SPRING THING: Janette Woodruff of Smethport phoned Monday night
to report an adult black bear in her backyard on East Willow
Street. Now that hibernation is coming to an end, these bears are
probably pretty hungry so watch your garbage cans.
LT. ENRIGHT: As promised, more today about Lt. Robert
Enright.
Kathie Enright Boucher of Mukwonago, Wisc., writes, “I am the
daughter of Bill and Gertrude Enright and was born and grew up in
Bradford.” It was her cousin, Jim, who had written to us a few days
ago.
“Bob was one of five children of Mark and Katherine Chase
Enright, and grew up on Elm Street. He graduated from St. Bernard
High School, Class of 1934, and was the president of his class. He
graduated from St. Joseph’s College in Philadelphia in 1938 and had
just begun law school as World War II was getting under way. He
enlisted in the Navy.
“One of Bob’s brothers was Msgr. Vincent L. Enright who was a
well-loved Catholic priest in the Erie Diocese for many years until
his death in 2004.
“My dad told me that streets were named for the first Bradford
servicemen in each branch of service to be killed in World War II.
I believe these streets were in the Bolivar Drive area. I believe
there was a Congdon Street, a Fazio Street, and an Enright
Street.
“Don’t know if any homes were ever built there – we tried to
find the streets years later and couldn’t.”
“Thanks for giving Jim and I the opportunity to talk about Bob
Enright. By all accounts he had a lively and memorable personality
but also possessed a full measure of The Right Stuff when great
things were asked of him at The Battle of Midway.”
Paul Young of Johnsonburg also did some Internet research which
provided some details on Lt. Enright’s service: Not only did he
receive the Purple Heart but was posthumously awarded the Navy and
Marine Corps Medal in recognition of extremely heroic and
courageous conduct at Guadalcanal on May 4, 1942.
His mother christened the USS Enright, named in honor of her
son, on May 29, 1943, at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, and his
family attended the commissioning ceremonies on Sept. 21, 1943.
Paul tells us the information is courtesy of Dictionary of
American Naval Fighting Ships.
