Cornick, Ilene

Interview 181a : In this interview with Jonathan Gerland, Ilene Cornick reminisces about her life as a World War II widow, member of the Red Cross, teacher, and member of the United States Army Special Services Branch. Mrs. Cornick's husband, Ray, died when his P-42 crashed in the North Sea in 1944. She joined the Red Cross the following year and traveled to Europe to run service clubs for American soldiers in Luxembourg and Germany. She taught school in San Augustine, Diboll, and Houston, and ran the YMCA in El Paso. Mrs. Cornick also traveled to Korea with the U.S. Army, where she taught at an international school and worked for the Special Services in the service clubs. While in Korea, Mrs. Cornick was acquainted with Syngman Rhee, the eventual President of Korea. She also worked for the Special Services in Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Germany.