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Background Article #1

OUR ARCHIVES PROJECT
AT UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
Starting in 1982
by
Paul W. Corrigan
SECRETARY-TREASURER
3rd ARMORED DIVISION ASSOCIATION

ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER: FEBRUARY, 1982

 

At our Reunion in Seven Springs in July 1980, William A. Edie raised a very important subject for discussion at the Board of Governors' meeting. It was time, if not past time, for us to consider finding a way to collect and preserve our veterans' records - letters, diaries, newspaper clippings, photos, maps and similar material before they become lost beyond recall. Our December 1980 Newsletter reported as follows: The Board of Governors among other actions "Voted: A Depository Committee (Paul J. Woods, a professor of history at Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX; Ernest DeSoto, Louisville, KY; Andrew Barr, Washington, D.C.) for the collection of Third Armored Division memorabilia."

Haynes Dugan, a graduate of Texas A & M had established good relations with that University's library staff and Andrew Barr had a cordial relationship with the University of Illinois library staff. Through consultation and correspondence, it was learned that both of these libraries were interested in the project.

At our reunion in Hot Springs the Committee (Woods not able to be present and Dugan participating) met and discussed the project at length and prepared a resolution for the Board of Governors and the General Meeting. The Secretary's certification of the actions taken in support of the Committee's recommendation follows: "Action taken at Meeting of Board of Governors, Third Armored Division Association, July 23, 1981, Hot Springs, Arkansas.

"On Motion made and seconded it was VOTED: That a representative of the Third Armored Division Association is authorized to confirm, in conference with the Librarian of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign or his authorized representative, that the University of Illinois will accept and preserve, for the use of interested persons, valuable papers such as letters, notes, photographs, diaries, maps, and similar documents having to do with the Third Armored Division in World War II.

"The decision as to what documents shall be accepted and preserved will be made by the said Librarian or his authorized representative.

"This Motion and action thereon was reported to the membership at their meeting on July 24, 1981, and unanimously approved by them."

The Committee's choice of the University of Illinois Library rests in part on the fact that the library is the largest state university library and the fifth largest library in the United States. It also has the advantages of its central location, making our archives readily accessible to the largest concentration of our membership.

On October 7, Andrew Barr visited the University of Illinois and conferred with University Librarian Hugh C Atkinson; Maynard Brichford, Archivist; Professor Robert Sutton, Director of the Illinois Historical Survey; John Hoffman, Survey Librarian; and Joan Hood, Library Director of Development and Public Affairs, who had made the arrangements. Our Committee's draft resolution was presented and followed up by mail, with the official minutes quoted above. The library officials demonstrated an enthusiastic interest in the project and discussed the library's facilities, construction plans (contracts for addition to the stacks being received at that time with a ground breaking ceremony planned for about January 15, 1982) and discussed preparation of documents to be submitted by our members when the University is prepared to receive them. A feature of the visit was a tour of the Illinois Historical Survey and University Archives with special attention to security and at the same time availability of the records for inspection and study.

In preparation for the time when the University will be ready to accept our contributions of material we should begin to search our files, boxes and trunks in the attic, top shelves in closets, everywhere we may have stored our wartime treasures. The writer was surprised at what he found when he made a test search.

The following guidelines should be carefully observed:

1. IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE LIBRARY WILL BE READY TO ACCEPT MATERIAL THIS SUMMER. IN THE MEANTIME, THE UNIVERSITY ARCHIVIST SUGGESTS THAT HIS STAFF COULD REGULATE THE FLOW OF MATERIAL AND ELIMINATE THE SHIPMENT OF MANY DUPLICATES IF CONTRIBUTORS WOULD SEND A LISTS OR INVENTORIES OF MATERIAL BEGINNING NOW.

2. ONLY DOCUMENTARY MATERIAL CAN BE ACCEPTED - NO HARD DISPLAY MATERIAL SUCH AS MEDALS, WEAPONS, EQUIPMENT, ARTICLES OF UNIFORMS, COLORS AND BANNERS. THERE WILL BE NO DISPLAY SPACE AVAILABLE FOR SUCH MATERIAL.

3. Type of material and preparation before sending it:

a. Letters - note name, rank and unit of writer, date an place of writing, name and relationship of addressee - mother, wife, friend, etc. b. Diaries - name, rank and unit of writer, dates and places, if not noted in the entries. c. Orders - naming the individual donor - identify. Officer and NCO notebooks containing notes of oral orders given at staff conferences or elsewhere. Identify name, rank, unit, date and place. d. Photographs - note names, ranks, and unit of individuals, date and place taken. e. Maps - marked, overlays, sketches, route maps of units - identify date, place and donor (name, rank and unit).

f. Unit Journals - Identify unit and preparer. g. Propaganda material - Allied and German - note place used, - other identification as above. h. Newspaper clippings - Hometown papers. Stars and Stripes, Yank - date and place of publication. Most of our clippings are now yellow and brittle with age. Send original clippings which the library can photo copy on good paper.

All items should be arranged in chronological order in their category. Send originals and make copies for yourself, if desired. Pictures can be copied too.

Members of your Committee have started to sort and prepare their materials so they will be ready when the library is ready to receive the contributions. Most of us will need the time to do a good job and thereby contribute to a most worthwhile historical effort.

DO NOT, REPEAT DO NOT, SEND ANY MATERIAL TO THE LIBRARY UNTIL YOU ARE ADVISED IN THE NEWS LETTER THAT THE LIBRARY IS READY TO ACCEPT YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS.

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