Search

This collection is made up of incoming and outgoing correspondence pertaining to Mary Flavin and her grandson, Charles A. Robertson of Albany and Berkeley, California, who served with the United States Army in Europe during World War II. Robertson wrote letters to Flavin about his experiences in Western Europe and received letters from Flavin and his fiancée, Naomi Watson ("Dee"), who wrote about her life in Oakland, California, during the war. Later letters pertain to Robertson's compensation from the Veterans Administration and to romantic relationships between soldiers. The collection also contains ephemera.

This collection (1.5 linear feet) mainly consists of incoming and outgoing correspondence pertaining to Mary Flavin and her grandson, Charles A. Robertson, who served with the United States Army in Europe during World War II. Robertson wrote letters to Flavin about his experiences in Western Europe and received letters from Flavin and his fiancée, Naomi Watson ("Dee"), who wrote about her life in Oakland, California, during the war. Later letters pertain to Robertson's compensation from the Veterans Administration and to romantic relationships between male soldiers. The collection also contains ephemera.

The Correspondence series, which comprises the bulk of the collection, is primarily made up of Robertson's incoming and outgoing correspondence, particularly during his military service. The earliest items are family letters and greeting cards to Robertson's grandmother, Mary Flavin ("Mother May"). From September 1943-March 1946, Robertson wrote letters to his grandmother and received letters from his fiancée, the Veterans Administration, and acquaintances. Between September 1943 and July 1944, he discussed his army training at the Presidio of Monterey; Camp Lee, Virginia; Fort Washington, Maryland; and Fort Omaha, Nebraska. From August 1944-April 1946, he wrote about his experiences in England, France, Germany, and Belgium with the 48th Machine Records Unit (Mobile), 29th Machine Records Unit (Mobile), and 65th Machine Records Unit (Fixed). He occasionally mentioned attending mass and communion and responded to family news, such as the death of his Aunt Lizzie. His letter of December 9, 1944, has diagrams of his quarters in a building formerly held by German troops and a cabinet, and his letter of April 10, 1945, encloses several German monetary bills. Some of Robertson's later letters are written on stationery with printed cartoons about military life. Flavin received many greeting cards for Mother's Day, her birthday, and other holidays throughout the World War II era. The collection also has a small number of letters from Flavin to her grandson.

Much of the series is comprised of letters and greeting cards to Charles A. Robertson from his sweetheart and fiancée, Naomi M. Watson ("Dee") of Oakland, California. She regularly wrote to Robertson about her work, social activities, and life in Oakland, particularly after he was sent to Europe. She reported news of her family and his, whom she occasionally visited or with whom she corresponded, and discussed their relationships and her hopes for their future. A few of her letters enclose newspaper clippings, often with cartoons about military life or photographs of herself and friends. In the spring of 1945, she celebrated the one-year anniversary of their engagement and V-E Day, which she hoped would lead to Robertson's quick return home. Her letter of October 29, 1945, has drawings of cartoon mice representing Watson and Robertson. Watson's mother sometimes wrote personal letters to Robertson, whom she referred to as a "son." One large group of newspaper clippings is enclosed with correspondence dated July 1945, and other enclosures include advertisements, telegrams, a program, and an invitation. Watson stopped writing to Robertson after February 1946, and later correspondence indicates that their relationship eventually ended.

Charles A. Robertson occasionally received letters from fellow soldiers and other acquaintances after the war. A group of letters from the Veterans Administration, including some drafts of Robertson's responses, pertains to financial compensation and to Robertson's health in the late 1940s. Charles F. Foley ("Chuck") wrote a series of letters to Robertson while stationed in Tokushima, Japan, with the United States Army in July and August 1948. He frankly discussed his reluctance to visit prostitutes, despite the threat of derogatory epithets from fellow soldiers, and mentioned the possible effects of giving up the "gay life" (August 7, 1948). Foley's later letters apparently went unanswered, and he ceased to write after August 25, 1948. Later items, dated as late as 1951, concern Robertson's financial compensation from the Veterans Administration.

Dee Watson compiled 2 Scrapbooks entitled "Army Life of Charles A. Robertson 1943-1946." The volumes have picture postcards, train timetables, travel ephemera (including guides and visitors' maps), souvenir folders, performance and church service programs, and newspaper clippings. Additionally, several items relate to a trip taken on a United Air Lines "Mainliner" aircraft. The postcards have images with humorous mottos, paintings of army bases and other locales, and photographs of army bases where Robertson was stationed. The clippings and other materials pertain to his service in the United States and Europe.

