The photo above tells all about the Penny Nelson story.
WHERE IS SHE TODAY??

I am Steve Dengler of Auburn, Illinois. I was stationed in Long Beach back in the 70's aboard the USS Mispillion, a fleet tanker. I am currently the head of our reunion. While doing research on the Mispillion, I became aware of an incident that happened back in 1952. It concerned a little girl from Long Beach named Penny Nelson. She was suffering from bulbar polio. The shipmate's took up a collection and raised $600 for her care. She was made an honorary shipmate. They also raised money by having payroll deductions and held weekly bingo games aboard ship. They raised another $1,600 this way. They were going to purchase a child size iron lung for the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis in Long Beach, but one was not needed, so they purchased a Electromyograph instead. The shipmates continued to raise money even after Penny got better. One thing I would like to tell you is, that Penny's dad Forest, was a Marine pilot and was in a Korean POW camp when this was going on. Her mother Sally was an employee of Douglas Aircraft. What we would like to do, is to be able to find this little girl. She would be about 54 now. We are having a reunion in Branson Missouri this fall and would like to invite her. I have the complete story on her in print and can mail it to you if you wish. Also featured in this story is Miss Joan Kelly, Miss Long Beach of 1953, Mrs, Algeo of the Tichenor Clinic. Any information is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance. Please see the attachment. It is the only copy we have of the story of this precious little girl.
Steve Dengler
 

Photo above is the donation of a machine to the Tichenor Clinic in
Long each in Penny's name by the Crew of the Mispillion.
 

This was not too easy to understand because someone was explaining the big machine, which was an Electromyograph a machine for producing an electromyogram from electrical activity picked up via electrodes inserted into muscle tissue. Mrs. Neff said it would help her and others locate the areas of weakness in me and other little children like me. I knew she was excited about it and I could already hear her saying “Penny, think this muscle.” Then I found out that all those wonderful sailors had used their own money to buy that machine and donated it in my name to the Tichenor Clinic. They also raised money to help mom by playing bingo and having money taken out of their pay checks, called “Pennies for your thoughts”. We took lots of pictures that day and were given some from our first visit too. I spent a lot of time looking at those pictures during the little war with Polio that I was in. Not only did so many service men

Kallam & Penny in 1952.
 

Capt. Munson with the Nelson Family
 

This one is some of the guys at Jacob's House @ Thunder Ranch for
our big Hootenanny in November of 2008