An Amazing Afternoon

The chapel at Gold Crest was full on Tuesday afternoon, August 5th, as the Forest Acres Quilting Club awarded three Quilts of Valor. Families of the veterans, as well as Gold Crest residents and employees, were in attendance as Calvin TeSelle, Willis Buethe, and Michael Gruber were awarded their quilts. Following the ceremony everyone was treated to cookies, beverages, and conversation in the activities area.

Calvin TeSelle was drafted into the Army in 1959 and completed his basic training at Fort Hood, Texas. He then went to Fort Bliss, Texas to learn early warning radar detection. After completion of this training he put his skills to work in Korea where he was deployed for one year. Although the Korean War was over, the Army was still on alert to detect enemy planes carrying missiles. Following his deployment to Korea he was placed on extended duty at Selfridge Air Force Base in Detroit, Michigan. He received his discharge from Selfridge in March 1962 having achieved the rank of Private 1st Class.

Calvin’s quilt is from a pattern called Goodnight, Irene that I found in the Missouri Star Quilt Company’s Block magazine, Spring, Volume Two, Issue Two. It features a unique star that utilizes a variety of scrappy fabric. In addition I opted to use a grey background rather than the typical white that is often my first choice. I then used a light grey thread to stitch an allover design of swirls and stars called Stardust.

Willis Buethe enlisted in the Nebraska Army National Guard in 1960 and completed basic training in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where he received training to be a cook and baker for his unit. He was then sent to Fort Jackson, South Carolina where he worked as a truck driver transporting soldiers and military personnel. Subsequently he returned to Nebraska and attended meetings twice a month as well as spent time during the summer at a training camp in Minnesota. His job during this time was 1st cook. When Willis was discharged in 1965 and he had attained the rank of Sergeant 1st Class.

Willis’s quilt is from a pattern called Scrappy Rectangles that I found in The Big Book of Scrappy Quilts. Each rectangle measures 2” x 3 1/2” and each block uses 18 rectangles. We used a total of 1008 rectangles to make the 56 blocks in this quilt. That number definitely makes this pattern a super stash buster! I used a tan thread to stitch an all-over star design to finish this colorful Quilt of Valor.

Michael Gruber enlisted in the Army at a young age and served from 1972-1974. He completed his basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and then went to Texas for advanced training in mechanics. He also served at Fort Carson, Colorado doing what he says was “a little bit of everything” and “a lot of truck driving.” He was honorably discharged in 1974 after attaining the rank of Private 1st Class.

Michael’s quilt was donated to our group by Janet Trout who previously led a group that made Quilts of Valor. Two members of her group constructed the top and Janet quilted it on her long arm quilting machine.

As of June 30, 2025, 416,817 Quilts of Valor have been awarded to veterans in every state and in every branch of service. The Forest Acres Quilting Club has been honored to award 82 Quilts of Valor since the inception of our group in July 2016.