RICHARD L.D. AND MARJORIE J. MORSE
DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
HALE LIBRARY
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
University Archives and Manuscripts
MILITARY HISTORY:
SELECTED HOLDINGS
The following is a descriptive guide to archival records and manuscript collections in the department
related to military history. The entries consist of the name of the collection, date span of contents,
size (lf. refers to linear feet of shelf space; -1 indicates that the collection is less than 1 linear foot in
size), and a brief summary of the contents. A link to a finding aid is provided to a collection when
one is available; additional finding aids exist in the department for many of the others. Books and
periodicals in the University Archives and Special Collections, as well as dissertations, masters’
theses, and masters’ reports by K-State graduate students, are not included here; however, they are
identifiable by searching the online catalog of the K-State Libraries. Information about services and
material in the department is also available at http://www.lib.ksu.edu/depts/spec/archives.html
For information about the holdings and services of the department, or how to donate collections,
contact Anthony R. Crawford, Curator of Manuscripts, Morse Department of Special Collections,
Hale Library, Manhattan, KS 66506; 785-532-7456; arcford@k-state.edu
Richard ALEXANDER Papers, 1944-1946. ca 250 pieces. Alexander enlisted in the U. S. Navy
in1944 (July) and was discharged as a Signalman Third Class in 1946 (May). After training at
Farragut Naval Training Station (signalman/quartermaster school) in Idaho and Oceanside,
California (XAP Team Communication School), he was stationed at Pearl Harbor and was there
when Japan surrendered. He was assigned to the USS LCI (G) 190 (Landing Craft Infantry) which
transported Navy Seabees to Okinawa. Also, he was sent to Takao, Formosa (Taiwan) for the
purpose of unloading Chiang-Kai Chek’s occupation troops, and to the naval base at Subic Bay,
Philippines for repair work, before returning to the U.S.
The collection contains over 200
handwritten letters from Alexander to his parents in Wichita and Wellington, Kansas during this
period. They describe his Navy activities and life at the places mentioned above. Also included are
a few of his service records and photographs.
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William F.O. BAEHR Papers, 1939-1942. –1 lf. The collection contains outgoing and incoming
correspondence between Baehr and U.S. Senators and Representatives (mostly those from Illinois
where Baehr was head librarian of Augustana College) concerning matters related to WWII. Baehr
encouraged them to vote for legislation that would keep the U.S. out of the war, especially the
Neutrality Act and Embargo Act, in addition to asking for support of the National Committee on
Food for Small Democracies proposed by Herbert Hoover.
Robert H. BERLIN Papers, ca 1969-2006. 15 lf . Collection includes Berlin’s personal papers
related to his research and teaching at several academic institutions; however the bulk of the
material pertains to his years at the U.S. Command and General Staff College at Fort
Leavenworth, 1969-2006, where he held several administrative and teaching positions. Included
are: correspondence; photographs; notes; drafts and copies of dissertations, papers, and articles;
lecture material; files related to Ft. Leavenworth; printed material; slides; audio and video
cassettes; and memorabilia. Berlin also donated his military history library of approximately
1,000 volumes. The collection contains items related to WWII.
Richard and Marion BOYDSTON Papers, 1943-1945. 1.5 lf. Richard Boydston enlisted in the
United States Army after Pearl Harbor in 1942 and was assigned to the Quarter Master Corps.
While on leave at his home in Kansas City in June 1943, he had a blind date with Marion Elmer
from Manhattan, Kansas. On July 7, 1943, Marion and Richard were married in Riverside,
California one month before Richard left for assignment overseas. He was stationed in North Africa,
southern Italy, and finally in southern France, where he remained until redeployment to the states in
October 1945, 29 months after leaving for duty. The collection contains 253 letters and 305 V-Mails
between June
1943 and October 1945. With a few exceptions, the 558 letters are from Richard to Marion. The
letters are from different regions where Richard was stationed and they describe his experiences in
each location during the war: California in 1943 followed by his train ride to the East Coast; North
Africa, 1943-1944; the invasion of southern Italy, 1944; and the invasion of southern France, 1945.
