Vic Oberhansley Photos

This page was last updated on May 24, 2025.

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Vic Oberhansley Photos -- A collection of more than 1,000 photos by Vic Oberhansley, taken in the period of the late 1950s through the 1970s. Includes a large set of amazing passenger car photos. The photos have been scanned from a wide variety of prints of all sizes, black & white and color negatives from 35mm to 616, and 35mm color slides. These photos are made available through the courtesy of Ralph Gochnour, a good friend of Vic's for many years, and who has kept Vic's photos safe after Vic passed away in 1987.

Vic Oberhansley

From Vic Oberhansley's obituary.

Vic C. Oberhansley, of Murray, died Friday evening of an apparent heart attack preceding an auto collision near his home. Born January 14, 1918 to Henry E. and Salome B. Oberhansley in Parowan, Utah. He attended public schools in Logan and in Cedar City where his father was director of Southern Utah State College for many years until his death in 1945. A veteran of World War II, Vic later attended the University of Utah. Employed by U.S. Bureau of Land Management until his retirement.

Victor Curtis Oberhansley was born January 14, 1918, and died on May 8, 1987.

Born in Parowan, Utah, where his father was principal of Parowan high school. The family moved to Logan in 1918, very soon after Vic's birth, where his father served a variety of teaching roles at Utah State Agricultural College. In 1930, the family moved to Cedar City, where his father was director of the Branch Agricultural College there, until his death in 1945. (The Branch Agricultural College was a branch school of the Utah State Agriculture College, and today is the Southern Utah University.)

Vic graduated from Cedar City High School in May 1936, with a certificate of "Highly Superior Trumpet and French Horn."

After high school, Vic attended Band College at the local Branch Agricultural College in Cedar City for the 1936-37 and 1937-38 school years, graduating with a two-year degree. For the 1938-39 school year he enrolled as a junior at the Branch Agricultural College. For the 1939-1940 school year, Vic moved to San Luis Obispo, California, and enrolled at the University of Southern California as an "Advanced Junior." He played as a member of the Trojan marching band, and was also member of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity for musicians.

During the summer season while in Cedar City, in 1938 Vic worked as a bell boy at Zion Lodge, operated by Utah Parks Company in Zion National Park, then in 1939 he was head bell boy at the Zion Lodge. He returned home from California in summer 1940 and worked as a "wood boy" at the Utah Parks Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim.

Government records show that Vic registered for the draft on October 20, 1940, at Cedar City, Utah. He was age 22 at the time. He was 5 feet, 11 inches in height and weighed 165 pounds, and wore glasses.

At age 24, Vic enlisted in the National Guard at Cedar City on March 3, 1941, as part of Band Unit of the 145th Field Artillery, stationed at Camp San Luis Obispo, California. At the time of his enlistment, he had three years of college in Utah and California where he had been studying music, and played in each school's band.

During the early years of World War II, Vic was assigned as part of the 145th Field Artillery, a unit of Utah National Guard assigned as part of the 40th Infantry Division, which was in-turn, was assigned to protect the California coast from possible invasion.

Concerning the history of the Utah National Guard, the Utah Historical Quarterly wrote the following.

The 4,016 enlisted men and 156 officers of the Utah National Guard were called up on March 3, 1941, and sent to San Luis Obispo, California, as part of the 40th Infantry Division that included units from Salt Lake City, Ogden, Brigham City, Garland, Spanish Fork, Fillmore, Richfield, Beaver, Cedar City, Pleasant Grove, Bountiful, Logan, Manti, Nephi, Springville, St. George, and Vernal. Following training in California, many of the Utah guardsmen departed for the Philippine Islands on December 6, 1941, but when news of the attack at Pearl Harbor was received, the transport returned to San Francisco and the soldiers assigned to help defend a three hundred mile area of coastline from Santa Barbara, California, to the Mexican border. The 40th Infantry Division prepared for a possible Japanese invasion and also participated in the movement of Japanese American citizens from coastal areas to ten inland camps, including the Topaz Relocation Center northwest of Delta. (Utah Historical Quarterly, Spring 2005, Volume 73, Number 2)

In 1942, the 145th Field Artillery Regiment (of which Vic was part of) was transferred from Camp San Luis Obispo in California, to the Scofield Barracks on Oahu, Hawaii Territory, where Vic remained through 1944 as a member of the 145th Field Artillery Band, assigned to the 24th Infantry Division.

In 1944, as a member of the 24th Infantry Division, he was transferred to the joint Australian and U. S. base at Camp Caves in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, sailing first to Sydney in New South Wales, then to Brisbane, Queensland, then finally traveling to Camp Caves in Rockhampton.

Records at the National Archives show that Vic embarked aboard the U.S.S. Hercules on October 9, 1944, and sailed from San Francisco on October 13, 1944.

(Read the Wikipedia article about the USS Hercules)

From Camp Caves in Rockhampton, Australia, in 1944 Vic was assigned to Goodenough Island near Papua New Guinea. (After the Battle of Goodenough Island in October 1942, Australian and U. S. forces jointly developed an airfield at Vivigani on Goodenough Island as a forward base for fighter planes and later heavy bombers to support operations against Japanese strongholds like Rabaul.)

