January 2006

Hi, Bill...

I really have enjoyed your website...and I’m only about half way through.  I grew up in the Canal Zone...born in Panama in 1945 and lived at the Canal Zone Penitentiary outside Gamboa for fifteen of my eighteen years down there.  (My family lived at the prison from 1945 to 1948 when my Dad made Sergeant and we moved to Cristobal for three years.  We moved back to the penitentiary in 1951 when he was promoted to Lieutenant.  He later was promoted to Captain and was the Warden until he retired in 1965.  After graduating from BHS in 1963, I left to attend college in the United States, but visited at Christmas.)

Because I spent most of my early years there and because of my Dad, my interest is in the Canal Zone Penitentiary (regretfully I don’t have any photos from those days) and the Canal Zone Police.  I searched your website and found everything that the search engine brought up under those two topics...I’m very interested in anything you might add in the future and will keep looking.  Interestingly your site had a photo of my Dad with the inmate Santa Claus delivering toys to the the orphans in Panama...an amazing find for me!  As you probably know, inmates would volunteer to work on toys in the prison shops during the weekends and as Christmas approached they would elect an inmate Santa Claus, a much coveted position.  When the time came, the toys would be loaded into the prison trucks along with a great deal of fruit from the penitentiary farms and delivered to the orphanages in the interior of Panama by the inmate Santa and his inmate helpers (supervised by CZP officers).

As a side note, I think I recognized the eighth picture in the series titled “The Men - Rest and Play” under “Gus Steigler's days in Panama” as a CZ Police station...the lower floor looks familiar, but there could have been similar buildings to the police stations throughout the Canal Zone.
--
Regards,

William Harry Munyon

Bill, Barbara (Erikson) Adamson here, my sister was Linda. I graduated from CHS in 61, really Coco Solo, Colon born and raised in Cristobal and Margarita. 

 
My grandfather won the prize for the most bonds bought during WWI.  He beat out an engineer and the prize was a flight from the Atlantic side to the Pacific side and back.  His name was Robert J. Huntoon a Roosevelt medal holder plus my grandmother was from a prominent Columbian family.  I have a printed article about him winning the contest and about his flight.  Also, he was an avid photographer with lots of glass slides relating to the building of the canal.  His cousin was with the Amer. Consulate when my grandfather went to visit but his cousin died just a few days before my grandfathers ship arrived. Just a little history about my heritage.  You're doing a great job keeping the past and present current.  Thank you for your efforts, you do keep the dreams alive.  Barbara 

Hi my name is Silvia 

 
Would any of you have any information on my great grandfather William Henry Alexander Doberman. He lived in Virginia and he was one of the Engineers of the Panama canal He also built the first Railroad in the island of Cuba.
Please send me any information on him
Thank you

SRubal3730@aol.com

Bill -

My name is mike Cassaday, BHS 62. I lived in quarters 22 on Fort Amador from 1959 to 62. I used to enjoy sneaking into the military installation and gun batteries on Naos island. Much of the WW II equipment was still in place within the concrete underground passages at that time.

On my recent trip to Panama over the 2005 Christmas holidays I re-visited Naos only to find a time share condo going up in my old stomping grounds.

The enclosed pictures represent the destruction of the gun battery closest to the mainland. Sad loss of history. You may use these photos as you see fit without credit to me. They may be of future interest to someone who asks what happened to this fortification.

Thank you for an excellent web site.

Mike

New York

Dear Sir:

My name is Bianca, I am 28 years old, Panamanian, married with 2 kids and legal secretary.  I have been looking and appreciating your BEAUTIFUL website, and  I really enjoyed the way you and all the persons who lived at the Panama Canal Zone expressed about your live, anecdotes and stories; specially because you took part of the Panama ’s history.  Let me congratulate you and the persons involved in this job.
I had friends who lived at the military bases (families and soldiers) which I lost contact, but I really remember with nostalgia the time, weekends and BBQs we had together and I can say that it will never be the same; nevertheless, I am very happy to find interesting pictures and stories that we never knew about it (the other side), because when I was at high school in Panama, the history is told in “other way”; however, all of us know what’s going on with governments policies.
Once again, CONGRATS!!!!!
Regards,
Bianca

Not sure if this subject is right for your guest book.

Would like to know if anyone knows the whereabouts of Beverly Madison.  She lived on the Atlantic side in 1948 and attended Christobal High School.  After graduation she enlisted in the Navy and was on active duty in 1952.
The last report I had was that she married and was living in California.
Thanks for any assistance.
Ken Thompson  aland@citcom.net

Hi, Bill...

I really have enjoyed your website...and I’m only about half way through.  I grew up in the Canal Zone...born in Panama in 1945 and lived at the Canal Zone Penitentiary outside Gamboa for fifteen of my eighteen years down there.  (My family lived at the prison from 1945 to 1948 when my Dad made Sergeant and we moved to Cristobal for three years.  We moved back to the penitentiary in 1951 when he was promoted to Lieutenant.  He later was promoted to Captain and was the Warden until he retired in 1965.  After graduating from BHS in 1963, I left to attend college in the United States, but visited at Christmas.)

Because I spent most of my early years there and because of my Dad, my interest is in the Canal Zone Penitentiary (regretfully I don’t have any photos from those days) and the Canal Zone Police.  I searched your website and found everything that the search engine brought up under those two topics...I’m very interested in anything you might add in the future and will keep looking.  Interestingly your site had a photo of my Dad with the inmate Santa Claus delivering toys to the the orphans in Panama...an amazing find for me!  As you probably know, inmates would volunteer to work on toys in the prison shops during the weekends and as Christmas approached they would elect an inmate Santa Claus, a much coveted position.  When the time came, the toys would be loaded into the prison trucks along with a great deal of fruit from the penitentiary farms and delivered to the orphanages in the interior of Panama by the inmate Santa and his inmate helpers (supervised by CZP officers).

As a side note, I think I recognized the eighth picture in the series titled “The Men - Rest and Play” under “Gus Steigler's days in Panama” as a CZ Police station...the lower floor looks familiar, but there could have been similar buildings to the police stations throughout the Canal Zone.
--
Regards,

Harry

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