480 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/78f0c4feaeccb6511ee09391162d6e18.pdf c32dce6a2e797f467d0c83f4e05f4411 PDF Text Text Lesbian, Gay f:4i., [ ~ ••a & Queer Literature W6S/LIT 336-01 Winter 2012 T/R @ 11:30· 12:45 Dr. DeMuth • • This interdisciplinary course makes use of literary, historical, and social scientific theories and methods in an in-depth study of lesbian, gay and queer literature with attention to historical and cultural context. Literature may include literary classics, p ulp fiction, postcolonial literature, feminist fi ction and postmodern narratives. There are no prerequisites for this 3-Credit Course. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource GVSU Sexuality and Gender Flyers Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Rainbow Resource Center Women and Gender Studies Department Women's Commission Gayle R. Davis Center for Women and Gender Equity Description An account of the resource Digitized posters, flyers, event notices, and other materials relating to gender expression and sexuality at Grand Valley State University, with materials spanning from 1974 to 2019. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1974/2019 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Digitized from collections at the Rainbow Resource Center (formerly the Milton E. Ford LGBT Resource Center), Women and Gender Studies Department, Women's Commission, and Gayle R. Davis Center for Women and Gender Equity. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Gender identity Gender expression Sexual orientation Women's studies Queer theory Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-09 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-09_SGF_WGS_2012_Winter_WGS-LIT336-01_LesbianGay_QueerLit.pdf Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Women and Gender Studies Department Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012 Title A name given to the resource Lesbian, Gay & Queer Literature Description An account of the resource Poster of the WGS/LIT 336-01 class being offered in Winter 2012. A synopsis of the topic, the professor and the days/times of the class are included. Subject The topic of the resource Women's studies Gays in literature Lesbians in literature Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4f756576e9bef9696fff35ca45191409.mp4 081e4dedef53289564557edb3db6e1dd https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/62f61dba861decd0c5a90df5972bf191.pdf 8bf969ebebb9b042568af5728381d18f PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University All American Girls Professional Baseball League Veterans History Project Interviewee’s Name: Jeneane Lesko Length of Interview: (43:08) Date of Interview: August 4, 2010 at the Reunion of the Professional Girls Baseball League Interviewed by: James Smither Transcribed by: Lindsey Thatcher, March 23, 2011 Interviewer: “Today is August 4, 2010. We are doing an interview with a former player from the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, Jeneane Lesko currently of Kirkland, Washington. The interviewer is James Smither of the Grand Rapids University Veteran’s History Project. Now Jeneane, can you start by giving us some background about yourself. To begin with, when and where were you born?” I was born in 1935 in Springfield, Ohio. After I was 6 and my parents divorced then I spent a lot of time traveling. So I kind of have the traveling bug so the All American League was kind of a good place to land in my early years. Interviewer: “So how did you first get involved with sports?” Well I was always well during the war I was always imitating (01:00) the soldiers. They used to, when were living in Texas at one point they had parade guards in the parking lot and I would go out with my little toy rifle and do all the movements they were doing with the gun and I used to practicing much of the day. So I started that way and ended up in the way and ended up in the tree shooting the enemies with a play rifle, in my early years. So I was always a tom boy always running around and doing things that were very active and I just sort of just fell into sports and loved it and always played with the boys and participated as much as I could with all the boys that were playing out in the fields and the sand lot all that sort of playing ball. Interviewer: “Which sports did you play then? Oh I played, as a child growing up we had our basic sports were basketball and baseball for the men’s for the boy’s teams. So I would be practicing with them and I was always hanging out with the varsity team and of course they wouldn’t let me play (02:00) because I was a girl but I would give them competition enough that they let me participate in the practice and warm up the pitchers and that sort of thing. So I got a lot of practice and I got really good at throwing the ball and catching the ball and I didn’t ever play a particular position until I graduated from high school and I finally played on a softball team in Lima, Ohio which was nearby and that was the only team that I had ever played on and there I was playing short stop. So I certainly wasn’t a pitcher, where I ended up in with the league as a pitcher. Interviewer: “Now did you know anything about the league in high school or that kind of thing?” �I didn’t find out until I was a senior in high school and there was an advertisement in the largest town nearby where I grew up, Lakeview Ohio was Lima so you know in the Lima Newspaper there were little article saying there were going to be try outs in Michigan and so I decided that I would try to go up there. We had a local fella that had (03:00) ten sons who had played in the town’s team that I was a bat girl for and he encouraged me to go and I knew nothing about pitching but he did and he showed me how to pitch. I could throw a curve and my changeup was a knuckleball so if and when I got it over the plate it was hard to hit but I had a real control problem that first year so I was not a varsity pitcher until second year. Interviewer: “Now why did you become a pitcher if you were a short stop originally?” Well I was