SanTan history teacher Donna Gustafson and NHD Silent Heroes Program

 National History Day teacher is amazing! The Historical League is proud to support Donna and her NHD program!!

Air Force Technical Sergeant Thomas J. Walker was recently married and had a month-old child waiting for him at home when his plane was struck and started going down in France in 1943.
All the service members in the plane bailed out. All but one of them were captured by Germans and sent to a prisoners of war camp. No one knew what happened to Walker from Arizona.
82 years later, a Chandler teacher has solved that mystery.


Donna Gustafson, who teaches history at Santan Junior High School, was one of 61 educators from 31 states and an international school chosen to be part of the Silent Heroes program run by National History Day.
Each educator got to choose one U.S. military service person from one of four wars and research their lives.
“I just think this is important to do,” Gustafson said. “I think for the families it’s important, and I think that he would have told his story if he could. I’m a Navy wife … I know how important it is for us to do these things.”
Gustafson said she was given a cemetery in France with the names of service members from Arizona and asked to choose one.
“They gave us a list of 18 to 20 people we could research, and I did a preliminary research on the men that were buried there,” Gustafson said. “Thomas was the one who really stuck out to me. … They couldn’t find him when he bailed out.

I did a lot of research, this is very interesting, I wonder why they can’t find him.”
Walker’s body is not in that cemetery and was never found. After starting to dig for his story in July, Gustafson’s big break
came when she was looking over court records.
The Allies held numerous tribunals after the war. Gustafson found Walker’s name in one of the trials.
It appears that he was found by two members of the French resistance after his plane went down. They in turn were captured by German SS soldiers, who took Walker into the woods and then executed him.
“His family was never able to bring him home,” Gustafson said. “A lot of people had claimed he was just lost, or that he was killed by the French. That’s not what happened.”


Walker grew up in Illinois but at some point, his mother moved to Arizona and remarried. Gustafson said the handsome Walker was active at Kingman High School, playing football and basketball, doing theater and playing the saxophone. He was 27 when he died.
Gustafson said she hasn’t completed her research yet. She would love to talk to one of his descendants if she can find them.
She said she’s been sharing the research with her classes.
“They ask me questions about it too,” she said. “They’re like, ‘What did you find out now, Mrs. G.?’ I’ll let them know. I’ve taught them how to search through census data and some of the kids looked their parents up on Ancestry.com.”


National History Day has given the researchers deadlines to complete their research. Then they’ll take the story and images that were collected and post them to the web page. It’s one way of recognizing some of the Silent Heroes from the past.  

Cathy Shumard Historical League co-chair NHDAZ and Donna with Mobi at NHD mentoring session, Spirit of the West

Donna with her 2 students whom she took to Nationals, Sonja Piccinini and Kadence Jackson, along with furry companion Mobi at Jim Henson statue, University of MD.

Kadence Johnson NHDAZ, Santan Jr. High student

 "It would be a fascinating topic to learn about, especially with personal connections." Kadence Johnson NHDAZ student reflects on why she chose the topic for her paper- The Day That Lives in Infamy: The Revolution of Pearl Harbor. Kadence writes, "I chose the topic of Pearl Harbor because I have a mixed heritage of Japanese and American. I thought that since I used to have a relative who was in Japan for some of the war, that it would be a fascinating topic to learn about, especially with personal connections. The attacks of Pearl Harbor were revolutionary because they entangled America in WWII, ushering along a swifter ending. If Pearl Harbor had not occurred, the outcome of the war would have been substantially different."

Fourteen students out of 3,000, were invited to attend a writing workshop at The People’s House: A White House Experience on June 17, sponsored by the White House Historical Association.
When asked what she was most Interested in for Nationals, Kadence replied, "I am incredibly excited to see the People’s House while we are visiting! I’ve always been interested in the White House and our presidency. I am overall so excited to show off my hard work in such a beautiful, and important place!"

Her wish came true . . . She was selected to participate in a writer’s workshop at The People’s House as they were impressed with her work. Congrats NHDAZ Kadence Johnson!!

And THANKS to her teacher, Donna Gustafson from Santan Jr High in Chandler who took two students, Sofia Piccinini and Kadence Johnson, to National Competition in June.

NHD teacher Donna Gustafson, Sofia Piccinini and Kadence Johnson with Donna's support dog Mobi

Sofia Piccinini and Kadence Johnson

What is National History Day?

