Obituaries - June 3, 1999

Manuel Chavez; Helped Cousin Cesar Organize Pickers

Manuel Chavez, 73, one of the unsung heroes of the farm labor movement of the 1960s and 1970s. He grew up in the home of his cousin, United Farm Workers founder Cesar Chavez, and as teenagers they began planning to organize agricultural laborers. When they grew up, Manuel remained close to his cousin and abandoned a car sales job to help him organize fieldworkers. Manuel concentrated on vegetable and fruit workers and is credited with winning the union’s first contract outside California, a labor agreement for Florida orange pickers. In more recent years, he developed affordable housing for farm workers in California’s Central Valley. On Friday in Bonita, Calif., of pancreatic cancer.

Kenneth Dodson; Wrote Books About World War II

Kenneth Dodson, 91, who wrote popular books about his experiences in World War II. Dodson shipped out with the merchant marine when he was 17 and joined the Navy shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. He saw action in nine major battles, including Okinawa and the invasion of Makin in the Gilbert Islands as part of the capture of Tarawa in 1943. Dodson was discharged in 1946 after his vocal cords were severely damaged when a machine gun mount tore loose during a training session. When poet Carl Sandburg urged him to write about his wartime experiences, Dodson took writing classes at the University of Washington. His first effort, “Away All Boats,” was published in 1954 and brought him instant success. The book was made into a film in 1956 starring Jeff Chandler, Lex Barker, Richard Boone, David Janssen and Julie Adams. Dodson, who was invited to appear on radio and television programs across the country, went on to write “Stranger to the Shore,” “China Pirates” and another book made into a film, “Hector the Stowaway Dog.” Dodson’s final book, “The Poet and the Sailor,” was completed shortly before his death. On May 24 in Stanwood, Wash., of congenital heart disease, Parkinson’s disease and malaria.

Rupert Lonsdale; Briton Surrendered Submarine to Nazis

Rupert Lonsdale, 93, the only British naval captain to surrender his vessel during World War II. Lonsdale was captain of the mine-laying submarine Seal, which surrendered to the Germans in the Kattegat, the channel between Denmark and Sweden, on May 5, 1940, after 23 hours on the bottom. Lonsdale and his crew were prisoners until the war ended five years later. He was court-martialed for failing to take immediate action to engage enemy aircraft and failing to ensure that the Seal was sunk. He testified that he deeply regretted the surrender “but at the time it seemed the only thing to do.” He was acquitted with honor, and the president of the court personally handed his sword back to him. Lonsdale retired from the Royal Navy in 1947, studied for the Anglican priesthood and was ordained in 1949. He served in English parishes and in Kenya, Spain, Portugal and Malta. On April 25 in Bournemouth, England.