http://www.lib.k-state.edu/depts/spec/findaids/pc2003-12.html
Dan D. CASEMENT Papers, 1858-1953. 20 lf. Dan Casement settled in Manhattan and gained a
national reputation in ranching and quarter horse circles. His father, John S. Casement, served as a
general in the Union army (Ohio) during the Civil War and the collection contains hundreds of
original letters between General Casement and his wife, Frances Jennings Casement, while he served
in various military campaigns, 1861-1865. Frances Casement, a prominent civic leader, became the
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first president of the “Ohio Suffrage Association” and she included Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth
Cady Stanton among her friends. Dan Casement served in World War I as a Captain in the 27th
Field Artillery in France and the papers contain information about his military service, including the
sinking of Casement’s troop ship, the Tuscania, by a German submarine before it could reach
England in 1917. http://www.lib.k-state.edu/depts/spec/findaids/pc1986-03.html
CIVIL WAR. Diary of Robert R. McCandliss, 1863. Circa 85 pages. Born in Ohio (November
19, 1826), McCandliss was a surgeon with the 110th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War,
having enlisted in August 1862. The diary is a handwritten account of the military and medical
activities of the 110th beginning in May 1863 in the Shenandoah Valley/Valley of Virginia. He was
captured at the battle of Winchester on June 15. In July he was confined in Libby Prison, Richmond,
until released (“exchanged”) on November 24, 1863. The diary includes descriptions of troop
engagements before his capture, prison life, Civil War events, Castle Thunder prison that he could
see from Libby, the hanging of Spencer Kellogg Brown, etc. Among the diary are entries about the
women who served in the army medical unit with him and were taken prisoner, including his wife
Priscilla. Names of other physicians he came in contact with are included in the back of the diary.
McCandliss and his wife settled in Emporia, Kansas after the war where he practiced medicine; he
died there on May 5, 1908.
CONCORDIA (Kansas), Camp. World War II Prisoners of War. SEE: Prisoners of War.
COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE (Kansas State College), 1944-1945 –1 lf.
Responses from 23 Extension agents to a questionnaire about what they did in World War II.
The agents described their service experience is such locations as Normandy, Berlin, and the
Philippines. The replies often included photographs and letters.
[CURTISS AEROPLANE CO.]. United States of America Against the Curtiss Aeroplane Co.,
1946. -1 lf. Collection of briefs and opinions prepared by Alexander N. Sack who represented the
U.S. and Soviet Union in a claim against the Curtiss Co. that it failed to deliver military aircraft to
the Soviet Union at the end of WWI. The case reopened in WWII when diplomatic relations was
reinstated between the two countries.
Kenneth S. DAVIS Papers, ca 12 lf. Davis graduated from K-State in 1934 with a degree in
journalism. He occupied several teaching positions and was an assistant to Milton Eisenhower in his
capacity as chairman of UNESCO, but Davis was best known as a historian and author of numerous
works. Among the Davis Papers is correspondence between his parents, Charles and Lydia, while
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his father served in WWI. Included among the books written by Davis related to military history
are: Soldier of Democracy: A Biography of Dwight Eisenhower (1945); Experience of War: The
United States in World War II; Hero: Charles A. Lindbergh and the American Dream; In the Forests
of the Night (a fictional story about a WWI soldier with post traumatic stress disorder); and a series
of books on Franklin D. Roosevelt that included The Beckoning of Destiny, 1882-1928, The New
York Years, 1928-1933, The New Deal Years, 1933-1937, Into the Storm, 1937-1940, and The War
President, 1940-1943. He won the prestigious Frances Parkman Prize for FDR:The Beckoning of
Destiny. The Davis Papers were donated to the University Archives by Jean Davis after his death in
1999. Manuscripts and related documents for many of Davis’ works are contained in the papers.
http://www.lib.k-state.edu/depts/spec/findaids/pc2003-09.html
Arthur S. DeGROAT Papers, 1990-1991, 1 lf. Lt. Col. (Ret.) DeGroat currently serves as the
Director of Military Affairs at Kansas State University. For six years he was Professor of Military
Science and Head of the Military Science Dept. and Army ROTC program at K-State. He served 22
years on active duty as an armor officer in the U.S. and abroad in support of the Cold War, Major
Regional Contingency Operations in Southwest Asia, and the Global War on Terrorism. He served
as a commander of an Abrams tank company in combat during Operation Desert Shield and Storm
including the liberation of Kuwait. DeGroat’s papers document his participation in the latter, 19901991, and include a combat diary, handwritten operation plans and reports (including Operation
Desert Spear), field maps, Iraqi propaganda literature, and printed material.
DRAFT and Conscientious Objectors Collection (Center for Student Development, Kansas
State University), 1969-1973. –1 lf. A collection of documents on various topics related to the
draft including: 1) newsletters and memos distributed by CCCO: An Agency for Military and Draft
Counseling 1972-1973, 2) notebook containing printed material on military law and counseling,
most of which was part of a CCCO Military Counselor’s Manual, 1972-1973, and 3) a notebook of
information from a conference on “Selective Service Law and Practice” presented by the Illinois
Institute for Continuing Legal Education in 1969.
Kansas FARMHOUSE Association. 1945, September. -1 lf/21 pages. Mimeograph newsletter
containing responses to April 1945 issue of Farmhouse newsletter regarding fund raising efforts for
new house at Kansas State College. Many of the responses are from members serving in the military
describing their situation in addition to their pledge toward the Building Fund.
