Joseph Helfert, editor and civic and religious leader, was born on July 19, 1894, at Olmitz, Kansas, and moved to Wisconsin in 1916 to attend Marquette University. He was editor of the Beaver Dam Daily Citizen from August 1926, until his semi-retirement in 1970. He was also president of the Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce from 1944 to 1945, and active in St. Peter's Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus, the Columbian Squires (the youth arm of the Knights of Columbus), and the Boy Scouts. In 1929 he founded the Open Eye Club, a safety program directed at children. His interest in youth was continued during World War II when he corresponded with many Beaver Dam servicemen and published a daily column entitled “Call to Arms with Beaver Dam Boys” and a less frequent open letter to all servicemen entitled “Dear Tony: What's Happening Here.” Helfert's columns both summarized the local news from Beaver Dam--a community of 10,356 persons in 1940--and gave news of servicemen throughout the world. For his numerous civic, safety, editorial, and youth-related activities, Helfert received many awards from groups such as the American Legion, Marquette University, the Knights of Columbus, and the Wisconsin Council on Safety. He died on November 28, 1973. (See Box 1, Folder 1 of the Original Collection for a more detailed biographical sketch from his obituary.)
