Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

This collection consists of 17 letters that Franklin Warren Van Wert ("Warren") wrote to his mother, Edna Van Wert, while serving in the United States Navy during World War II, as well as 1 letter he wrote to his brother Albert and 1 additional letter from Leonard W. Dooren to Edna Van Wert, his future mother-in-law.

This collection consists of 19 World War II-era letters related to the Van Wert family of New York City. Leonard W. Dooren wrote a letter to Edna J. Van Wert, his future mother-in-law, while stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in March 1940. He mentioned Charles Van Wert's reassignment to the USS McCormick and wrote about Dolly Van Wert, Edna's daughter and his future wife. Warren Van Wert wrote the remaining letters to Edna Van Wert, his mother (17 items), and Albert Van Wert, his brother (1 item), during his service on the USS Breckinridge. Before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he discussed the possibility of getting a furlough. After the United States entered the war, he shared news of his daily life in the navy and mentioned his attempts to send an allotment to his mother. He commented on an encounter with a married woman, sailors' fondness for "spicey" magazines and comic books, and the Breckinridge's response to a distress call for the transport of a sick sailor. Van Wert also shared family news, particularly related to his siblings and their young children.

This collection is made up of letters that Phyllis Okoniewski of Buffalo, New York, wrote and received during World War II. She corresponded with servicemen in multiple branches of the United States Armed Forces during the early years of the war, and wrote over 150 letters to her future husband, Richard J. Szymczak, from September 1943-May 1945.

This collection is made up of approximately 200 letters that Phyllis Okoniewski of Buffalo, New York, wrote and received during World War II, 4 manuscript writings, and 6 newspaper clippings..

The Correspondence series consists of Phyllis Okoniewski's incoming and outgoing letters. From February 1941-August 1943, Okoniewski received over 40 letters from members of the United States Army, United States Army Air Forces, and United States Navy. They wrote about aspects of military life at bases such as Camp McClellan, Alabama; Camp Croft, South Carolina; Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida; Camp Pickett, Virginia; Seymour Johnson Field, North Carolina; Sampson Naval Training Station, New Jersey; Camp Gordon, Georgia; and South Kelly Field, Texas. The servicemen discussed their classes, possible assignments, daily routine, and leisure activities. Okoniewski occasionally composed drafts of letters to these soldiers, in which she discussed her life in Buffalo, New York. The bulk of the series (over 150 items) is comprised of Okoniewski's letters to her future husband, Richard Szymczak, between September 1943 and May 1945. She commented on news from home, activities with members of the Okoniewski and Szymczak families, her senior prom, and her love for Szymczak.

The Writings series (4 items) contains 2 drafts of an explicit poem about Adam and Eve, a recipe for "love cake," a parody of Longfellow's poem "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere," and a typed joke about married women.

Five of the six Newspaper clippings relate to the Buffalo Bisons hockey team during the war. One of these lists war casualties from western New York on the reverse side. The sixth clipping is an image of members of the 95th Signal Company, 3rd Division, United States Army, surrounding a cow.