Dying woman reveals family`s gangster secret

Flyer courtesy of Hospice Care of the West, Actual article can be seen in The Orange County Register; Life Section - Friday, July. 15th, 2011
Dying woman reveals family’s gangster secret
Shortly
the attackflashes
on Pearl
Harbor
The
framedafter
sepia photograph
a dazzling
that
will
be
remembered
Wednesday
flapper draped in fur and Pat White as a child on
the 70th
anniversary,
younghermen
in small
posing
in a tailored
coat to match
mother's.
towns
across
America
united
and
"That's me at 4 years old in my first fur coat," lined
Pat
said.
country at war.
I detected a confident gusto in this dying woman
And a few
courageous
swaddled
in a hospital
bed in women.
a board and care room
inAtMission
Viejo. Reineberg Burchard peered
28, Mary
"We
never
felt
the Depression,"
Pat, 89,practice
said withata
out the window
of her medical
the young enlistees marching off to war
chuckle.
on the street
in York,
Congestive
heartbelow
failure affects
her Penn.
breathing but
not
her mind
or spirit.
knew we wereinintown
for a as
Mary,
known
to I everyone
captivating
life review
video,
the brainchild
of and
“Dr. Mary,”
left her
podiatry
practice
Donna
Miller,
directorinofhis
volunteer
visited
her father
shoe services
store. of
Hospice Care of the West.
“I want to join the military,” she said.
Since researching my book "Parting Ways," I've
“What
will you
he hospice
asked. patients
been
following
Donnado,as girl?”
she guides
on a tour of their past, triggered by a list of
interview questions.
It's a raw last conversation. We've heard many life
Mary marched down to city hall with her
stories, war accounts, prisoner of war nightmares
and
confessions
thatand
folks share
going tobeen
the
read
her log
said,before
“We’ve
grave.
Yet, for
I'vesomeone
never been like
vividly
transported to
looking
you.”
the underworld of Prohibition.
“Well, you got me,” she said.
Donna set up the video camera and started with
Mary
from
she
Pat's
birthemerges
in Percy, Ill.
Pat'sher
birthreverie
name wasasMary
hears
the
roar
Helen Keller. She wasof
nicknamed Patsy. Her
over said
herthat
patio
in
mother
she had
Laguna Nigel.
to leave Pat's father nine
“I after
hear
months
the birth.an
airplane,”
Carl Shelton, she
leadersays,
of
looking
up.
the Shelton Gang,“You,
was
lucky
the
first indevil!”
a string of
DENISE
stepfathers,
Mary, Pat said. 95,
CARSON
reminiscences
That's
when the room in
PARTING WAYS
the
ebbed ascompany
we traveled of
her
back to Pat'sdaughters,
childhood.
Susan Mullins, 60, of Los Angeles, and
She recalled her early life with the Shelton brothers,
Eileen McDargh, 63, of Dana Point. From
who
ran East
St. Louis
and Southern
theof
behind
a video
camera,
DonnaIllinois
Miller
way
Al
Capone
ran
Chicago.
Hospice Care of the West records the life"Ireview
grew upbyin an
affluentMary,
family,"who
she said.
"The
guiding
is battling
money
just rolled
We of
justher
keptpast.
living high."
dementia,
on ain.tour
PHOTO:
PHOTO: CINDY
CINDY YAMANAKA,
YAMANAKA, THE
THEORANGE
ORANGECOUNTY
COUNTYREGISTER
REGISTER
Pat White, 89, holds a 1930s picture of herself in the tail-gunner seat of a then-new
B-17. She was one of the few woman phtojournalists in a mail-dominated feild. White
got along well with the guys and found them helpful. She later was a photographer
with Douglas Aircraft during the war.
"What did your family do?" Donna asked.
"Well, the Sheltons were running Southern Illinois,
she
After
many
watching
all thesays.
gambling
places,
carddays
loungesofand
restaugo
up
in
the
skies
above
other
people
rants," she said. "Everybody who had slot machines
Pennsylvania,
paid to them. ThereMary
was neverturned
any crime.toTheyher
boyfriend and said, “How much to go up?”
controlled better than the police."
“Nothing,
heborn
said.
SheNiemeyer,
climbedas
She describedforheryou,”
mother,
Helen
into
the
cockpit.
Once
above
the
clouds,
a Roaring '20s bombshell, a gangster's wife.
he
asked
Mary
if
she
was
ready
to take
"My mother commanded the room," Pat said.
"How did your mother influence you?" Donna
asked. a born pilot,” he said. Not much
“You’re
later,
plane
herasown.
"Very Mary
strongly,bought
with thea fact
thatofI was
good as
any man;
she gave
Pat said.
