JC resident back in the business of War Bonds !

In the photo by John Petrovic:
Randi Dale was a child model in 1944 when her face was on the front of this Popular Photography magazine advertising War Bonds. The cover of the magazine was made into a poster, and Dale said she remembers seeing it all over Grand Central Station in New York City.
From The Daily Union, January 5, 2003:

By GAIL PARSONS
The Daily Union
The War Bonds poster child of the 1940s has come out of retirement and, along with her daughter and granddaughter, Randi Dale is trying to create new interest in War Bonds.
Dale, an English and life skills teacher at Junction City High School, was a child model in 1944, when Popular Photography magazine was looking for a way to help the war effort.
Dale said many magazines ran small box advertisements that simply stated "Buy War Bonds" but the editors of Popular Photography wanted to do more.
Her mother made a red, white and blue outfit and a Navy photographer photographed Dale with a red blanket as a backdrop. Using the technology available at the time, the photo was imposed over a photograph of an actual war bond made out to Mr. and Mrs. America.
Dale's innocent face, bright eyes and blond curls were an instant hit. The magazine cover was made into a poster. Dale said she remembers seeing it plastered all over Grand Central Station in New York City.
"I would be walking through Grand Central Station, and I could see my picture everywhere," she said.
However, she doesn't remember feeling like a star and having people recognize her.
"I was so little; I didn't pay attention to that," she said.
At the time, she didn't pay a lot of attention to what her image was selling either. As a child mode, she had helped sell everything from baby food to home furnishings. The War Bonds advertisement was just another job to her.
"I remember hearing bits and pieces on the radio (about the war). I remember hearing that England was being bombed," she said.
For a 5-year-old, it was exciting to see herself on the cover of Popular magazine. That led to an interview on NBC, which at the time was the only television station.
"There were probably only about 300 television sets in New York, so if anyone actually heard the interview, I don't know," Dale said.
Dale also made appearances at War Bond rallies. However, it wasn't until later in her life that she began to realize how important her work was and the significance of War Bonds.
"If you buy one War Bond, this could be a soldier's coat; $10,000 in War Bonds could be the cost of part of a plane," she said, remembering some of the slogans that were used in the 1940s to advertise the bonds.
"It was one way people on the home front would become involved in the war effort," Dale said.
And now, as the possibility of war is looming, War Bonds or EE Savings Bonds, which President George W. Bush renamed Patriot Bonds after the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on America, are again being sold.
When Dale saw a television piece about Patriot Bonds, she and her daughter, Susan Dale, wanted to do something to help sell the bonds.
"My daughter contacted the Treasury Office; we had to make sure we had permission to use the picture of the bond. They told her 'as an American citizen, you can do anything you want to help the war bonds,' " she said.
Last year,the mother and daughter team planned a War Bond rally in Oklahoma. They included Dale's granddaughter Anastasia Richardson, who was 5 years old at the time.
Dubbed the "Freedom Girls," the threesome, donning patriotic outfits, hired a professional photographer and had a new poster developed. They plan to continue promoting the sale of Patriot Bonds.
"I want to really encourage people to be thinking about our country and what we can do to help," Dale said. "We would like to have a rally in each state."
In her pitch to sell the bonds, Dale tells people how the bonds are an excellent investment, especially if they are cashed in for college.
"If you use them to go to college, they are tax exempt," she said. "It is a great way to save and to show patriotism."
Sometimes we forget what the soldiers do, she said.
"As an American, I have always felt -- even when I was in college and growing up -- we may not always agree exactly with what the government was doing, but we need to tell the soldiers, 'Hey, thanks a lot.' "
Also, she said, if American citizens can work together and support a single effort, it shows a united front to the world, which can go a long way in the success of a campaign.
Patriot Bonds are available for purchase at most banks and must be held for a minimum of six months before they can be cashed in. They can be purchased for denominations from $50 to $10,000. For more information on Patriot Bonds, visit www.savingsbonds.gov. The Freedom Girls also have a Web site at www.freedomgirls.us.
Gail Parsons can be reached at (785) 762-5000, Ext. 142, or gparsons@dailyu.com.