Marjorie L. Honstead FELDHAUSEN Papers, 1943-1946. 4 lf. Honstead was born in
Waterville, Kansas in 1920. In 1942 she graduated from Christ Hospital School of Nursing in
Topeka (now Stormont Vail). The papers document Honstead’s service in WWII as a member of
the
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U.S. Army Nurse Corps from 1943 through her discharge in 1946. The collection includes letters,
service records, photographs, printed material, and memorabilia created while she was stationed at
Schick General Hospital (Clinton, Iowa) and the 316th Hospital at Camp Stover (England) and 316th
Holding Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland, in addition to material from Marseille, France and on board
the U.S.Army Transport Fredrick Lykes. The letters in the collection are to her parents in Topeka
and describe military life as a nurse. After the war she attended Kansas State College where she
graduated in 1949 with a degree in home economics.
http://www.lib.k-state.edu/depts/spec/findaids/pc2008-02.html
Norman E. FIELDS. SEE Photographs. Fields, Norman F., Collection
[FORT RILEY, Kansas]. Samuel Dean (Junction City, Kansas) to Judge W. A. Carter (Ft.
Bridger, Wyoming), October 22, 1989. 1 piece. Handwritten letter in which Dean inquires about
purchasing buckskin for someone he knows who needs it to make gloves. Letter summarizes how
Dean moved to Kansas and began keeping books for a Mr. Gilbert, a grocery retailer; mentions that
Fort Riley is 4 miles away and 4 companies of artillery were there all summer with Col. Hamilton in
command, Kansas Pacific Railroad, weather, and crops.
Arthur H. GILLES Papers, 1918-1919. 1.75 lf. Gilles served as a private in the U. S. Army
during World War I. The collection consists of 210 letters he wrote his wife, Florence (Paul) Gilles,
while assigned to a Depot Brigade at Camp Funston, Ft. Riley and a Field Hospital in various states
including Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and others. The majority of the letters were written from
Camp Funston, Ft. Riley, Kansas. The letters, written almost daily, describe Gilles’ activities as a
soldier, as well as how he spent his time off duty. There are several other documents including those
related to the student army corps at Kansas State Agricultural College, his marriage and how it was
not an attempt to avoid the military, and the results of routine physical examinations. Gilles was
never stationed overseas. He was from Kansas City, Kansas, and attended Kansas State Agricultural
College before WWI but apparently did not graduate.
Corlis GOYEN World War II Memoirs, 1942-1945. Typescript, 58 pages. Written later in life,
this is an account of Goyen’s military experience from the time he entered Kansas State College of
Agriculture and Applied Science in 1942 until the war ended in 1945. He was from Pratt, Kansas.
The memoir describes his ROTC experience at K-State, his combat experiences during the war, and
the period after the war was over in Europe until he got home in 1945. Pages 2 – 21 describes “The
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Start of My Army Days,” 1942-March 10, 1945. After a brief period at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas,
Goyen reported to Fort McClellan, Alabama for basic training. He received his Private First Class
grade in November 1943. He describes returning to K-State for approximately 3 months where he
took classes. In February 1944 he reported to Ft. Benning to enter Officers Candidate School.
According to Goyen, he was not commissioned a 2nd lieutenant because of the high number of
officers granted commissions from previous classes at Ft. Benning. The pages provide details of
being stationed in Kansas, Alabama, and Georgia as well as his social life, acquaintances, and visits
to Pratt.
[GREAT BRITAIN]. “Naval Gunnery: Instructions for the Service and Exercises of Great
Guns on Board her Majesty’s Ships,” 1841. 1 volume (ca 150 pages). A bound, hand written
account by J. D. Keane that he recorded while attending the Royal Navy’s gunnery school. It
contains his lecture notes and detailed drawings of artillery pieces, ships, projectiles, and rockets,
many of which are hand colored.
GUSTAVSON, George. SEE Photographs. Gustavson, George, Collection.
Charles M. HAINES Collection, 1918. –1 lf. Notebook kept by Haines while training prior to
WWI.
William B. HANGER Papers, 1931-2001. 4 lf. The papers document Hanger’s military career in
the U. S. Marines beginning with his enlistment in 1929. Of particular interest are diaries he kept in
the 1930s while stationed in the Pacific. A diary he wrote in 1942 after the Marines landed on
Guadalcanal describes combat activities. A photograph album he maintained illustrates how Pearl
Harbor looked in the early 1930s prior to the Japanese attack in 1941.
