An old soldier kept from fading away

Monday, May 27, 2002 | 8:35 a.m.

For the longest time Fred S. Pennington was just a name on a Las Vegas building, the veteran of four conflicts for whom Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1753 was named in 1929.

With the passing of so much time and the failure to maintain historical documentation, most of today's 850 members of the oldest VFW post in town know little, if anything, about Pennington.

The man's own family, which now resides in central California, knew little of his history. His grandchildren thought perhaps he was once mayor of Las Vegas. He wasn't. But he was prominent for a short time.

With so much history lost, post officials, facing their 75th anniversary in just two years, felt it was time to put a face with the name, especially after Pennington's family sent a letter in March asking questions post members could not answer.

What the post learned not only has preserved an interesting story of a brave and giving man, but also has served as closure for Pennington's family members, who are in town today for Memorial Day ceremonies at Woodlawn Cemetery, where Pennington is buried.

"It just makes sense that we should know this history," Post Commander Stephen Gibbs, a Vietnam War Army veteran said. "When I joined the post, I had asked who Fred Pennington was, but I never got an answer from anyone."

Gibbs assigned the association's historians -- post member Sy Kellogg, a World War II Navy veteran, and his wife, VFW Auxiliary Secretary Sylvia Kellogg -- to find out who Pennington was.

"Among the things we learned was that Fred was not a member of any VFW, but rather a member of American Legion Post 8 in Las Vegas," Sy Kellogg said. "However, back then there was only one VFW post in Nevada, and it was in Fallon. Our post was chartered on Nov. 9, 1929, one month after Fred died."

The Kelloggs spent hours at the Las Vegas Library, sifting through newspaper clippings and other documents of 1920s Las Vegas to learn about Pennington, who ran the Las Vegas Funeral Home out of his home on the corner of Fifth Street -- today called Las Vegas Boulevard -- and Fremont Street.

Here is what the Kelloggs learned:

"Two years after the post was named for him, the VFW Ladies Auxiliary was chartered on Nov. 21, 1931, and Fred's widow, Edith Pennington Bettelheim, became our first president," Sylvia Kellogg said.

"But she was here only a few years, then moved her family to California. Until just recently we did not know what had become of them."

Edith lived a long life, dying in the late 1980s, Sylvia Kellogg said, noting the Penningtons had two children. One was their daughter Fred-a, who was born just 16 months before Fred died. Pennington came up with the spelling of the baby's name, so it would be pronounced FRED-a.

At age 75 Fred-a Jurian is in Las Vegas today, seeing for the first time her dad's gravesite and the post for which he was named.

"At first she was concerned because she thought it might be too emotional for her," said Jurian's daughter-in-law, Marilyn Gautschi, who initiated the efforts to learn of Pennington's past. "But, in the past few weeks, she has been real excited about the ceremony and the closure it will bring."

Jurian is accompanied by her sons Michael Jurian and his wife, Marilyn, and Andrew Jurian and his wife. Janet. The Pennington's other child, Trevor Pennington, now in his 80s and living in Grants Pass, Ore., will not be attending the ceremony.

Two ceremonies were scheduled today, one at Woodlawn's flag pole at 9 a.m., followed by a special ceremony at Pennington's gravesite, where the Marine Corps Black Mountain Detachment will fire three volleys from seven guns.

Post officials and Pennington's family then will attend a special gathering at the post, where a scrapbook and lifetime VFW Auxiliary membership will be given to Jurian.

"When Fred was honored posthumously by a VFW Post being named in his honor, it was meant for his name to live on forever because our organization represents all veterans who have fought -- or future generations of veterans who will fight -- in foreign wars," Sy Kellogg said.

"Now, with what we have learned of Fred's life, his memory will be kept alive forever."