"I couldin
Since
there
weremesoattitude,"
few pilots
to serve
have
anything
or
be
anything
I
wanted."
combat during World War II, the military
Pat's mother dressed her like a doll in georgette
aircraft
stateside
upevenings
the male
dresses and
took hertooutfree
in the
forpilots
dinner
to
overseas. About 25,000 women
withsend
adults.
volunteered
join friends.
Women
Airforce
"I never had anytochildhood
I wasn't
Service
Pilots.
Only
1,830
were
accepted
encouraged to make friends outside of the family."
and left their jobs and families to train at
"Do you know why that was?" Donna asked.
Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas.
"I was always told we don't talk about family,
unless we're with family," she said. "This is the first
aircraft,
including
time I've opened
my mouth."B-26 and B-29
bombers.
At
the end
ofaway
thefrom
rigorous
She lived in a protective
bubble
the
training,
1,074
women
aviators
graduated
eyes of the Sheltons' rivals. As a child, Pat had a
bodyguard named "Eli" who packed a revolver.
women to “Fly the Army Way.”
"When we were in town, I could always see him
out of the
corner
of my eye“Doc”
or over my
Mary
was
nicknamed
by shoulder,"
the other
she said.
Though they moved often, some of her fondest
memoriesyear,
are of riding
her horsereceived
"Toby" on thethe
Last
Mary
Congressional
Goldwhich
Medal
along
with
farm with Uncle Bernie,
is a very
different
the
other
300
remaining
WASPs.
side of the gangster known as the guy who did
Carl's dirty work.
As a nation, we’ve reached a point where
I later learned when sifting through newspaper
one in four Americans dying is a veteran.
archives that the Sheltons made their fortune
Just like Mary, many of the veterans are not
bootlegging.
The Saturday
EveningInPost
the
in
Veteran Affairs
facilities.
fact,called
fewer
Shelton4 brothers
Bloodiest
for
of veterans
are Gang"
spending
than
percent"America's
the gang wars that occurred in Herrin, a town just
hospices
are answering
the call.
south of Percy,
and later, Peoria.
CONTINUES ON BACK SIDE
Flyer courtesy of Hospice Care of the West, Actual article can be seen in The Orange County Register; Life Section - Friday, July 15th, 2011
CONTINUED FROM FRONT SIDE
IRecently,
also exchanged
Taylor
Pensoneau,
author by
of the
the We emails
Honor with
Veterans
program
was started
"Brothers
Notorious:
Sheltons."
widely
recognized
Department
of VeteranThe
Affairs
along Carl
with was
National
Hospice
and
Palliative
Care
Organization.
It
teaches
hospice
workers
to
care
as "handsome, charming and a ladies' man." He had multiple
for and celebrate
veterans atPensoneau
the end of also
life. mentioned, "Bernard
marriages
and mistresses.
(Bernie)
horses
and always
hadworkers
a stablelearn
full of
During aShelton
militaryloved
checklist
interview,
hospice
the
them."
branch of the military, time of service, combat and possible VA
Pat earned her chops as the daughter of a gangster family. Her
uncles
trained her how to shoot guns. She became a street“As an industry, this just wasn’t on our radar,” said Debbie
tough
dame like
her mother.
wise,
Robson, executive
director
of Hospice Care of the West. “With
As
she matured,
family's
of staff
silence
was
education
given Pat
by realized
the Longthe
Beach
VAcode
to our
and
thean
armor
of
protection.
Her
mother
decided
to
move
Pat
to
implementation of the military checklist, we have a greater
understanding
of how
to care
for her
thedaughter
unique needs
of our
California
because
she didn't
want
to be tied
veterans
and
their
families.”
with the Sheltons, who were later gunned down by a rival
gang.
The most important aspect of We Honor Veterans is inviting
Pat
recallstoliving
Hollywood's
in Brentwood
veterans
share among
their stories.
Robson stars
encourages
veteranswhen
like
they
came atolife-review
California before
moving totoBelmont
Maryfirst
to have
video recorded
preserveShore
their
history
future
generations.
in
Longfor
Beach.
Her
after-school activities when attending Long
Beach
Polythose
Techmemories
took us onare
another
into local
For Mary
mostlyjaunt
positive,
exceptorganized
that her
crime history.
She recalls that her new stepdad and uncle bought a ship,
anchored it three miles offshore just outside of the government
jurisdiction, and turned it into a casino. Pat would drop her
books off at home after school, change her clothes and catch a
water taxi out to the ship. At that time, a fleet of ships would
cruise up and down the coast from Santa Monica to Long Beach
making sure to avoid the invisible line of authority.
"I would go onto the ship and into Uncle Bill's office, pick up a
stack of chips and go play roulette," she said. "And win, boy
would I win. Then I would go down to the dining room, have
dinner and take the boat home."
