later performing his favorite songs and
reciting some of his more than 200 poems for the
likes of Gov. James Thompson.
Funeral services
are pending.
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