Brooklyn Gilstrap, left, and Warsaw Community Schools Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert

LEESBURG — Survivor of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, Ray Emory, 95, awarded Leesburg student Brooklyn Gilstrap for her historical essay.

Emory was born in Peoria, Ill., and was stationed aboard the USS Honolulu during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Surviving the attack, he went on to serve honorably in multiple engagements in the South Pacific during WWII. After the war, he worked as a civilian for Boeing Industry. He retired to Honolulu, where he began his quest to identify the graves of the “unknowns” who died at Pearl Harbor.

His dedicated work has enabled remains of the former “unknowns” to be named through military documents and DNA testing and be returned home to families now almost 75 years after the Day of Infamy. Warsaw Community Schools Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert assisted setting up a phone call between Emory and Leesburg sixth-grade students during their WWII unit of history.

Hoffert said, “Mrs. Jordan, Mrs. Curto and Mrs. Kreider at Leesburg have created a history unit where the students have been able to learn directly from heroes and role models like Mr. Emory and a number of Holocaust survivors. Learning directly from these men and women brings history to life and creates lessons students will never forget.”

Emory ended his conversation with Leesburg sixth-graders setting a historical research challenge. He asked students to research Pearl Harbor and the “unknowns” and write an essay on the subject. The best essay was to receive a $100 award.

Hoffert presented that award to Gilstrap on behalf of Emory during the sixth-grade awards ceremony, stating, “Brooklyn’s essay showed a great amount of historical research and patriotic pride for the WWII generation.”