left handed and I didn’t think that I had a chance to try out as a shortstop because I was left handed. When I got to try outs I found out that these girls were really good ball players and in my town there was no one that could come close to being as good as I was. So I didn’t realize that there were women out there playing ball who were so tremendous at the game so I figured I had a better chance at (04:00) pitching because they carried about four or five pitchers on the team so I just said, well I’m a pitcher and I could show them how hard I could throw and they didn’t ask me to throw anything else so the Grand Rapids Chicks picked me up and Woody English was my manager, we didn’t call them coaches we called them managers. Interviewer: “As you were contemplating going into the league and you decided that you had a better chance as a pitcher, did you do anything to prepare before you went to the try out?” Yes, my friend Jack Hudson, he was about sixty five years old at that point, would come to my house and we would mark out how far it would be to pitch the ball, and we were doing 60 feet with a regulation baseball. I didn’t realize that they were playing with a 10 inch ball and they were throwing it like 56 feet in the beginning that first year. So it was a big change just in the size of the ball when I got to the league. I think when they changed the regulation baseball the second year I did much better and I had good control because that was what I was used to playing with. But yeah, he showed me how to throw those pitches and we would practice for about a month and half before I had to go to spring training so. (05:14) Interviewer: “Alright, now where did they do the spring training that year in ‘53?” They did it in Michigan; it just slipped my mind where I’m sorry. Interviewer: “Was it Battle Creek maybe?” Yeah that’s right, it was Battle Creek, right. Interviewer: “So how do they run the training then? Did people come in to try out?” �Well I came in on the field it was just covered with women and I think there were about a hundred women there trying out. And they had coaches I presume, you know, coaches from all the different teams. I was only eighteen and had never left my state before alone. And I had driven up there by myself and here I was in an unfamiliar place. Yeah, I was very very shy because I kind of been in sports and sort of, that’s what I did I played sports, I was really a Tom boy. (06:04) Interviewer: “Okay, so then when you drive up, you get to Battle Creek where were they doing the try outs was it a gym or a field…?” Yeah it was a ball field and it had, you know I don’t remember exactly where it was but it had a stadium and the stadium was covered and it looked like you know a miniature professional baseball league, that’s what it looked like and now I know that you know a lot of smaller towns had those kinds of fields in that day. Interviewer: “Sure, so you get there and then do they just check you off, tell you where to go? What actually happens there?” Well they put us into groups and then they would have us do certain things, run, they would have us run to bases, and they would have us slide, and they would have us doing all these different things. And pretty much the movie kind of showed the story there of what it was like at spring training. A lot of gals just all throwing a ball just trying to outdo each other to make it on the team (07:02). Yeah and then they did actually informed us who was to go to what field. I think that quite a few of the girls did make it because at that point at that year in fact in ’53 a lot of the girls that were a lot of the good players had gone back to play professional softball in Chicago leagues. So they had a need for a number of players that year. Interviewer: “Okay, did Chicago leagues pay better?” Well I believe it was the Bloomer Girls that were playing at that time and some of them had played in that Chicago league from the beginning and these were some of the girls that were playing in the very beginning and there were some differences of the opinion with some coaches and there were some problems and so they just quit. And I wouldn’t surprised that because the league was sort of declining at the time, which I at the time knew nothing about that they probably weren’t going to get paid as much so they probably left for that reason. (08:00) Interviewer: “Alright, so there is openings up, you make the team and which team do you get assigned to?” Grand Rapids, the Grand Rapids Chicks and that year 1953 they won the pendant. We had a terrific ball club so there was no way that they were going to let me do very much pitching that first year. If we get way far ahead or way far behind they would let me go in and play. I found �some of the news clippings because we had tremendous news coverage from the local papers and support from the people from the town and I was able to acquire some of those and it was just really funny to read some of the clippings. He would leave me in there, you know, I would be walking and walking and they would be walking in and he just left me out there to just humiliate me and make me realize that I had to get the ball over the plate I guess. It was hilarious to read thinking back. But one thing I always had, I always had confidence that I could do it (09:01) even when I threw it wild I had confidence that the next was going to be right over the plate and eventually the next year when I came at the beginning when I started college that next year so my first year out of college I came back and I went into a game that was a double header game so it was only a seven inning game but it was like the 6th or 5th inning and they put me in and the bases were loaded and there was only one out and I managed to get us out of the inning and when I went up to bat and I actually hit the ball and the score, the running runs scored so I actually did something well so immediately I was made a starting pitcher and I lived up to it, I was not wild that year at all. And I was a starting pitcher, so it was great. Interviewer: “In that first season when you were wild, would you