Collections

This collection is made up of about 400 letters Robert Showalter Hutto and his wife Eva exchanged while he served as a pharmacist's mate onboard the USS Joseph T. Dickman between January and October 1945. Eva wrote around 200 letters between December 31, 1944, and August 4, 1945, and Robert responded with approximately 200 letters, written between January 1, 1945, and October 19, 1945. Eva shared news of her social life and her experiences running the couple's pharmacy in Kokomo, Indiana, and Robert described aspects of military life and, particularly after the Japanese surrender, his movements around the Pacific.

This collection is made up of about 400 letters Robert Showalter Hutto and his wife Eva exchanged while he served as a pharmacist's mate onboard the USS Joseph T. Dickman between January and October 1945. Eva wrote around 200 letters between December 31, 1944, and August 4, 1945, and Robert responded, with approximately 200 letters, written between January 1, 1945, and October 19, 1945. Eva shared news of her social life and her experiences running the couple's pharmacy in Kokomo, Indiana, and Robert described aspects of military life and, particularly after the Japanese surrender, his movements around the Pacific.

Eva wrote almost daily letters that were typically between 1 and 3 pages. She met with other military spouses, discussed her religious life, and expressed her concern and love for her husband. Occasionally, she commented on national news stories, such as President Franklin Roosevelt's death (April 14, 1945) and the likelihood of German surrender (May 7, 1945). In his letters, Robert concentrated on his experiences aboard the USS Joseph T. Dickman, a hospital and transport ship, in the Pacific Theater. He initially wrote less frequently than his wife, but by mid-August 1945, he sent letters almost daily and provided her with commentary on navy life and his religious activities. Though censorship initially forced Hutto to be vague about his locations, he described the Joseph T. Dickman's travels between Boston and San Francisco in a letter dated January 17, 1945, and reported on his initiation as a "pollywog" who had traveled across the equator (February 9, 1945). On May 1, 1945, he announced that censorship had been partially lifted and that he was allowed to share some of his experiences, including travels to the New Hebrides, Guadalcanal, and Tulagi Island. In the same letter he gave a scant description of his involvement in the liberation of Okinawa. After the Japanese surrender on August 14, 1945, he openly shared his travel plans, which included trips between San Francisco and islands such as Enewetak Atoll and the Philippines. He also revealed that he had spent time in the Hawaiian Islands while the ship was being outfitted with medical facilities. After his ship anchored at Manila Harbor on September 17, 1945, he provided his impressions of the destruction around Manila, which included the sunken ships throughout its harbor. In his final letters, Hutto anticipated his discharge, which took place in mid-October.

The couple's letters reveal their affection for one another, as well as the effects of lengthy separation on their relationship. On January 20, 1945, Robert Hutto sent his wife a Valentine's Day card, and most letters end with professions of love or, on at least one occasion, a kiss from Eva marked in lipstick. Other items of interest are an anniversary card (July 16, 1945) and a card bearing a cartoon illustration of a Hawaiian dancer and a brief poem about Hawaii (June 24, 1945). Two of Eva's letters include enclosures: a piece of fabric (January 29, 1945) and a newspaper advertisement (February 7, 1945). In addition to Robert's letters, Eva received 1 letter from Captain Ward R. Kidder of the 29th Field Artillery Battalion, about his experiences in Luxembourg (December 19, 1944). The collection also holds an "Air-Speed Mail Kit" box for "feather-weight" letter paper.

The William M. Muth collection contains diaries, photographs, and documents concerning Muth's experiences in Germany and the Netherlands in 1939 and his United States Navy service in the Pacific from 1942-1943.

The William M. Muth collection contains 2 diaries, 40 photographs, 2 envelopes of photographic negatives, and 4 documents concerning Muth's experiences in Germany and the Netherlands in 1939 and his United States Navy service in the Pacific from 1942-1943.

William M. Muth wrote 2 Diaries. The first (5" x 8") pertains to his life and travels in Europe from January 1, 1939-November 7, 1939, with daily entries covering January 1-February 5, March 19-May 14, and August 13-November 7. Muth described his life in Munich, Freiburg, and Heidelberg, Germany, and his visits to Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Italy. He wrote about his daily activities and social life and occasionally commented on anti-Semitism and increasing international tension. Muth reacted negatively to an anti-Semitic lecture and other propaganda (January 25, 1939), though he admired Adolf Hitler's oratory skills (January 30, 1939). By late August, the United States Consulate recommended that American citizens leave Germany, and Muth discussed his efforts to leave while noting reports of Polish armament and German militarization. On August 26, he traveled to Amsterdam. His entries from the first week of September reflect his efforts to return to the United States amidst the outbreak of war after Germany's invasion of Poland. He reacted negatively to perceived British exceptionalism and to Great Britain's declaration of war. After a brief return to Germany to gather belongings, Muth sailed for Baltimore on the SS Black Falkon on October 25. He arrived around November 7, the date of his final entry.

Muth's second diary (3" x 5") contains brief daily entries about his experiences on the USS Curtiss from January 6, 1942-August 2, 1943. He was stationed in Hawaii, New Caledonia, and Australia, and traveled to ports such as Pearl Harbor, Palmyra Atoll, Nouméa, Sydney, Perth, and Adelaide. In addition to noting his activities, such as flights and games of tennis, he occasionally commented on his wife and marriage.

The Photographs and Negatives series is made up of 38 snapshots and 2 larger photographs of United States sailors, soldiers, military buildings, and aircraft, taken between 1941 and 1944. Several portraits and one of the large group photographs are labeled. One picture shows a mock medal, the "Distinguished Skragging Cross." Many of the photographs were taken in Perth, Australia. The 2 envelopes of photographic negatives primarily depict uniformed military personnel.

Cablegrams and Ephemera include 2 cablegrams that William M. Muth sent to his wife and father on November 30, 1943, with his request that they stop sending mail. The series also has Muth's photographic identification card from the International Student Club in Munich, Germany (1938/1939), and his naval aviator certificate (September 1941), which is housed in a leather wallet. The final item is a certificate of gratitude for Muth's World War II service (July 15, 1946).