Trafford Historical Society has new name for borough's veterans memorial

Towns often want to honor native sons and daughters who served in the armed forces, whether it’s through a banner, a veterans memorial or something similar.

But it’s not always easy to get a complete list of names.

“A lot of times, there isn’t an official record, especially the farther back you go — it’s what the people in the town can remember,” said Andrew Capets, president of the Trafford Historical Society. “When we first put our memorial in, we reached out to the public to say, ‘If there are any names you’re aware of, we want to know them.’”

Society members also left extra space on their veterans monument.

And that’s where Charles Dent’s name will be officially dedicated at this year’s Memorial Day ceremony.

“We’re constantly looking for any sort of records we can find,” said Capets, 57.

Capets was contacted by a real estate agent who had some records and photos from the Dent family for donation to the historical society. He looked up Charles’ records, discovered he was from Trafford, and began doing even more research.

Charles Dent was born in May 1914, and graduated from Jeannette High School. In his youth he also won an amateur talent show organized by CBS Radio, Capets said.

“He and his partner, Leo Simmons, started touring the U.S. doing these vaudeville shows,” Capets said. “Then in 1940, he registered for the draft while he was performing in Chicago.”

In the early 1940s, soldiers from the former Fort MacArthur in California had created a traveling Army show called “Hey Rookie,” which was being performed at theaters in Los Angeles. Around that same time, Dent and his partner Simmons, who performed as the duo Chick & Lee, had also made their way to L.A., performing their own show.

“Ultimately, the Army found out about Charles Dent’s entertainment career, and he got attached to the unit that ended up performing the show all over North Africa and Italy during World Ward II,” Capets said. “He was assigned to a Special Service Division which was organized to keep Army morale high during the war.”

Dent’s obituary says he traveled more than 125,000 miles in both the European and Pacific theaters performing for troops. Capets said Dent even once performed the show for then-Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Dent died April 23, 1945, at the Torney General Hospital in Palm Springs, Calif., after complications arising from a case of malaria. He is buried in the cemetery at Ascension Catholic Church in Jeannette.

On Memorial Day, his name will take its place along more than 40 others on the borough’s veterans memorial.

After the Trafford Memorial Day Parade, which begins at 10:30 a.m. Monday at the American Legion on Cavitt Avenue, a ceremony and program will take place at 11:30 a.m. in Trafford Veterans Memorial Park at the corner of Forest Avenue and Fifth Street.