get hit much, would they just duck or… ?” Oh I had one really bad experience with that. This one gal and I have been trying to recognize her ever (10:00) since and I haven’t been able to determine which catcher or which team it was we were playing at the time but I threw the ball and it was a really hard fast ball, right at her head and she hit the dirt and I was, and she got up and she started coming after me at the mount and I started backing up I had no idea what was going to happen next but my teammates come up off the bench to try to protect me and then of course the umpires came out and broke it all up but I was nervous the rest of that game because she scared me, I thought she was going to be after me after the game. Interviewer: “Now, could they hit your pitches? Or were you wild enough that they had a hard time with that?” Oh that first year I don’t think I got close enough to plate to let them try to hit it. It was you know, I could throw it but it wasn’t coming close to the plate very often. Then they just waited for me to walk them it was very humiliating. Interviewer: “Alright, but you didn’t get cut or anything? You stayed with the team?” (11:02) Oh no no no, he had great confidence in me and I was left handed pitcher and that was a great attribute because we only had like 3 or 4 left handed pitchers in the league, so they weren’t used to seeing the ball coming at them and breaking way. And you know for the lefties that came up so it was, I had a very good curve ball, they weren’t hitting that. You know, if they hit anything it was because I put it right down the middle, I was still not able to spot pitch it well enough was the only reason that, I still had a winning record. I had 8-6 that year. �Interviewer: “Winning record, I guess left handed pitchers who can pitch well are just a valuable commodity.” Yeah. Interviewer: “And still are.” Still are. Interviewer: “Alright” That’s right. Interviewer: “Let’s go back to that first season a little bit. What was life like for you there with Chicks that first year?” Oh it was really an experience, because like I said I had never been out of the state except in my really younger years (12:00) when I was traveling with my mother. So to be driving out there on my own I remember when I was really thrilled that I was going to be, you know getting a check for playing baseball, getting paid to play I was just thrilled to death, so actually you know doing that and doing some work through college I was able to pay my way through college without any problem. And I had never really had a real steak, so the first thing I did was to go out and order a big T-bone steak. I can just almost taste it I remember how excited I was to have my first steak. So yeah I lived with a couple there they were a Dutch family and I had one roommate and we had a curfew. We had to be in and we had to tell them if we were going to be out and where we were going but I was kind of a, I was kind of a… I’ve never told this on an interview before but I used to go with the police department that would, that raided the houses on at night you know, and they would come to ball games (13:07). We had a lot of police that would come by and they were detectives and so they ask me if I wanted to go along with them this one night when they were raiding a house and they took me on the raid and people were jumping out of the windows and I was sitting in the car and I was just scared to death of what they were doing but it was really fun experience and you know at that age it was quite exciting. Interviewer: “Alright, what kind of relationship did the team have with the fans at that time do you think?” Oh it was great, it was great. We had a lot of support they were always there cheering for us. Even in the, because it was in the last two years and we didn’t have the seventeen thousand like they did at times in the earlier years but we had a good following there were always people in the stands. It wasn’t like it is today when the girls try to play baseball and there are only six or eight people that bother to come to the games. I’m sure it’s hard to play today when you don’t have anybody coming to your games. (14:08) �Interviewer: “Well the women’s softball series had made it onto ESPN2 at least, so they are getting there.” Yeah, yeah. Interviewer: “Yeah, now how did the more veteran players treat the new ones when they came in, do you remember what kind of reception you got?” Oh, if it hadn’t been for the veteran players the pitchers, I wouldn’t have probably have made it as a pitcher. Because Woody English had played short stop for the Chicago I believe they were the Cubs then and he, he wanted a championship team and he didn’t pay much attention to us rookies at all. So every time I would come to field in my rookie year he would say, my name was “Des Combes comes”, my maiden name so he would say “De Combes go run in the outfield”. Every time I would come on that’s where he put me “Go run in the outfield”. So everybody was having batting practice (15:00), pitchers didn’t have to learn to bat so all I could do doing during batting practice was run back in forth across the field in the back, which was and the field was like a football field so it was wide open and it was like the left side of the field and I was just run back and forth back and forth. And you know, he never even told me why you know, but then Beans Risinger who was one of the very good starting pitchers and Alma Ziegler was one of the starting pitchers at the time and they took me under their wing and showed me how to wind up and that sort of thing you know I had no idea how to stretch and wind up, I had no idea. You know, I think I even got called bulk several times for it, because I didn’t know how to do that. So it was really their help and their tutoring that taught me how to really be a pitcher. Interviewer: “You also had some other rookies on the team too, you had some new players?” (15:57) Oh we had rookies yeah, we had some other rookies that were playing. Yeah and some other gals that had been out there, they did a lot of trading you know. They tried to keep