Von J. HAWLEY Gulf War Collection, 1990-1991. 1 lf. Hawley graduated from Kansas State
University in 1984 and he collected this material while serving as a Captain in the U. S. Air Force
during the Gulf War. His collection started in August 1990 when he made a short excursion to
Dhahran Air Force Base in Saudi Arabia shortly after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. He could not
return to Dhahran in December because of an injury but he continued to receive material from
members of his unit. He was assigned to the Chief of Aircraft Maintenance, 2951st Combat
Logistics Support Squadron, McClellan AFB, California. His squadron was responsible for
providing repairs to A-10, F-111, and F-117 aircraft. The collection contains over 50 photographs
including those of
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battle damage to A-10 aircraft by Iraqi anti aircraft weapons, the airfield, “tent city,” and other
aspects of life at Dhahran Air Force Base. Additional documents in the collection include air field
plans, Dessert Storm message to troops from Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf (January 17, 1991), battle
damage reports, history and records related to deployments, “Desert Sentry” newsletters, and
clippings.
Eli A. HELMICK Autobiography, ca 1863-1927. -1 lf. Born in 1863, Helmick attended Kansas
State Agricultural College from 1880 to 1883 before leaving to attend the U. S. Military Academy at
West Point where he was commissioned second lieutenant in 1888. This is a photocopy of a
typescript written by Helmick that details his early life, including his days at K-State and West
Point, through his retirement from the U. S. Army in 1927 at the rank of Major General. He served
in the Spanish American War and World War I and held the position of Inspector General of the U.
S. Army from 1921-1927.
Robin HIGHAM Papers. ca 50 lf. The collection contains the papers of Robin Higham, a
prominent military historian who taught at K-State from 1963-1999. They include records of several
journals for which Higham once served as editor, including Military Affairs, Aerospace Historian,
and Journal of the West. The files contain correspondence with other notable historians. He wrote
numerous books and reference works on British and American military history. The papers also
include records and manuscripts from Sunflower Press, a publisher of books in the area of military
history, for which Higham served as president until the company closed in 2005 after several
decades of publishing scholarly works. The papers document his activities in many national and
international professional organizations and conferences in the field of military history.
Jack HOLL Papers. 24 lf. Faculty papers of a historian who taught at Kansas State University
from 1988-2005. Included is his research material for the book he wrote in 1997, Argonne
National Laboratory, 1946-96 which describes, in part, the lab’s role in the development of atomic
energy for the United States government during the Cold War. It received the Henry Adams Prize
from the Society for History in the Federal Government. Holl also published Atoms for Peace and
War: Eisenhower and Atomic Energy Commission and The United States Civilian Nuclear Power
Policy, 1954-1984. He was the first director of the Institute for Military History and 20th Century
Studies at K-State.
[JEWISH History, World War II]. ca 1939-1945. –1 lf. “The Destruction of the Jewish
Community of Shtsutsin”; an unpublished manuscript related to a town in Poland that includes
personal accounts by Jewish citizens describing their treatment by the Germans.
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KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY. Alumni Association. 1933-1949. -1 lf. Collection contains
files documenting K-State students, faculty (including women) and alumni who served in the
military during World War II. One file contains documents of the WWII Memorial Committee,
others provide lists of K-Staters who died in the war; documents pertaining to the American
Veterans Association are found in the material. Kenny Ford is Secretary of the Alumni Association.
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY. Department of Entomology. 1941-1945. -1. Included in a
large body of records (20 boxes) from the department are K-State and Federal publications related to
a variety of topics during WWII: items include: “Insect Control in the Food for Freedom Program”
(K-State Extension Service, 1942); “Science and the War,” Kansas Academy of Science, 1943;
“Agricultural Production for Kansas, 1943 Potential,” “Insects in Relation to National Defense”
(USDA series of circulars); and “Some Wartime Guideposts for 1945 4-H Club Programs.” Other
boxes contain papers and research documents of several faculty some of which were created during
the WWII period including those of E.G. Kelly and Roger G. Smith.
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY. Lecture Series. Speakers for various lecture series on campus
include presentations by military and civilian leaders. For example, among the participants in the
Alf Landon Lecture series are General W.C. Westmoreland, General Alexander Haig, Secretary of
Defense Casper Weinberger, General Colin Powell, Secretary of Defense William Cohen, and
General Richard Myers. Printed texts of the lectures and audio and video cassettes are available for
most of these presentations.
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY. Military Science Department. 1863-1918. “Kansas State
Agricultural College Military Science and Tactics Department, 1863-1918.” A research paper
by Arthur R. La Belle prepared for a junior seminar at K-State in 1987 using resources in the
University Archives. The paper covers the period from the time K-State was founded as a land
grant college in 1863 through WWI.
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY. Military Science Department, 1903-1912; 1914. Approx.
42 pp. Reports of the Kansas State Agricultural College’s Military Department completed by an
inspector from the Adjutant General’s Office of the War Department as required. The reports
include information on the Department, students, organization, the professor of military science,
practical and theoretical instruction, and ordnance. The annual reports provide an excellent
summary of the military science program at KSAC and the performance of the officer in charge
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and include the strengths and deficiencies observed. Some reports are more detailed depending
on the officer who did the inspection and wrote the report. Lieutenant [James] Harbord (Class
of 1886) is mentioned in the report for 1912 as the officer in charge of the department. Also
included is a flyer detailing the “Specifications for Cadet Uniforms” adopted by the Board of
Regents of KSAC in 1906. Ernest Nichols and Henry Waters were presidents of the college
during these years these reports were submitted. Reports filed in presidential records of Henry
Waters.