 Our NHDAZ students did us proud! The National History Day® National Contest June 14–18 had the theme Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History. Arizona students joined more than half a million students globally who completed historical research projects in one of five categories: documentary, exhibit, paper, performance, or website. The Historical League is proud to support NHDAZ.

After completing their research and designing a project, students competed in a series of contests beginning at the local level. The top students from 49 states, Washington D.C., U.S. territories, and international schools advance to the annual National Contest. Only 3,000 students advanced to the top level this year.

“National History Day provides an incredibly enriching experience for students in middle and high school,” said NHD Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. “NHD students learn to research, analyze, and effectively articulate their position. Just one percent of this year’s NHD participants advanced to the national level, so all students should be proud of their achievements. NHD will benefit students far beyond academics as they become successful professionals, community-minded leaders, and engaged citizens.”

540 historians and education professionals served as judges for the students' work. More than 100 students took home cash prizes for superior work in a particular category of judging, along with special prizes from a variety of sponsors. More information at nhd.org.

Thank you from Ethan Tsay NHDAZ student

 "I've learned to reclaim lost stories of the past." This is Ethan Tsay and my NHD project this year was an individual website - Freedom Schools: Revolutionizing Education.

The most rewarding part of competing in National History Day is learning to transform the facts of history into an intimate story, especially stories of underrepresented minorities. From my projects on photography, Black barbershops, to the Freedom Schools this year, I've learned to reclaim lost stories of the past and reframing their significance in the broad spectrum of history. I am thankful for the Historical League's stipends and support, and grateful for the lifelong lessons NHD has taught me.

Best,

Ethan Tsay

Thank you from NHDAZ Anya Sridharan

 "It felt incredible to see our hours of hard work, dedication and effort pay off."

Anya Sridharan went to National History Day Nationals in June with "The Fight for Humanity: Terezin Ghetto". She and Jasmin Yap represented Willis Junior High and Arizona with this in-depth Group Exhibit on Nazi Germany and Czechoslovakia during WWII.

Anya's Thank you note to Cathy Shumard Cochair, Historical League Committee for Historical League was insightful. The Historical League is proud to support these industrious students.

Sent: Friday, July 3, 2026 05:56 PM

Subject: 2026 National History Day

Dear Ms. Shumard,

Thank you to you and the members of The Historical League for sponsoring my participation in National History Day.

It felt incredible to see our hours of hard work, dedication and effort pay off, and It was amazing to meet hundreds of kids from around the globe who are also passionate about history. I learned not only about my topic but also how to research, collaborate and persevere in the face of challenges.

Thank you again for your support and this amazing opportunity!

Sincerely,

Anya Sridharan

Anya Sridharan and Jasmin Yap

Thank you from Grahm Hardy NHDAZ student

 "I also loved the energy and excitement of the awards ceremony." Grahm Hardy's thank you note radiates enthusiasm for National History Day Arizona.

Dear Historical League,

My recent experience competing at the National History Day National competition was something I will always remember. My favorite part was touring the Capitol with the group and getting to see the national monuments. I also loved the energy and excitement of the awards ceremony and meeting so many nice people. It was cool getting to know my teammate Ziv more, and we were excited to take home a medal for Outstanding Entry Award.

Thank you for the support and help getting here. It was a lot of fun.

Grahm Hardy

Congratulations to you and Ziv Shemen! NHD awarded you both Outstanding Affiliate, junior group website, "The Nuclear Chain Reaction: The Explosive Discovery That Changed the World."

Thank you from NHD AZ Stefan Nickerson

 Stefen Nickerson writes, “Thank you so much for all the support at National History Day this year! I really enjoyed all of the friendliness and pin trading with other competitors. It was so fun seeing the campus and exploring the Washington DC area with all of its history.” 

He and Isaac Chau did a Junior Group Documentary: Year Zero, The Khmer Rouge Genocide.

Extra Thank you from Stefen's mom, Sarah Simons, "We had such a wonderful experience at this event and made lifetime memories. Stefen’s sister Sutton Nickerson is pictured with him. Sutton qualified for NHD Nationals three years ago but was unable to attend. It was great to finally get to go and see everything. Thank you!"

The Historical League is a benefactor of NHD, with scholarships, grants, friendships, support!