the teams even, the skill levels even. So that when people came to the games they were exciting and they did a very good job of that. So there were always moving players around from one team to another. But in Grand Rapids they had a few people that just stay there and were there all of the time. I think that was pretty true throughout the league, they would keep four or five of the really star players who were good draws for the clubbing because they had this connection to them and the rest of the people would get rotated around a lot. Even in that two years we probably had four or five people that would change from one year to the next. But yeah, but we had a lot of pitchers and they all were very, very friendly, all the players they, they just accepted us immediately. There was no difference between the regular infield and outfield; they were very willing to work with the younger people. (17:02) Interviewer: “Okay, now how much of the sort of rules and regulations of league were still in place? You mentioned that you had a curfew at the home that you were staying at. Did, �was there still a chaperone, were they still telling you or giving you a list of do’s and don’ts or was most of that gone by then?” Well I had probably one of the best chaperones in the league. She had been a former player, Dottie Green, and she was tremendous. You know, what they did in the movie to the chaperones was just sad to all the players because the chaperones were just our best friends; they were like your mother or your grandmother away from home you know. So, I loved the chaperone she was just wonderful to us. And they weren’t strict about going around and checking to make sure you were home or any of that. But they were strict when they told you the rules and they gave us a little booklet of what the rules were and told us that was what we had to do. Well in that era back in the ‘40s and the ‘50s you did what your parents told you to do. You didn’t try to figure out how to go around it when you were you know, a teenager, so us younger players we toed the line pretty well, I got a little risqué in that second year you know, went out once or twice when I wasn’t supposed to be out but that’s basically it (18:18).You know I was pretty conforming to the rules but there were older gals that were doing things, but you know they didn’t bother the players that much. But the thing that they did that bothered me is when I went I had very, very long hair all the way down my back and I had never had my hair cut and I had to cut my hair. Well I didn’t know what to do with my hair so I figured well I’ll go to the barber shop. I don’t know if they have beauty shops but all I knew was that people go to the barber shop. So I went to the barber shop and he just about scalped me, and you had to have your hair below the cap and mine wasn’t. So I kind of hid I stayed away from as far as I could away from Woody English because I was afraid that he would call me on it, until my hair grew out it kind of stayed that trend you know. I just stayed out behind the infield he would yell at me from there what to do that first year so (19:15). Second year I let my hair be normal and it was okay I wasn’t shy about it by the time the first year was over but my hair was a problem. But they didn’t force you to wear makeup like they showed in the first year. We never had to wear makeup. But when we got on our bus to go on our trips away out of town, we had to wear the skirts. We all rolled our jeans up and we had our jeans under our skirts and we all look like we were about two hundred pounds because our because they were these flared old skirts they used to wear so they were stuck way out here and of course your pants were pushing the skirt way out but you could get in and out of them because it was an elastic top you could just slide it in and out, it wasn’t too difficult. And we always wore our body socks and shoes because we didn’t have to wear heels or anything. We did have to wear heels, I have a picture of us going we had to go to this specific building to get our checks. We had to be all dressed up, we would go as a team, and we had to be all dressed up we had to have on heels and I have on heels there. But if we were out on the street and kind of as a group we had to dress up like that. But normally, day to day just a skirt would do. (20:32) Interviewer: “Okay now the ’53 season was the year that Chick’s actually managed to win the League Championship. Is there anything that stands out in your mind about that season or the last part of it or the final games?” Well I do know that Beans was pitching that game and it was a close game and know that Alma Ziegler came up and was talking to her trying to encourage her you know “You can do it”. Alma Ziegler was about as tall as I am now so and Ziggy is about 6’ 4”, I mean Beans was about 6’ 4”, �so they look like Mutt and Jeff out there on the mound, the little one telling the big one what she should to do. I can recall seeing that scene and she did win that game and won the championship. Interviewer: “Now Alma was another pitcher, wasn’t she?” Well she was, but she played second base all the time. She only pitched when there was real need. But the thing about Alma was she was the oldest player on the team, she was a spark plug she was always the captain, very quick. She wasn’t a good hitter at all, she was very small but she could place the ball and get on base, but she couldn’t throw by that time. She might have thrown the ball better when she was younger but when I got there she couldn’t throw the ball very well but she threw it so slow that after they had seen like Beans or one of us that threw it really hard people couldn’t hit her. So Woody would put her in, you know, I mean anytime, she could throw the ball to the plate all the time. There was nothing on it because it was just kind of floating up there. So people would miss it because it was so slow. (22:13) Interviewer: “Alright, when that ’53 season comes to an end and so forth, so have you started college after that?” I started college, yeah. Interviewer: “And where did you go to