Image Up Advertising & Design

8 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | JANUARY 2021 By Dick Roppé, Resident Lynn and I are big fans of the quiz show Jeopardy. In last year's Jeopardy Teacher's Tournament, schoolteacher Will Satterwhite was one of the semifinalists. While he didn't make it to the finals, his last name Satterwhite, rang a bell. For years I have had in my possession a dog tag, medal and other curios that belonged to a WWI soldier by the name of Gilbert H. Satterwhite. My mother gave me these items after she "inherited" them from her father's second wife Helen Eggers Satterwhite. Helen had been married to Gilbert when he died in 1945. My grandfather married Helen in 1952, three years after my grandmother died. Having been involved in genealogy for years, I knew it would be nice if I could find a Satterwhite who might be related to Gilbert. With the same last name, could Will and Gilbert be related? My investigation was afoot! With information given on Jeopardy, I found Will's school and a list of all the teachers' email addresses. Off went an email to Will. No response. I figured that with his sudden notoriety he was probably deluged with a large number of emails. After a short spell, I emailed a counselor at Will's school. Ah, a response! She contacted Will and let him know I was trying to reach him. I soon received his reply. He wasn't aware if he was related to Gilbert but he gave me the name of a Satterwhite who was well versed in the Satterwhite genealogy. While waiting to make this connection I did a little Internet research and came up with some interesting facts about Gilbert. His middle name was Harding; he was born in Kentucky and was 29 years old when he entered the war. He was a pharmacist when he died in 1945. I also found him on the 1900 census, his draft card, military record, death certificate, grave marker, and 1940 census record, showing wife Helen and his mother Mary who was living with them. My contact was Marshall Satterwhite, who lives in Chula Vista, California. He was pleased and excited that I would have taken the time to search for a Satterwhite relative. His excitement was great enough that he and his wife Patsy drove up to Hemet to pick up the "goods" and bought Lynn and me lunch. If you're at all involved with genealogy you know it can become addictive. Such was the case with these mementos as I started looking for information on Gilbert H. Satterwhite. If I hadn't been watching Jeopardy, Gilbert's dog tag, medal and other memorabilia might have been put in a drawer somewhere, forgotten and never found their way home. A JOURNEY WITH JEOPARDY January 12, 11 am We will be doing a chair yoga session with breathing exercises and a discussion of tips and tricks for every day wellness

• Cover