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

The Brunger papers consist primarily of letters from United States Navy Seaman Francis D. Brunger to Alice Louise Harrington, his girlfriend and eventual wife, during Brunger's service in the Pacific Theater of the Second World War. He wrote of his life at sea and responded to news from home about his wife and his son, Francis David Brunger, Jr., who was born in December 1944. Additional material includes a photograph, documents, printed material, and ephemera.

The Brunger papers consist primarily of correspondence written by United States Navy Seaman Francis D. Brunger to Alice Louise Harrington, his girlfriend and eventual wife, during his service in the Pacific Theater of the Second World War.

Of the 294 letters in the Correspondence series, Brunger wrote 246 to Alice, whom he called "Bone." The letters trace the couple's relationship from their early courtship through their engagement, marriage, and birth of their first son ("Stinky"). Francis often wrote of his desire to return to his family. In his earlier letters, he discussed his intention to join the navy following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and Alice's budding nursing career. He wrote of different aspects of military life throughout the remainder of his naval career, including daily life onboard the Farenholt and the Rooks, and his training in Shoemaker, California. During the spring and summer of 1945, he shared his anticipation for the end of the war, and by late August he believed he would soon receive a discharge. Though he seldom reported military engagements, his friend Joe wrote Alice about some of the Farenholt's military actions near Guadalcanal (March 30, 1944). Other acquaintances wrote to Alice about their experiences in the army. The collection also has a group of letters addressed to Charles Brunger, Francis's brother, who served at the United States Naval Training Center in Sampson, New York.

The Photograph shows a newborn child.

The Documents series contains an insurance policy for Alice Brunger from the St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company (November 5, 1944).

Printed Material includes a newspaper clipping reporting the birth of Francis D. Brunger, Jr. [December 1944], a clipping relating draft results from Oswego County, New York (undated), and the March 1943 edition of The Colby Alumnus.

The Ephemera series (19 items) contains birthday and other greeting cards from Francis D. Brunger to his wife and son, instructions for making baby formula, a menu for a Christmas dinner held at the United States Navy Receiving Station in Shoemaker, California [December 25, 1944], a "Safety First for Your Baby" pamphlet, a birthday poem and drawing on V-mail stationery, two short poems, two printed programs for religious services, three key tags, and a newspaper clipping featuring four color "Blondie" comics.

This collection is made up of letters that Richard S. Samuels sent to his wife Sonya while serving in the United States Navy during World War II. Samuels wrote almost daily about his experiences at the Farragut Naval Training Station in northern Idaho and the Naval Landing Force Equipment Depot at Albany, California.

This collection contains correspondence and other materials pertaining to the United States Navy service of Richard S. Samuels during World War II.

The Correspondence series comprises the bulk of the collection. Private W. Robert Liphardt, Jr. ("Wally") wrote 4 letters to Richard and "Gussie" Samuels from August 20, 1942-January 13, 1943. Originally from Berwyn, Illinois, he was a member of the 340th Bomb Group, 487th Bomb Squadron, and served at United States Army Air Forces bases in Colorado and South Carolina.

Most items are letters that Richard S. Samuels sent to Sonya and Susan ("Push") Samuels, his wife and baby daughter, from February 3, 1944-November 14, 1945. His earliest letters concern his journey from Los Angeles to northern Idaho, where he trained at Camp Waldron. He regularly composed 2-4-page letters about his love for his family and his experiences at the Farragut naval base, including his attempts to earn an electrician's rating. Samuels listed his equipment and commented on daily activities such as inspections and drill.

After July 1944, he wrote from Albany, California, where he was an electrician for the Naval Landing Force Equipment Depot. Samuels shared anecdotes from his work and mentioned his frequent visits to Berkeley, California, where he often posted his letters. Some letters pertain to his finances and his attempts to rent an apartment near Albany. Samuels and other naval personnel regularly attended movie screenings, and he sometimes offered his opinions of the films. In every letter, Samuels wrote of his love for his wife, and he usually commented on his daughter's health and developmental progress. A Thanksgiving Day menu, decorated with a cartoon of a sailor and a turkey, is enclosed in his letter of November 25, 1944. Samuels often used stationery from the United States Navy, the Farragut Naval Training Station, and the Naval Landing Force Equipment Depot, and most of his letters have sketches of hearts pierced with arrows.

In addition to Samuels's letters, the collection has Documents and Ephemera from the World War II era, such as an unlabeled black patch with a white circle, a vending machine card with a picture of Joan Davis, a booklet about the Farragut Naval Training Station, and ten copies of a portrait of a sailor in his U.S. Navy uniform, one of which has an affectionate personal inscription on the back. Fourteen copies of the Farragut News are dated March 9, 1944-July 20, 1944, and contain news and photographs from the naval installation.