David W. Brenner will present a talk on the life and times of Christopher F. Kompare at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Greater Oneonta Historical Society's History Center at 183 Main St.
Kompare joined the Navy soon after Pearl Harbor and served in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters on the destroyer transport U.S.S. Dickerson. He was killed on April 2, 1945, near Okinawa.
Kompare was the son of immigrants who came to the U.S. in 1914 and 1915. His father worked in the railroad shops in the Albany and Schenectady area before his parents moved to Winney Hill Road in 1944. Kompare visited Oneonta once or twice before his death.
Brenner, who has written a book on the State University College at Oneonta as well as several historical and political articles, is preparing a book on Kompare, and what could have been, officials said.
Taking his cue from Tom Brokaw's "The Greatest Generation," Brenner discusses Kompare's life and talks about his potential if he had lived, while pointing out that many veterans had another half century to become on of the "greatest."
Kompare wrote to his parents two or three times a week. Brenner shares the letters with his audience, letters that were censored during wartime, and also relates how Kompare felt about serving his country.
In addition to remembering how men and women served and sacrificed during the WWII era, the audience will be given insights into how a biographical book of this kind is researched, compiled, written and published. There will be a question-and-answer session after the presentation.
Brenner, who holds bachelor's and master's degrees, as well as a doctorate from SUNY Oneonta, is a Korean War veteran. He had a 35-year career at SUNY Oneonta, served on the Otsego County Board of Representatives for 15 years and was the mayor of Oneonta for 12 years.
Brenner's presentation will be preceded by a showing of a music video by Trevor Tunison.
Tunison, from Cairo, NY, is a senior at SUNY Albany majoring in music industry.
Tunison wrote, performed all the instruments, recorded and mixed the video to his song "B-17." The audio is accompanied by a montage of World War II B-17 footage. "B-17" is a tribute to Tunison's grandfather, Joseph Wendehake. Wendehake was born in Spain and grew up in Queens. He was a World War II side-gunner in a B-17 bomber plane named the Uninvited.
The Center will open at 1 p.m. Sunday. The program is free and open to the public, and is in conjunction with the Center's current exhibit "Oneonta & World War II: A Salute to the Greatest Generation."