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY. Military Science Department, 1933-1937. -1 lf (2 vols., 211
pages). A record of a daily events “that may be helpful to officers detailed for duty here and to
those
already here in informing themselves of the happenings through the year.” The two bound volumes
of typescripts provide an excellent account of activities in a military science department on an
academic campus in the 1930s. Each volume contains an index.
Paul A. C. KOISTINEN Political Economy of Warfare Collection, 1915-1945. ca 40 lf. A
retired history professor at California State University-Northridge, Koistinen’s collection contains
research material he acquired from numerous federal and academic repositories for books he wrote
on military history from the 17th century through World War II. For example, the photocopies he
acquired from the National Archives are organized by record groups (War Production Board, Office
of the Secretary of War, etc.) that make them readily identifiable and accessible to researchers.
Among Koistenen’s books are a series on the “political economy of American warfare” that include:
Beating Plowshares Into Swords, 1606-1865, Mobilizing for Modern Warfare, 1865-1919, Planning
War, Pursuing Peace, 1920-1939, and Arsenal of World War II, 1940-1945.
Gail T. KUBIK Papers. Primarily scores written by Kubik under the auspices of the Office of War
Information and the Army Air Corps during World War II. Titles include, but are not limited to,
Memphis Belle, and World at War. http://www.lib.k-state.edu/depts/spec/findaids/pc1995-06.html
Henry F. KUPFER Collection, 1942-1944. .5 lf. Kupfer was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant when
he graduated from Kansas State College in 1940, however, as his collection documents, he was
forced to enter World War II as an enlisted man after Pearl Harbor because of medical reasons. He
was assigned to the U. S. Army Air Corps and advanced to the rank of sergeant in the 26th Fighter
Command headquarters. Included in his collection is a diary he maintained during the war, which
includes entries while training in Ft. Leavenworth, Camp Kearns (Utah), and while he was stationed
in Panama and Peru. The diary describes his military activities as well as well how he spent his
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personal time. His collection also contains an album of photographs and ephemera that includes
items from where he was stationed; family photos are also included. Among the collection is
Kupfer’s “201 File” that contains orders and related documents. One issue of The Caribbean
Breeze (Feb. 28, 1944), published by the Sixth Air Force, is also in the collection. Placed with the
collection is an oral history interview of Kupfer conducted by the Raytown (MO) Historical
Museum as part of a veteran’s history project.
Lon E. (Bert) MAGGART Papers, 1978-1998. l lf. Maggart served 30 years in the U.S. Army
retiring at the rank of major general. His assignments included chief of staff for the 1st Infantry
Division in Vietnam, brigade commander during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, commanding general of
Ft. Knox, commanding officer of the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division at Ft. Riley, and Chief of
Staff, 1st Infantry Division, Ft. Riley. Maggart earned a BA degree in political science from K-State
in 1996. Maggart’s papers document combat activities in the Gulf War, his positions as
commanding general in several locations, and documentation of his extensive work in the area of
military training, strategic planning, and leadership for the future. Forms of material include,
correspondence, reports, maps, and printed material
Lonnie MAYNARD Iraq War Collection, 2003. 2 lf. Maynard was a member the 1139th Military
Police, a National Guard unit in Harrisonburg, Missouri, that was sent to Iraq shortly after the war
began. His collection provides a unique perspective of the first 6 months of the war. It contains
letters he wrote almost daily to his wife and family in Independence describing the war, conditions,
soldiers (both U. S. and coalition), and the country. Included are approximately 750 photographs he
took in Baghdad of his quarters, the results of battle in the streets, equipment, people, buildings, etc.
Other documents include maps, cards used to translate the most common Iraqi words to English, and
a propaganda poster showing the faces of the most wanted Iraqis with those who had been captured
or killed marked out. Before a moratorium was established on such activities, Maynard was able to
send home several Iraqi war artifacts, including uniforms, helmets, and a radio.
Robert R. McCANDLISS. SEE Civil War. Diary of Robert R. McCandliss
Charles W. McARTHUR Papers, ca 1943-2001. 7 lf. After serving as a bombardier in World
War II, McArthur spent the remainder of his life researching and writing histories of the U.S. Army
Eight and Ninth Air Forces. Collection contains correspondence, reports, notes, drafts, oral
histories, printed material, microfilm, and related material. He published Operations Analysis in the
United States Army Eighth Air Force in World War II in 1990 and was working on a similar history
of the Ninth Air Force prior to his death in 2001.