Most items in the Ephemera series pertain directly to Charles A. Robertson's military service, such as his service record and military documents. Among the printed items are a French/English dictionary, a religious pamphlet, newspaper clippings, and pocket guides to Paris and Birmingham. Other items include, but are not limited to, a record with a message for Mary Flavin from Robertson, name cards, and photographs.

This collection consists of 18 letters that Elaine Fisher (later Hanson) received from members of the United States Army during World War II. Fisher's correspondents, who included her future husband, Frank Hanson (9 letters), discussed their experiences while training at camps within the United States and while on duty in North Africa, Hawaii, and Europe.

This collection consists of 18 letters that Elaine Fisher (later Hanson) of Muscatine, Iowa, and North Powder, Oregon, received from members of the United States Army during World War II. Her correspondents discussed their experiences while training at camps within the United States and while on duty in North Africa, Hawaii, and Europe.

Technician Fifth Grade Frank Rado Hanson, a member of the 817th Tank Destroyer Battalion, Company B, and Elaine Fisher's future husband, wrote 3 letters while in training at Camp Phillips, Kansas, in September and October 1943, and 6 letters while serving in France, Belgium, and Germany between October 1944 and April 1945. He discussed his love for Elaine, mentioned his participation in recent military actions, and commented on the military's drinking culture.

Private Robert Armstrong, whom Fisher had known in Muscatine, wrote 3 letters while undergoing medical training at Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma, between July and September 1942. As well as writing about his life on base, Armstrong detailed his drinking habits and his experiences with local women. After being promoted to corporal, Armstrong wrote 3 additional letters about his service with the Medical Detachment of the 435th Signal Battalion in Italy and North Africa, describing the scenery and Roman ruins.

Fisher also received 1 letter from Private William Hendrix of the 371st Bomb Squadron, then in training at Ephrata Air Base in Washington (June 13, 1942), and 2 letters from Corporal Kenneth H. Maach of the 210th Field Artillery Battalion, who was stationed at Camp Young, California, and in Hawaii. Both soldiers discussed military life; Maach included descriptions of the Californian wildlife and a Hawaiian luau, and enclosed a photograph of a hula dancer letter in his letter of October 16, 1943.

The Lawrence Nash collection is made up of letters and other items pertaining to Nash's service in the United States Army during World War II. Nash received letters about his draft status from the Selective Service System and later wrote to his wife Shirley about his experiences in western Europe during the final months of the war.

The Lawrence Nash collection is made up of 16 items pertaining to Nash's service in the United States Army during World War II. Nash, a sergeant, received 2 letters from the Selective Service in 1942, and wrote 12 letters to his wife Shirley from Europe in 1944 and 1945. The remaining items are a handkerchief and military newsletters.

The Selective Service System sent letters to Lawrence R. Nash ("Larry") in Rochester, New York, on October 1, 1942, and October 26, 1942, about his classification and selection for induction on November 10, 1942. From August 16, 1944-June 8, 1945, Nash wrote 12 letters to his wife Shirley in Syracuse, New York, including 6 written in March 1945 and 2 written after V-E Day. Nash discussed their separation, his hopes for a quick end to the war, and his experiences in England, France, Luxembourg, and Germany, where he spent some time in foxholes. Though he wrote little of military life, Nash mentioned the age of German prisoners, who, by the spring of 1945, were mostly "old men" (March 16, 1945).

His postwar letters refer to his plans to travel to Paris and his desire to return home. A woven handkerchief is enclosed in an envelope postmarked December 8, 1944, and two newsletters (clipped together) contain notes on Allied progress in Europe ("I & E News Bulletin," January 23, 1945) and a poem about "The Soldiers Who Sit" ("The Snowball," February 9, 1945).

This collection contains letters related to the family of Sarah Guy of Negley, Ohio. Guy received around 50 letters from her sons, Fidelis and Gerald McCoy, who served in paratrooper regiments during World War II. Other friends and family members wrote to the McCoy brothers and to the Guy family, particularly after January 1945.