college?” Ohio Northern University and I was always in all the sports and captain of the basketball team and I played softball there a lot so I had gotten a lot of softball when I was playing in college, team play. Interviewer: “And how did the level of play of the college softball teams compare with the Professional Baseball League?” Well softball is a different game you know, so it’s…you know they could play we had some good players, we had some, we had some good athletes in college. It wasn’t quite like how it was in high school. In high school it was a small school so we didn’t have a girl that I could actually play catch with. Nobody else would even want to play catch with me so it was a really small community. But in college you are going all over the state you know. In college we had some good players, it was competitive. It was okay softball. But it was softball and not baseball, it’s a whole different ball game. Interviewer: “Was there an overlap between the academic year and the baseball season?” (23:30) Right, yeah. I had to miss spring training because I was still in college but I was there when the games started, the season. But I would always miss when they would take team pictures, that was �bad. I have the team picture I think it was the ’54 team picture but in ’53, or the opposite, anyway I only have one of the two years that I was in the League that I’m in the picture. Interviewer: “Okay since you missed the training in ’54 you came to the team and now they had gone to the regulation size baseball, and now you sort of had your control back and do you think that surprised the manager to see you actually go up and there do it right?” He didn’t seem surprised at all. And he didn’t have any lack of confidence in me at all either. I mean, he was impressed I’m sure, but he never changed. He wasn’t the person who at least my experience with him, he didn’t mingle with the players. He wasn’t your friend; he was somebody who you just said “yes sir” to sort of. He reminded me of my father. So it was and I wasn’t used to be around a man telling me what to do because my father wasn’t around when I was growing up that much, so. I was a little shaken by him. I didn’t really know his history. I didn’t know who he was or who he had played for. I really hadn’t watched baseball except for the Cleveland Indians was the only club I followed, so I had no idea who he was. He was just a guy chewing tobacco up there spitting onto the field to me and I wasn’t too impressed by him but I was afraid of him. (25:12) Interviewer: “Did he change at all how he treated you as that season went on and it was clear that you were pitching up to that regular level?” Oh yeah, you know he didn’t make me go running anymore. I was treated like I was a regular ball player then. But he still didn’t care if I hit. I would say “Can I please practice, will you please show me what I should do here? How can I improve my hitting?” because I wasn’t a good hitter. He said: “Oh it doesn’t matter, you aren’t supposed to hit. Just hit the ball, get in here and get your arm covered up, save your arm”. He was really concerned about the pitchers saving their arms, keeping their arms warm and so he was not concerned at all about the fact that I couldn’t hit the ball. Interviewer: “Did they have you bunt, or was that a…?” I bunted a lot. Yeah, I made a lot of outs. But I batted 126, which not many professional ball players stay in the League long batting 126. (26:13) Interviewer: “Except if they are good pitchers.” If they are good pitchers they can do it. Interviewer: “When you were playing, particularly that last season, so you are starting fairly regularly and pitching a lot of innings. Were there particular teams or players that gave you a lot of trouble?” �Oh yeah. It was the Ft. Wayne Daisies that were the star teams during those years and they had the Foss and my memory is starting to leave me, and they had the three sisters that were, if you can help me out with the suggestion of the names. I played half the league with them I played in Allington’s All-stars. I played on the children’s team with a lot of those gals from the Ft. Wayne Daisies. Jean, the Weaver sisters, Jean Weaver and Betty Foss was her sister and they were the best hitters in the league. I mean they were 300+ hitters so when they came to the plate, yes I was a little bit afraid that I might not throw it past them but I constantly kept that in mind. “I can throw this ball past them”. That’s was what really kept me going. I have always been good at focusing on one thing and so I was good at focusing on where the catcher put the glove (27:42). And that was all I would do, that would be my aim was to put that ball in the glove. I was never aware of anybody in the stands or anything anybody was saying, it was just me and that glove, always, so I really really enjoyed it and was really sad when the League folded. I had no idea that the League was having financial problems and that that it was going to fold until it was that spring and Catie Horstman was one of the gals from Ohio who actually only lived 10 miles from me but I didn’t know it in Ohio. So she, when the League quit Bill Allington was the manager who was in the League for 11 of of the 12 the only one that was there all those years. And a very, very good teaching coach so I was happy to be able to be playing with him those, I played until I graduated college I played in the touring team he got 12 girls, there were 11 girls and him so there were 12 of us and 2 vehicles, two cars and a station wagon. Toured around and played men’s teams. We had a great time and we had a lot of those really good ball players. So I had a really good opportunity to play but anyway I really enjoyed those years and sorry to see it go but I wanted to a professional so from there I took up golf and played professional golf for awhile. (29:12) Interviewer: “Alright, let’s go back to the Barn starting business. Where were you going and what kind of response did you get? ” Well we had a booking agent in Omaha, Nebraska. And he booked a lot in that area. Iowa, Nebraska, in the Midwest in that