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John W. MISTLER Collection, 1994 and 2009. 2 items. Mistler served in the 75th Infantry
Division of the U.S. Army during WWII. He fought throughout Europe including the Battle of the
Bulge. He was born in Leavenworth County, Kansas (1919) and entered K-State in 1939 where he
took ROTC. After the first year he had to return home to manage the family business because his
parents became ill. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Mistler enlisted and was sworn in at
Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas on February 12, 1942. He graduated from the Infantry Officer Candidate
School in May 1943 as a 2nd lieutenant. In November 1943 he landed in France; later he joined the
1st French Army under de Gaulle and was involved with liberating Stalag 6B in the Ruhr Valley.
After the war he was placed in the Army Reserve (January 1946). Mistler soon joined the Bureau of
Reclamation where he served in various capacities in several western states, as well as Camp
Haugen, Japan, until retirement on December 31, 1974 (he spent some of that period on active duty).
The collection includes a book of his memoirs that he published in 1994, An American Life, that
details his early years, time at K-State, and military activities in WWII, and later. The second item
is a World War II veteran’s oral history interview of Mistler conducted in 2009. The interview,
“Jack Mistler: His Events and Stories from WWII,” took place in Sacramento, California.
George E. MIXON Aerospace Scrapbooks, 1957-1975. 68 vols/27 lf. Coverage of U.S. and
Soviet Union manned and unmanned space programs.
Richard B. MYERS, 2000-2005. Approx. 7,000 images on DVDs . Images document General
Myers serving in his capacity as Vice Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff (March 2000-September 2001)
and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff (October 1, 2001-September 30, 2005). Photographs taken by
official photographers of meetings, events, and ceremonies. Myers graduated from K-State in 1965
with a degree in mechanical engineering and rose to the rank of a four star general in the U.S. Air
Force.
PAGE Family Collection, 1780-1966. 12 lf. The collection contains the papers of several
members of the Page family that originally settled in New England and migrated westward over the
years. Included in the collection are several series of documents related to military history: 1)
approximately 50 letters Olive Page received from friends and relatives while serving in Europe
during WWI , 2) handwritten “Record of Recruits Examined by William H. Page at Boston, 18631864” that includes information about soldiers from several states who enlisted in the Civil War (1
vol.), and 3) record book of discharge records of Civil War soldiers primarily from Massachusetts
and New Hampshire (1 vol.). http://www.lib.k-state.edu/depts/spec/findaids/pc2003-01.html
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PHOTOGRAPHS. [Norman E. FIELDS], 1931-1932; 1942-1945, ca 725 items. Collection
consists of two photograph albums created by Norman Fields, a family member of Jim Stevenson,
the donor. Album 1 “My Oriental Album.” In 1931 Fields was stationed aboard the U.S.S.
Henderson and U.S.S. Blackhawk in the Pacific and he took the approx. 600 photos in the album
while his ship went to various locations beginning with Guam followed by the Philippines (Manila,
Olongapo, Baguio) and then China (numerous locations, Shanghai, Chefoo, Tsingtao and Fort
Bismarck, Kulangsu, Amoy, Hong Kong, Peking, Great Wall, Yangtze Gorges). The photos
include urban and rural scenes (tourist type images) and military related views. Of interest are the
scenes in China of Japanese and Chinese soldiers, some under Sino-Japanese battle conditions, FebMar 1932. Album 2. This album contains photographic prints produced by the [U.S. Navy?] along
with separate printed captions for each image. The photos and captions have been glued to the
pages. The approximately 125 photos document U.S. Navy combat action in the Pacific Ocean, ca
1942-1945, with the majority from 1944-1945. U.S. Navy battles include those of Iwo Jima,
Okinawa, Tarawa, Caroline Islands, and others. There are naval combat scenes at sea, many
involving U.S. Navy aircraft carriers (Lexington, Franklin, Intrepid, and others); there are several
views of submarine warfare, and the Japanese surrender on board the U.S.S. Missouri. The albums
were acquired through the cooperation of the Institute for Military History, Department of History,
Kansas State University.
PHOTOGRAPHS. George GUSTAVSON Collection, ca 1925-1939. ca 350 items. The collection
contains aerial photographs of various regions in Germany taken by Lufthansa airlines to map and
hide targets by the Germans prior to World War II. Areas of the country include Berlin, Rhine,
southern Germany and the Baltic coast. The collection was discovered in a photographic studio at
the Templehof airport, Berlin, when the war ended in 1945.
PHOTOGRAPHS. Robert SIMONSEN Collection, 18 lf. 1955-1993. Simonsen began collecting
autographed portraits of military and political leaders from the United States and foreign countries in
the mid 1950s. The collection contains several thousand photographs from officers in all branches of
the service, U.S. and numerous foreign countries, as well as government and political leaders.
http://www.lib.k-state.edu/depts/spec/findaids/pc1993-10.html
PHOTOGRAPHS. University Archives “Vertical Files.” Photographs filed alphabetically by
subject and person that include images of people, groups, and activities, including Student Army
Training Corps and Reserve Officers Training Corps, outstanding alumni (James G. Harbord,
Richard Myers, etc.), Ft. Riley, and others.
