WAUSAU – The Marathon County Historical Society will present History Speaks’ “The Dick Bong Story – Ace of Aces” at 2 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Woodson History Center, 410 McIndoe St.

Presented by Michael O’Connor, an author and retired librarian from the Marathon County Public Library, the presentation will focus on the story of Dick Bong’s life and legacy. O’Connor’s book “Ace of Aces: The Dick Bong Story,” remains the definitive work on the topic.

During World War II, Wisconsin-native Richard Bong flew his P-38 to the top of the list of American Fighter Aces. At the end of the war, no other American pilot had bested Bong’s record of 40 Japanese planes, cementing his legacy as the top pilot from the United States—the Ace of Aces.

This History Speaks program is presented in conjunction with the Marathon County Public Library. The presentation will be livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube Live, and a recording of the program will be available on the Historical Society’s Facebook page and YouTube Channel (along with past programs).

History Chats: Stories from the Archives

Thursdays at 12:30 p.m.

This November, History Chats looks at the history of Wausau’s neighborhoods.

All History Chats programs are at 12:30 p.m. every Thursday and are livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook Live. They will also be available to view afterward as recorded programs on the historical society’s YouTube channel, Facebook page and on Wausau’s public access channel 980. These programs are presented in cooperation with the Marathon County Public Library.

Nov. 10 | The first suburb

Wausau’s southeast neighborhood was one of the first areas that could be called a suburb. Ben Clark examines the history of this neighborhood from Sturgeon Eddy to Radtke Street, to see how it developed and whether or not it might be considered a suburb.

Nov. 17 | The near west side                                               

Gary Gisselman looks at the emergence of the west side of Wausau in the late 1800s. Around the time Wausau became a city in 1872, most of the population lived on the east side of the Wisconsin River. By the end of the century, Wausau developed a west side neighborhood.      

Nov. 24 | The second junior high

The growth of Wausau’s west side neighborhoods led to a decision to build a new junior high school to serve the public in that area. Ben Clark examines the history of John Muir Junior High, now known as John Muir Middle School, and the neighborhoods around the westward shift of the city. 

Exhibit and office hours are Tuesday – Friday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free. The research library is open from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday – Friday. Tours of the Yawkey House Museum are available Tuesday – Sunday. Call for times and prices.

For more information, call 715-842-5750, email [email protected], or visit www.marathoncountyhistory.org.