Pat reflected on one of the more famous ships, the Rex, which
carried nearly 2,000 gamblers and 350 waiters, gourmet chefs,
full orchestra and squads of gunmen. The frivolity ended when
the law was changed to a 12-mile limit. The Rex became a
warship serving in World War II.
When the war started, Pat used her photography skills – learned
shooting high school sports with a Speed Graphic for the Long
Beach
– BURCHARD
to join a team of men taking pictures for
PHOTO:Press-Telegram
COURTESY OF MARY
Douglas
One ofGurry
her government
ledGold
to
Air ForceAircraft.
Major Deirdre
presents the assignments
Congressional
Medal to
WWII
Mary
Burchard.
Mary,a
podiatrist,
going
into
thepilot
bowels
ofReineberg
a B-17 to take
classified
photos
that
would be sent to engineers fixing the stalling ammunition feeds
remaining WASPs who received the medal in 2010.
on the 240-caliber machine guns overseas.
service
was cut seat, she said to the engineer, "I
As she in
gotthe
intomilitary
the tail-gunner
short.
After if you'd
graduation,
don't know
take meshe
down here if you knew who my
reported
to
Marana,
Ariz.,
to
grandfather was."
serve as a test pilot for the AT"We know who your grandfather was, and we know who your
6, a plane used to train men for
father was," he said. "And we know who you are."
combat. She rocked and rolled
"Letplanes
me give
it amost
go," strenuous
she said, wanting to test the machine
the
in the
PHOTO: COURTESY OF MARY BURCHARD
Dying woman reveals
family’s gangster secret
gun.
She pointed the gun, aimed and shot the target. The pilot
Within in a year, she received
came down to see who fired the last test shots. When he found
a telegram saying her service
out the
in fact was
a voluptuous photographer, Pat
was
no gunman
longer needed.
Still
recalls him
sayingshe
"You
can the
fly tail-gunner for me any time."
wanting
to serve,
joined
In
the
chemical
lab
at
Douglas,
met rocket scientist Daniel
Red Cross and went to Italy to sheMary
Burchard served as
White.
open
social canteens for soldiers
a Women Airforce Service
awaiting
return
home.
Pilot during
WWII.
"Motherorders
alwaystosaid
I could
have whatever
I wanted,"
Pat said
with
chuckle
and
a
smitten
look.
“I would dance my feet off,” she says chuckling. Mary recalls
They eloped
fewsinging
monthsinlater
had two
daughters
playing
piano aand
the and
recreation
halls.
At the not
end
long
after.
Pat's
adventures
with
the
rocket
scientist
took
of the war, she rode home on a troop ship where she met them
her
husband
McDargh.
around Jack
the world
for his assignments during the war. She and
her daughters toured countries to learn about culture,
languages
theSusan.
arts. During the interview, she and her
Eileen,
thenand
later
Yet, she never
themjust
theasstories
life. Just
a fewwere
bits
daughters
sing told
together
they of
didher
when
the girls
came
out
little
by
little
to
Daniel
in
their
later
years.
young. Mary’s daughters lean in to get closer to their mom and
then
She'sthey
thehug.
only one left now in her family. Her husband died in
2002are
andthedaughters
after. I refocused
onEileen
the grandmo“You
best momshortly
in the world,”
Susan says.
echoes
therly
figure
resting
in
bed,
as
her
past
receded
from
my
the sentiment.
mind's eye.
“You know I love you more than you know,” Mary says
Donna asked if there was a prayer or scripture that she might
embracing her daughters. For a moment, the veteran pilot basks
like to share with her grandchildren. Pat took a deep breath
in the warmth of their affection.
then recited the prayer.
Donna
asks.
“What
do you iswant
family
tobe,
remember
"As it was
in the
beginning,
now,your
and ever
shall
world
about
you?”
without end. Amen."
Pat's beams
five grandchildren
and
great-grandchildren have
Mary
as she looks at
her14daughters.
never heard these stories. Her life review is a reminder to ask
“I was very daring!”
our parents and grandparents about their lives, before they're
buried. You never know what could be locked inside. The key is
to ask.Denise Carson is the author of the forthcoming
“Parting
New
Rituals
As the book
interview
woundWays:
to a close,
I sensed
that and
she felt relief
Celebrations
of
Life’s
Passing”
and
blogs
at
or release.
www.celebration2life.com.
"Boy, if the family
could hear me now," Pat said, pausing to
The book is available at
exhale. "Well, I finally talked. The dam broke loose."
University of California Press.
ucpress.edu/book.
Denise Carson is the author of the book “Parting
php?isbn=9780520268739
Ways: New Rituals and Celebrations of Life’s Passing”
and blogs at OurLifeCelebrations.com.
Book is available
at UCPress.edu
& Amazon.com
CONTACT
THE WRITER:
CONTACT
THE
WRITER:
[email protected]
[email protected]