area. And some up in Minnesota and in the areas we had played and we played at St. Paul and we would play in minor league ball clubs or we would play town teams we would play anybody that he could schedule us a game with. So we were constantly in our cars driving hundreds of miles all night long to get to the next game. And we tried to, you know we played at least 5 nights a week, and double headers many times. So it was on the road constantly trying to get to the next game. You know we would take whatever we got from the gate and split it. I don’t know how much Bill Allington took but he would, he would pay for the scheduling of the games he would take some and we would split all the rest among the players. We would end up with 2 or 3 dollars sometimes. Then we would have to pay for our hotel and get our own food out of that, so it didn’t pay anything but nobody wanted to leave, nobody wanted to stop playing. It was the only opportunity to continue to play, and I was fortunate to be one of the eleven that went. �(30:38) Interviewer: “How successful were you on playing the men’s teams? Did you beat a lot of them?” Well, we, Bill had a really good idea and it really worked. And that was that we exchanged batters, pitchers and catchers and then we would play them head on. We would play regulation baseball and regulation baseball field and it worked great. I mean it was like split (31:00) 50/50, I have the records of the games and we won as many as we lost. And depending on the, I was always pitching against these all-star girls who were on the team but we had some great pitchers with us so it was really even and nobody gave anything away, it was a fight. We wanted to win, they wanted to win and it was a competitive game. And really drew the crowds and when we were pitching against the man pitcher and catcher, and of course most of their relatives are in the stands came to see this just hoping that these guys would strike out which they often did. I think I struck this catcher out like four times in the game, he just fell apart and people would just laugh in the stands and just really give him a hard time. And then after the game we would all go out and just have a great time. We had really great relationships with the town and the teams that we played. (32:00) Interviewer: “Then how did that stuff come to an end? Did it kind of just wear out its welcome, or you all got tired of it?” Well I left, I played for three years and that last year they had to get people who were not in the league to play because they couldn’t get enough All Americans to go back out and play. And I went overseas to teach so I wasn’t playing anymore. But they got some pretty good players in various locations but that was the problem, they weren’t part of the All Americans and I guess Bill decided to let it go. Interviewer: “Alright, now so you became a teacher, so did you major in education or did you have a particular field?” Well when I started in college I had this big plan, I was going to be an atomic scientist but I kind of backed down off of that and I decided to be a teacher. Of course most everybody in that era was either going to become a teacher or a nurse (33:03). And so I decided into going into teaching. I had a math degree and a physical education minor so I taught physical education in Puerto Rico, and Europe and the Philippines for the Air Force, dependent children. Interviewer: “So you…?” I let the baseball go, I never even turned my head back to see it. It was just like well now that part of my life is gone now I am going to be a golfer. So I made sure that every Air Force base I went to had a golf course and I practiced and practiced and practiced so when school was out I �was on the golf course and I got lessons from pros and I went back to California about nine years later and went to a country club and got my established hand and cap and turned pro and played for like 4 years on and off until the money would run out and I would go to work for awhile and I would go out on a tour and play a few more tournaments (34:08). Then I met my husband, got married and had three children and that was the end of my professional career. And then they started getting the All Americans back together with the Players Association and were talking about making this movie and my kids were all small then. So when they asked us to come back and if we wanted to be in this scene in the movie, I said, “Oh I can’t do that I have these little kids to take care of”. So I had no idea that it was going to be Gina Davis, and Tom Hanks, and I would have gotten there somehow if I would have known that. But it was too late then so I didn’t make it to the movie. Interviewer: “Now did your friends and people know that you played ball?” My children didn’t know it, my husband didn’t know it, no one knew it. Well my sisters knew it because they were involved when I was doing it of course but no, none of my family knew it at all I never mentioned it, never thought about it very often. But I played on softball teams you know, I went back to playing softball. And I went into real estate and we had our own team and I played all over the field, anyplace I wanted to because I could still play real well you know so I’m still playing senior softball, I play first base so I don’t have to run very much. (35:28) Interviewer: “So even your husband didn’t know? When did you meet him?” No, I met, I was playing golf and Marilyn Smith, who was a pro at the time said well go and take lessons from this guy in Los Angeles and he will help you with your game, so I did and my husband was practicing his golf there and wanted to play professional golf so that’s where I met him and three months later we got married. Interviewer: “What year was that?” Let’s see that would have been about ’65, something like that. (36:03) Interviewer: “That’s a good good space of time after the league had ended and you had stopped that. So that was just some miscellaneous thing that you had done when you were younger and not a really big deal…” Right, just part of my growing up experiences. Well then I was traveling all over the