This collection (0.25 linear feet) contains letters related to the family of Sarah Guy of Negley, Ohio. Guy received around 50 letters from her sons, Fidelis and Gerald McCoy, who served in paratrooper regiments during World War II. Other friends and family members wrote to the McCoy brothers and the Guy family, particularly after January 1945.

Fidelis and Gerald McCoy's letters to their mother, which comprise the bulk of the collection, are mainly dated April 1942-January 1945. The McCoys wrote while training at military camps in the United States, and while serving in Europe during the war; they commented on military life and training activities, such as hiking and parachute training, and inquired about their stepsisters. Fidelis McCoy mentioned a girlfriend, Aileen, who later became his fiancée, and encouraged his mother to correspond with her. He later served in England, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France, and provided some details about his activities, such as building bridges. Gerald McCoy ("Jerry") served in Italy and France, and spent some time in a hospital in England.

Other correspondence includes a letter from Sarah Guy to Gerald McCoy, letters to the McCoy brothers from female friends, and 2 letters to Wayne Guy from Ernest Hughes, a soldier stationed at Fort McClellan, Alabama, in 1945. Postwar correspondence consists of letters Roy Guy wrote to his family during his military training and letters Wayne Guy wrote to his family from Japan, where he was stationed in 1948 and 1949. The collection contains a newspaper article about Fidelis McCoy's death.

This collection is made up of United States soldiers' V-mail letters to Pasquale Velleco and Philip H. Jones, Jr., of Shelton, Connecticut, and to Mimika Frith of Bel Air, Maryland. Correspondents, who served in the United States Army and the United States Navy Seabees in the European and Pacific Theaters, discussed numerous aspects of military life during and just after the war.

This collection (54 items) is made up of United States soldiers' V-mail letters to Pasquale Velleco of Shelton, Connecticut (45 items); Philip H. Jones, Jr., of Shelton, Connecticut (7 items); and Mimika Frith of Bel Air, Maryland (2 items). Their correspondents included members of United States Army units serving in the European Theater and at least one member of the United States Navy Seabees serving in the Pacific Theater. The servicemen responded to news from home, shared news of other soldiers, and discussed their future plans. After V-E Day, several wondered whether or not they would be sent to the Pacific.

The soldiers' postwar correspondence includes brief references to their travels and experiences in Germany, Italy, Belgium, France, and England; a few provided details about their military activities. Two items are pre-printed Christmas and winter greetings, and one is a printed change-of-address form. One Seabee sent a copy of an "Inbad the Sailor" comic strip (June 8, 1945).

This collection is made up of 56 letters that members of the United States Army, United States Navy, and United States Coast Guard wrote to Shirley Kunz of Chicago, Illinois, during World War II.

This collection is made up of 56 letters that members of the United States Army, United States Navy, and United States Coast Guard wrote to Shirley Kunz of Chicago, Illinois, during World War II.

Kunz's early correspondents included Frank S. Kunz, Jr., who discussed his service in the United States Coast Guard at the Manhattan Beach Training Station in Brooklyn, New York, and near New Smyrna Beach, Florida; and Jos. L. Bussa, who trained at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in llinois. Frank Kunz later wrote from New Guinea and the Philippines, where he commented on postwar destruction. Henry A. Petru ("Hank") of the United States Army's 335th Infantry Regiment wrote to Kunz after 1943; he reminisced about an outing with Kunz and her friend Dolores, mentioned his involvement in engineering school and his glider training, and commented on his combat experiences in France and Germany, where he was wounded in late 1944. Some of Petru's letters enclose drafts of Kunz's responses. Richard C. Hoover ("Dick") wrote to Kunz from 1944-1946, discussing his attempts to earn a rating, his enjoyment of football and bowling, and his family's health. He provided updates about his mother's medical treatments, and shared news of her death in February 1946.

Kunz's other correspondents included Russel E. Sorensen and Harvey J. Hopsicker, who both served in the United States Navy's medical corps at San Diego, California; and William B. Vogel, a mutual friend of Hank Petru. She also received letters from Ray Warczynski, who served onboard the SS City of Grand Rapids, and from a correspondent, "Le Roy," who commented on his high school schedule in McHenry, Illinois. Some letters are written on stationery depicting the logos of United States military bases; other letterheads show Jesus Christ, a cartoon sailor with radio equipment, and the SS City of Grand Rapids. Shirley Kunz drew a picture of a foot in her letter to Hank Petru of July 26, 1943.

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).