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PHOTOGRAPHS. World War II German Military Photograph Collection, 1943-1944. 96
items. Photograph album of photos taken in several countries including Germany, Italy, and
Sweden, by the German government. They depict German officers and troops in the field, many
involving artillery; apparently taken for distribution by the press while others were classified for
official use (combat scenes are not included. The album was captured by an American soldier and
passed down through the family before it was donated.
[PRISONERS OF WAR; WWII]. Camp Concordia [Kansas], 2003-2004. 1 lf. Oral history
interviews of 35 people associated with the German POW camp during World War II, including
prisoners, military and civilian employees, farmers, and local citizens. The collection contains
transcripts and videocassettes. The material was donated by the POW Camp Concordia Preservation
Society and funded by a Kansas Humanities Council grant.
Harry C. ROGERS Papers, 1862; 1886-1915. –l lf. Rogers was a member of Company A, 3Rd
Regiment, Kansas National Guard, 1895; majority of items concern encampment at Emporia in
1885.
Charles Eugene ROPER Collection, 1938-1945, 1997. –1 lf. Roper, a 1938 graduate of K-State
in Electrical Engineering, was commissioned a 1st lieutenant in the Coast Artillery Corps and was
serving at Fort Hughes, Caballo Island, Philippines, when the Japanese attacked in December,1941.
This material was collected by his brother, Richard S. Roper, to document what happened to Lt.
Roper after he was taken prisoner of war in May, 1942, until his death in Japan on February 3, 1945.
The collection provides insight into the battles of Bataan and Corregidor and what it was like to be
in a Japanese POW camp. Several items are related to the commissioning of the USS Bataan in
1997 where Pat Roberts, U.S. Senator from Kansas, was the principal guest speaker.
Victor and Alice ROPER Papers, -1 lf. 1945 (Jan-Oct). Victor Roper attended K-State and
enrolled in ROTC. He attended officers’ training school at Ft. Benning, Georgia and was appointed
a 2nd lieutenant in July, 1944. The collection contains approximately 75 letters comprising over 150
pages written by Victor Roper to his wife, Alice, and his parents while he was on active duty in
Europe during the last year of WWII, and shortly thereafter, primarily Germany and Austria. The
letters were written during Roper’s assignments which included infantry platoon leader, anti-tank
platoon leader, and gasoline supply officer. After the war ended, Roper was attached to the quarter
master service and maintained records for prisoners used for labor. Included with the collection are
168 photographs Roper took in Austria and Germany. They include photos of a German
concentration camp in Linz, Austria that includes several prisoners. In January of 1946 he was able
to observe the Nurnberg Trials. http://www.lib.k-state.edu/depts/spec/findaids/pc2006-04.html
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Richard J. SEITZ Papers, 1939-1975. 1.5 lf. Personal papers of retired Lt. Gen. Richard Seitz
who was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1939 after attending K-State. He served with
parachute units during WWII as platoon leader, company commander, and battalion commander
through campaigns in Italy, France, Belgium, and Germany, including the Battle of the Bulge. He
commanded the 2nd battalion of the 517th Parachute Infantry. After WWII, he assumed numerous
and important assignments in the U.S, including Ft. Campbell (KY) and Ft. Bragg (NC), in addition
to service in Brazil, Iran and Vietnam, the latter under Gen. William Westmoreland. His last
assignment before retiring was commanding general of the XVIII Airborne Corps at Ft. Bragg. His
personal papers document his entire military career from 1940-1975 and include orders,
assignments, commendations (including the Purple Heart), correspondence with officers, and other
documents, as he advanced in rank to lieutenant general.
T.T. SHORTHILL Diary, 1862. –1 lf. Typescript of Civil War diary belonging to Shorthill, who
served 3 years with the 38th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company E, apparently as a cook. Entries
written while Shorthill served in Tennessee and Kentucky and describe food and meals for troops as
well as weather conditions, troop movements, and officers.
SIMONSEN, Robert. SEE Photographs, Simonsen, Robert, Collection.
