You will find MANY references to Sister Eustella

(School Sister of St. Francis, Milwaukee -- pages 72,  194, 256, 257, 262, 265, 267, 281, 284)   in a book called:  FRANCISCANS IN SHANTUNG, CHINA  1929 - 1948   

According to these accounts, Sister Eustella was relocated in Tsingtao after the war and was the mover and shaker there for the Franciscan Sisters.

In these accounts, several references mention American military personnel helping the Sisters. I quote one: 

    "1946: In December Sister Clementia of the Springfield Franciscan Sisters with their hospital in Tsinanfu, and Sister Julian flew by commercial plane from Tsinanfu to Tsingtao and stayed with the School Sisters of St. Francis in order to obtain United States Armed Forces supplies.  Never had Sister Julian seen such a quantity of hospital supplies and canned food to be given away.  Among the medical supplies was the then 'miracle drug sulfaminalide', the first antibiotic, the forerunner of penicillin.  Sister Clementia gathered together two Army truck loads of supplies of all kinds and Sister Julian, with

her smaller Clinic, accumulated one truck load.  The next problem was how to transport these supplies to Tsinanfu. The railway was not repaired and the roads were not passable for heavy trucks. As might be expected, Sister Eustella had the solution. 

    "One evening, Sister Eustella invited the Generals in charge of the Air Force, Marines, and

Navy to a fine meal, and during the meal talked to them about the needs and difficulties of missionaries in the interior.  By the time the meal was over, Sister had the promised trucks to transport the supplies to the airport, a plane to fly them to Tsinanfu and more trucks to take them to the hospital in Hungkailou.

"In a day or two, sure enough. the trucks were loaded up and the flight to Tsinanfu accomplished. Sister Clementia was able to have two U.S. Army trucks take her supplies to the hospital, and Sister Julian triumphantly arrived at Our Lady of the Angels riding on the top of her truck loaded with supplies. Such rejoicing!!  Such wonderful equipment and medicine for the clinic.  Such lovely chocolate bars and canned food for the sisters,  Such blankets and army cots for the over-crowded school!  To think all this might have been destroyed had it not been for Sister Eustella's quick thinking. It seems that when the Armed Forces return from a foreign country they are not allowed to bring their surplus supplies back to the States as this would depress the market price for

such goods. Such waste!"

Here's another later reference: 

 "When the railway opens again Sister Eustella in Tsingtao will send them, and a Lieutenant Woods of the United States Army said he would bring them out here on his truck if we give him some cookies.  He is just a kid from Texas and will do anything for us if were give him cookies." 

How I wish Major Stanley Staiger and Ensign Jim Moore were still alive!  These men were part of the American team that liberated 1,500 prisoners at Weihsien, August 17, 1945.  At the end of August, 1945, these two men and Raymond Hanchulak and Tad Nagaki transferred to Tsingtao, where they established an Office of Strategic Services base.    They might very well have been involved with some of Sister Eustella's acivities in Tsingtao. I will ask Tad Nagaki -- still alive and well in Alliance, Nebraska -- if he has any recollection of events like these.

Copies of this book may still be available from

Cardinal Stretch University, 6801 N. Yates Rd., Milwaukee WI 53217-3985.    It is compiled from memories and correspondence of these Franciscan sisters.

Mary Previte