NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — When a Middle Tennessee teacher set out to share a local World War II connection, he was met with a challenge. There wasn’t that much to help him tell the story. With some creativity, he found a way.

In Randy Lancaster’s Father Ryan High classroom, there are references everywhere to the men and women who served during World War II. Randy had several family members serve in that war.

“My mother’s great uncle was a World War II veteran aboard the USS Indianapolis,” he said. “That’s where he lost his life.”

Randy has long had a fascination with a story from that era and Father Ryan, one detailed in a yearbook from 80 years ago.

“What we do know is that in 1944, students at Father Ryan — along with other Nashville schools — raised nearly $600,000 to purchase a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress to be named the Spirit of Father Ryan to be used in the Allied effort in World War II. Randy explained.

The unfortunate thing is that so far Randy has not been able to find an actual picture of that plane the students bought in 1944.

A veterans breakfast was held Friday morning at Father Ryan’s.

“While it is not uncommon in my experience for combat veterans to be humble about their bravery, in my opinion it is an honor to be in the same room with them,” Randy said from the podium.

He wanted to share with all these people the story of that plane in a way they had never seen before.

“Especially about the nose art, we pulled from our 1944 annual,” Randy said next to a model airplane.

Using the details given in the 1944 yearbook and just general knowledge of World War II, Randy created this model, now on display in the school library.

“It would have had a crew of ten,” he explained. “It was probably silver in appearance. We don’t know what was on the nose art. A lot of the nose art back then featured pin-up girls, which probably didn’t happen in The Spirit of Father Ryan, so we had to use our imaginations a little bit because we didn’t have that many definitive references. It’s just something I’ve wanted to do since I found out if Father Ryan served on it or nearby Of course we don’t know what little we know, I’ll share and I’m happy to do so. It is a true tribute to the efforts of our past students in preserving our freedoms.

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I am so inspired by Sheila Gann’s love for her husband and her resilience. Anyone who has lost a loved one to Alzheimer’s knows how cruel this disease is – not only to the patient, but also to those who love and care for them. Mike and Sheila clearly had a remarkable love story, and she is now honoring it in the most beautiful way. Thanks to Forrest Sanders for sharing his story with us.

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