Vic was among hundreds of U. S. Army personnel on-board the U.S.S. Hercules, arriving at Leyte in time to see General Douglas MacArthur wade ashore in his return to the Phillippines on October 20, 1944.

Later records show that Vic was on-board LST (Landing Ship Tank) 1024 on July 17, 1945, bound from Toloma, Mindinao, to Leyte, Philippine Islands. He was discharged from the Army on August 19, 1945.

Some history of LST-1024 comes from the U. S. Navy's Naval History and Heritage Command.

LST-1024 was laid down on 26 April 1944 at Quincy, Mass., by the Bethlehem Steel Co.; launched on 22 May 1944; and commissioned on 28 May 1944.

During World War II, LST-1024 was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific theater and participated in the Leyette landings in October 1944 and the assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto in April and May 1945. Following the war, she performed occupation duty in the Far East until late December 1945. She returned to the United States and was decommissioned on 27 June 1946 and struck from the Navy list on 31 July that same year. On 12 March 1948, the ship was sold to Alexander Shipyards, Inc., for operation.

LST-1024 earned two battle stars for World War II service.

After being discharged in August 1945, Vic's personal records show that he sailed from Leyte to Seattle, then traveled by troop train to Sacramento, then to Salt Lake City.

After the war, in 1945-1946, Vic attended the Branch Agricultural College of Utah as a benefit of the Serviceman's Readjustment Act of 1944, also known as the "G. I. Bill." Then, for the 1946-1947 academic year, Vic moved to Salt Lake City, on 7th Avenue, and attended the University of Utah. He continued at U of U through the 1952 academic year, graduating in 1952. During the summers, he worked at Utah Parks Bryce Canyon Lodge (1946-1947-1948) and at the company's Grand Canyon Lodge (1951-1952). In 1953-1954 he was both an employee of the U of U, and a graduate student, and worked several part-time jobs during the academic quarters and summers. Also in 1952, Vic purchased his home in Murray, where he continued to live until his death in 1987.

In 1954-1955, Vic enrolled in the Intermountain School of Telegraphy to learn the craft of being a telegraph operator. After finishing telegraphy school, Vic got a job in 1955 as station agent for Union Pacific at Cedar City. This was a part-time "extra-board" position, so Vic also worked for Utah Parks Company, as well as the Post Office in Salt Lake City, both as part-time positions. The station agent position with Union Pacific at Cedar City, and position with Utah Parks continued in 1956. He was able to move back and forth between Murray and Cedar City because by this time his mother was living with him in the home in Murray. (This was when Vic took many photos of the variety of passenger cars that were used in UP's passenger service to Cedar City.)

In 1957 Vic was able to obtain a full-time position with the Salt Lake City office of the federal Bureau of Land Management. He stayed with BLM until he resigned in 1970 to manage his father's estate's limited investments. The income from these investments provided both Vic and his mother with a small income sufficient to support their minimal life style and their home in Murray. In 1980, at age 62, Vic began receiving the minimum Social Security benefit matching his combined BLM and various part-time positions, a work history that had begun in 1955.

While attending the University of Utah in 1946 to 1953, Vic became a fan of their band program, tapping into his previous experience of being part of the band while in high school and during the early 1940s while attending the "Branch Agricultural College" in Cedar City, Utah. His interest in the University's band program continued throughout his life.

All through his years from high school, his years at the Branch Agricultural College at Cedar City, and while at University of Utah, Vic was active in organizing a dance band that regularly played at various venues. By the time he was at the University, his dance band was becoming quite well-known, and had recorded at least one 78 rpm record for a local recording company.

Because of his interest in the University of Utah's band program, Vic became acquainted with Ralph Gochnour in 1953, a local railfan and modeler, and a fellow music student at the University. Vic and Ralph continued their friendship until Vic's death in 1987.

May 9, 1987
The following comes from the May 9, 1987 issue of the Salt Lake Tribune.

Murray Driver Dies In Crash; Heart Attack Suspected -- A Murray man died Friday evening after his car crossed the center line on Vine Street (4890 S.) and was hit by a car going in the opposite direction.

"We're not sure if he had a heart attack or died from the accident." said Murray Police Sgt. Gary Reid. The driver and passenger of the other car were taken to Cottonwood Hospital.

Vic Oberhansley, age unknown, was driving northbound on Vine Street near 545 East when he crossed into traffic. He hit a car driven by Diane McGregor. Salt Lake County.

Mrs. McGregor suffered facial lacerations and was treated and released from Cottonwood Hospital. Scott McGregor is in stable condition at the hospital with hip injuries. Another passenger, Jill McGregor, 6, was not injured in the accident.

Vic never married and had no children. Vic's father passed away in 1945, while living in Cedar City. His mother stayed in Cedar City until 1951, then moved to Murray, a suburb of Salt Lake City, to live with Vic, her only living child. They shared Vic's home in Murray until her death in 1984. Vic passed away three years later.

With Vic's death in 1987, his small and limited estate, which included thousands of railroad-related photographs, passed to Ralph Gochnour, his long-time close friend. Then beginning in 2015, Ralph very graciously began sharing Vic's photos to allow them to be posted to UtahRails.

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