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This collection is made up of the World War II-era correspondence of Norma Greiner, her husband William R. Kent, and the Greiner family. The papers include letters that Norma Greiner wrote to her family while serving as a United States Navy nurse in San Francisco, California, in 1943; letters that William R. Kent wrote to his wife Norma while serving onboard the USS Cape Esperance in the South Pacific from August 1944-November 1944; letters that the Greiner family received from various servicemen during the war; and letters that Norma Greiner Kent received from her mother- and sister-in-law.

This collection (79 items) contains the World War II-era correspondence of Norma Greiner of La Grande, Oregon; her husband, William R. Kent; and the Greiner family. One receipt pertains to a small payment from Mrs. R. C. Greiner to C. E. Branner (July 9, 1942).

Norma Greiner wrote 38 letters to her parents while working as a United States Navy nurse at Treasure Island, San Francisco, California, in 1943. She described her experiences treating wounded servicemen and sometimes provided details about specific patients. In one letter, she discussed a set of photographs shown to her by an officer returning from Guadalcanal (February 13, 1943, mailed with letter dated February 11, 1943), and in another, she described her wedding (August 3, 1943). Some letters refer to Greiner's dating life and several from late July and early August concern her marriage to William R. Kent. Her final letter, dated February 19, 1945, pertains to life in San Diego, California. Three of her letters have enclosures: a newspaper clipping about nurses (March 15, 1943), 4 snapshots of natives in an unidentified location (May 27, 1943), and bicycle licenses for Norma Grider [sic] and Wanda Tucker (June 4, 1942). One item is an illustrated printed form letter 2'8" long, including grains of sand glued to one page, that Norma sent to her brother Lawrence (March 27, 1943).

William R. Kent sent 26 letters to his wife Norma Greiner Kent while serving on the USS Cape Esperance in the South Pacific from August 1944-November 1944; these letters form part of a much larger series (not present). Kent discussed navy life, anticipated the birth of their first child, and counted down the days remaining in his enlistment. While stationed on an unidentified island, he described his health difficulties, including a sprained ankle and a diminished appetite, and responded to Norma's news of her hospital work and pregnancy. He mentioned his initiation as a "shell back" after crossing the Equator and encloses a humorous mock subpoena for a related ceremony (August 14-15, 1944). On October 19, 1944, Kent reflected on the death of a friend named Hallowell, enclosing his obituary. Other enclosures include letters and V-mail from the Kent family (September 20, 1944; September 29, 1944; and October 15, 1944); 3 snapshot photographs of an unidentified man with a dog and horse (September 14, 1944); a notice that his subscription to Parents' Magazine would soon expire (September 14, 1944); a cartoon (October 16, 1944); and a list of recommended Bible verses (November 19, 1944). Norma also received letters from her sister-in-law, "Jay" Kent, and from her mother-in-law, Helen Kent.

In addition to Norma's letters, the Greiner family received correspondence from William R. Kent (1 item, March 22, 1945) and other servicemen. Private Dale Greiner, a relative, wrote about his experiences while training with the United States Air Forces in Miami Beach, Florida, and Gulfport, Mississippi; David G. Weathers wrote twice of his love for Norma (April 4, 1943, and July 11, 1943); Norman E. Olson mentioned his participation in naval campaigns near the Philippines on the USS Heywood (February 27, 1945); and Private Chester J. Hoab discussed tank training at Fort Knox, Kentucky (ca. March 25, 1943). Private Bryce E. Miller wrote his letter of March 4, 1943, on stationery bearing printed images of military aircraft.

This collection contains 22 letters that Orville E. Watson wrote to his mother while attending Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio, between 1878 and 1882, as well as 2 letters he wrote after graduating. He discussed his coursework and his social life, which included membership in a fraternity.

This collection contains 22 letters that Orville E. Watson wrote to his mother while attending Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio, between 1878 and 1882, as well as 2 letters he wrote after graduating. He discussed his coursework and his social life, which included membership in a fraternity.

Watson generally wrote every month or two between April 5, 1878, and July 8, 1882, with a few longer gaps between letters. He mentioned some of his courses, lectures, and examinations, and commented on faculty-student relations. Watson wrote most frequently about his social activities and those of other university students, occasionally focusing on relations between the junior and senior classes. As a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, he discussed Greek life and houses' recruitment efforts, as well as his experiences after briefly leaving his own fraternity. During his later years in school, Watson also participated in a literary society. Though much of his social life revolved around fellow students, he interacted with other Delaware residents, including an older woman named Sadie West, the subject of a humorous anecdote and sketch in his letter of March 5, 1882. He also described his search for lodgings (September 18, 1881), his landlady, "Mrs. Carlisle" (September-December 1881), and the floor plans of his room and the apartment he later shared with a fraternity brother (September 18, 1881, and January 14, 1882). Watson and his friends sometimes traveled outside of Delaware, taking a hunting trip (May 6, 1882) and visiting a haunted house (December 14, 1879). Though most of Watson's letters are lighthearted and humorous in tone, he wrote 2 more serious letters around the time of his graduation about the possibility of joining the United States Army Signal Corps and corps members' daily routine (June 17, 1882, and July 8, 1882). He wrote his final 2 letters from Cardington, Ohio, on December 25, 1884, and June 16, 1885, providing his mother with family news. His brother Clarence, who occasionally visited Delaware, contributed to 2 of the letters.