Battles and Blooms

   
    

The last post said that there would be more on Helen Imle and the Amateis family. Here it is.

On New Year’s Day 1942, just three weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Harold Amateis joined the Navy, serving in WW II as a Radioman 2^nd Class. During the battle of Munda in the Solomon Islands (2 Jul to 5 Aug 1943), Harold, though wounded himself, leaped overboard from his PT boat to save a wounded and unconscious buddy. Before the action was over, Harold received a broken leg and 27 shrapnel wounds. For the rescue of his comrade, Harold received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, the highest non-combat decoration awarded by the Navy.

Sometime around this time, Harold and Helen were married, though we lack an exact date. How a girl from a small Midwest farming community met the east coast serviceman is unknown, but the marriage leads us to our final story.

Rhododendron 'Doris Amateis' (photo by Edmond Amateis).

Like his father, Herman’s brother Edmond was also a sculptor, and was commissioned for a number of important architectural works. Towards the end of his life, however, Edmond became fascinated with horticulture. He developed two rhododendron crosses, one of which he named ‘Dora Amateis’ for his mother, the other ‘Helen Amateis’ for his sister-in-law. Rhododendron ‘Dora Amateis’ has become exceedingly popular among flower fanciers. Rhododendron “Helen Amateis,” less so (sorry Imles).

Harold Amateis passed away in Broward County, Florida, 23 May 1965. Helen lived another thirty six years, dying 16 Jan 2001 in Sun City, Arizona, the only Imle, as far as we know, to have a flower named after her.

All genealogical data reported in these posts are from primary and/or reputable secondary sources, or reliable transcriptions thereof, and never from online trees. Contact the author to request sources, which have been omitted here to improve readability. Permission is granted to use any posted material for any purpose as long as this source is cited.