country that was something I always wanted to do I always had this drive that I had this agenda, of things I wanted to play professionally to make my living, and I wanted to travel, those are the two things, �and I wanted to leave the place that I was born where there was always nothing ever to do. So I have been living an exciting life ever since. Interviewer: “How do you think the experience with the League that affected you and kind of filled in some pieces of that?” Oh, that defined who I was, that really defined who I was. I had gained so much confidence in playing and learned so much from the teamwork and the friendships and camaraderie that was involved in that playing in those years. It totally defined me, I was not afraid to do anything. I rode all over Europe on a motor scooter by myself; I camped out under bridges with a blanket to see the country (37:22). I went there I had no job when I went to Europe so I bought a motor scooter and toured around all summer on that motor scooter I had never been to Europe before. So really I had no fear. It really, it taught me, and that travel taught me a lot about life, to appreciate it. I appreciated the fact that I had that chance so much and that there were so many people out there doing something that I liked to do it gave me a lot of confidence in who I was. I no longer felt like I was an outcast because I liked to do these things that boys liked to do it was like something is wrong with you if you do something like that if you go out and play, but the boys that you play with if you play as well as they do they don’t care if you play with them. It was the adults who were being judgmental about the fact that I was the only one doing it. But the people in town really liked me, I worked hard in that little town and I got to know the people that were running the restaurants and the business, I worked in a little restaurant and the fella who owned the big expensive restaurant across the street, my sisters worked for him, so he knew what a great athlete I was. So when I was just deciding to go and do baseball he called me over and said “You know,” he was a golfer and he says “you know, you could play professional golf” he said “if you want to learn to play golf instead of play baseball I’ll sponsor you so you can learn how to play golf “. I said “Oh no. I don’t want to play golf, no, I don’t want to chase that little ball around. I want to play baseball”. So I had a choice then, and I chose the baseball (39:01). But then that thought never left my mind…well maybe I can play golf. The strange thing was when I went to Puerto Rico they had no left handed clubs so I had to learn how to play right handed, so I did. I still putt left hand but I played right handed but I have had opportunities cross my path and I am one of those spontaneous people that I just do it. I don’t think about if it was a good decision or not, I just do it. And I’m glad I have because I’ve really lived a really, really full life. Interviewer: “On a little bit larger scale, where do you have the sense that where the League fits in terms of the larger history of women and sports, do you think you did something valuable or feel like you helped show what women could do or helped set up thing to come later or was it just something that happened and is disconnected from Title IX and the things to come later? (39:59) �Well I don’t think anybody knew who we were until the movie came out. So, we didn’t think we were anybody special. No matter who you talk to, we said that we played for the love of the game because we loved to play the game. And constantly we would go as a group someplace and people are telling us “Gee if it hadn’t been for you there wouldn’t have been any Title IX”, well that’s not true. Billy Jean King probably did more for Title IX than anybody and women’s sports. But in retrospect all history is based like that on what people did previously, so we have kind of inherited that position and I think that since we have inherited it we have done more for it consciously than we did before; I mean I don’t think anybody had any thought of women in the future while we were playing. But now the position that we are in we support other girls in sports we are always all out going to schools, not all of us but a good portion of the women have been in sports all of these years in one capacity or another as teachers, instructors, or coaches they all have added to it throughout their lifetimes. (41:17) Interviewer: “Alright, is there anything else you would like to add to the record here before we close out the interview?” I just want to go on the record and say that the All American Girls Professional Baseball League if hadn’t been for those women in the ‘40’s who stuck through all those changes from fast pitched softball to bring it into being baseball the way that they have, there wouldn’t have been a League because fast pitched softball was pretty ordinary sport at that time. But women to play actual baseball is what people give us credit for (42:00). It was an evolution just like men’s baseball was an evolution of softball as well, most people don’t know that but it was, but the fact that we did that is really motivating a lot of girls today that are playing in Little League to want to play baseball. And I think that baseball is a much better game than softball. Because it is a smaller ball and girls have smaller hands and it is easier to throw and it is so much more thought into the game of baseball because there is so much more time there is much more strategy and it is much, it’s a whole different game but it’s a very exciting game when you are playing, it might not be an exciting game to watch but it is very exciting to play. And I hope more girls, I am a very big advocate of women’s baseball and involved with the women’s baseball in the United States now and I traveled with an Australian team that comes over here all the time so I get to travel to Australia so I am really involved in Women’s baseball. Interviewer: “Well it makes for a really great story, so thanks for coming in an telling it today.” Thank you, thank you very