SOCIETY FOR MILITARY HISTORY Records, 1933-2006. 66 lf. In 2007, the Morse
Department of Special Collections entered into an agreement with the Society for Military History
for the University Archives to become the official repository for the organization’s records. The
records provide for the study of military history from post-First World War army historical interest
to twenty-first century scholarship. During the 75 plus years of its existence, the organization has
gone through several name changes: 1) American Military History Foundation, 1933-1939, 2)
American Military Institute, 1939-1990, and 3) the SMH, 1990 to present. These changes are also
reflected in the various titles of the organization’s journal, 1) Journal of the American Military
History Foundation (1937-1939/1940), 2) Military Affairs (1939/1940-1988), and Journal of
Military History (1988-present). The records are organized into the following series: 1) Historic
Papers, 2) Administrative Records, 3) American Military Institute Subject Files, 4) Journal
Publishing Records, 5) Financial Records, 6) Printed Material, and 7) Photographs. Whereas most
organizations retrain their records to provide a sense of institutional memory and legal support, the
SMH Records also provide a broad and deep perspective on the study of military history as it has
evolved over the last quarter of a century.
http://www.lib.k-state.edu/depts/spec/findaids/pc2008-03.html
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Homer E. SOCOLOFSKY World War II Memoirs, 2002. 4 pages. A typescript prepared by
Socolofsky after he retired as a professor of history at Kansas State University. It describes his
service in the U. S. Marines beginning with his enlistment in March 1942 through the end of World
War II when he joined the Marine Corps Reserves from which he retired in 1960. Socolofsky’s
account includes his participation in the battle of Iwo Jima, February 1945, where he went ashore
three days after the initial landing.
James M. SPAIGHT Papers, ca. 1924-1933. –1 lf. Scrapbook containing correspondence,
newspaper clippings and reviews associated with Spaight=s book, Air Power and War Rights, first
edition, 1924, and second edition, 1933.
Nels A. TORNQUIST Papers, 1888-1950. 1 lf. Tornquist served in the U. S. Army from 1896 to
1920 and saw action in the Spanish-American War, Punitive Expedition, and World War I where he
commanded the black 344th Labor Battalion. His collection contains military records,
correspondence, legal documents, maps, photographs, certificates, printed material, and a diary with
comments about experiences in the Punitive Expedition in Mexico looking for Pancho Villa, ca
1916-1917. The documents provide insight into race relations in the U. S. Army.
http://www.lib.k-state.edu/depts/spec/findaids/pc1984-18.html
UNITED STATES COMMISSION ON MILITARY HISTORY, 1973-2002. 15 lf. The
USCMH records were donated by the organization and contain material pertinent to its activities and
operations, including the association with the International Commission on Military History
(ICMH). The bulk of the collection centers on the annual USCMH meetings and ICMH colloquiums
and include reports, agendas, minutes, election, correspondence, finances, and bulletins and
newsletters.
http://www.lib.k-state.edu/depts/spec/findaids/pc2004-09.html
VIETNAM Veterans Memorial, 1987-1992. 1 lf. Records of Vietnam Memorial Committee that
was responsible for having the memorial constructed on the campus of Kansas State University in
1989. The records include correspondence with government, university, and community leaders
expressing their support, design and construction documents, information concerning names of KState students killed or missing in action, and files regarding publicity and the dedication in 1989.
Bill Arck served as advisor of the committee.
Richard G. WELLMAN Memoir, [1944-46]. 28 pages. Wellman served aboard the destroyer
U.S.S. Macomb (DD485) and the attack transport U.S.S. Hampton (APA115) during World War
II. He was released from active duty in May 1946 with the rank of Lieutenant, Senior Grade.
The memoir is a typescript (photocopy) that describes his service on board the two ships
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including the people he served with, the ships, their missions and encounters with the enemy,
and related events. He describes the U.S.S. Macomb’s involvement in the invasion of southern
France; later, it was sent to the Pacific as a converted minesweeper. Wellman reports it was the
first ship to enter Tokyo Bay ahead of the U.S.S. Missouri on her way to the surrender ceremony
(Wellman did not go to the Pacific on this ship). His memoir continues with his assignment on
the U.S.S. Hampton, an attack transport that went from Norfolk to the Pacific via the Panama
Canal. He gives an extensive account of life on the ship, including the problems that existed
involving the crew. The Hampton took troops to Japan, Korea and China. They were at sea
when the atomic bombs were dropped and the Japanese surrendered.
George D. WHEATLEY Papers, 1916-1919. -1 lf. After being inducted in the U.S. Army,
Wheatley attended the officer’s candidate school at Plattsburg, NY in 1917. In January 1918 he
sailed for Europe as a first lieutenant and served with the Allied Expeditionary Forces during
World War I. The majority of his papers include letters to his parents from on board the SS
Mongolia in route to Europe, in England and France, an officer’s school in Chatillon, France,
and at the battlefront as a member of the 42nd Division. Wheatley served directly under Lt. Col.
William Donovan and the most detailed letters in the papers are those describing his
participation on the front lines of the Meuse-Argonne offensive. Wheatley was wounded twice
in combat and one of his letters describes Donovan being wounded in battle. He was discharged
in 1919. Born in 1892, Wheatley passed away in Abington, Massachusetts in 1961 after a
successful career in the insurance business.
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