much. (43:08) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Interviews Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was started by Philip Wrigley, owner of the Chicago Cubs, during World War II to fill the void left by the departure of most of the best male baseball players for military service. Players were recruited from across the country, and the league was successful enough to be able to continue on after the war. The league had teams based in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, and operated between 1943 and 1954. The 1954 season ended with only the Fort Wayne, South Bend, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Rockford teams remaining. The League gave over 600 women athletes the opportunity to play professional baseball. Many of the players went on to successful careers, and the league itself provided an important precedent for later efforts to promote women's sports. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/484">All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Collection, (RHC-58)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Sports for women World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American All-American Girls Professional Baseball League--Personal narratives Oral history Baseball players--Minnesota Baseball players--Indiana Baseball players--Wisconsin Baseball players--Michigan Baseball players--Illinois Baseball for women--United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI, 49401 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-58 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-10-02 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-58_JLesko0503BB Title A name given to the resource Lesko, Jeneane (Interview transcript and video), 2010 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lesko, Jeneane Description An account of the resource Jeneane Lesko was born in Springfield, Ohio, in 1935. She grew up playing sports, practicing with men's baseball and basketball teams. She was playing for a softball team in Lima, Ohio, when she was recruited into the AAGPBL. She was a pitcher for the Grand Rapids Chicks during the last two seasons of the league, 1953-1954. Because of the larger size ball and the shorter distance between the pitcher's mound and home plate in the women's league, she had control problems as a pitcher in her first season, but still went 8-6. During the final season, when the league changed the rules and played the standard men's game, she did even better. After the league folded, she joined a barnstorming team made up of former league players, and stayed with it for three years. After that, she became a teacher and a professional golfer, and has actively supported women's baseball. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) Video recordings All-American Girls Professional Baseball League--Personal narratives Baseball for women--United States Baseball Sports for women World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Baseball players--Michigan Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2010-08-04 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/484">All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Collection, (RHC-55)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8962510c91ea00c2c96b55773334843d.mp4 abee99fca8cb4e9ee454d84c32f7ffea https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6ac3b1d69f1d5edc06973f027946d6b8.pdf 344d55fc45724e7b44ab3f05450dc471 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Quincy Leslie (00:28:00) (00:06) Introduction (00:14) Family and Childhood • Born in Northport, Michigan and moved to Cheboygan, Michigan in seventh grade. He lived with his this parents, one brother and two sisters. He Graduated from Cheboygan High School in 1935. • Father was a telephone installer. (00:58) Pre-enlistment • Attended teachers training school (county normal) for one year and taught in rural one room country school in Cheboygan County thereafter for 3 years • Worked for a rustic furniture company as a shipping manager. (1:26) • Did not attend college until after service so he needed to stop teaching. (1:47) • Was aware that he might be drafted, but did not worry about it much. Lived in a small town and Pearl Harbor went by without much impact on daily life. (2:07) (2:45) Enlistment and Training • Drafted in June 1942, at 24 years old and took oath in Fort Detroit, and went to Camp Custer classified as branch immaterial. (2:45) • Sent to Fort McClellan for basic infantry training. (3:44) • Already familiar with training because of a previous experience in ROTC at Michigan State College (later Michigan State University). (4:58) • Drill sergeants were kind, and he was responsive there were no problems or reprimands. (5:18) • The military had to investigate his character in the community before his acceptance and sworn to top secrecy. (5:52) Sent to land based radar school at Fort Monroe Virginia for training in electronics and electronics repair. (7:00) (7:48) Cape My, New Jersey • Arrived in Cape May around middle of 1943. In charge of station as a sergeant (8:26) �• Radar was a self-operating station on the beach in a fenced in location. The radar was housed in a building that looked like a water tank allowing the unit to work in virtual secret. (8:36) • They were looking at objects at sea for enemies and reported it to the Coast Guard Artillery for further identification. Has a crew of twenty-five men and was in charge twenty-four hours per day operating in crews of eight. (9:30) • U-Boat threat was under control and they were keeping the coastlines clear. (10:30) • Looking at freighter traffic that was not traveling in convoys, and looking at Norfolk, Virginia. (11:07) • Other men would travel daily back and forth from surrounding bases for their shifts, because the station was not equipped with sleep quarters. (11:46) • Lived for almost a year in a private home on the board walk owned by some upstate residents as a summer home and was given room and board for his wife and himself who were newly weds. (11:51) (13:38) Further Training and Overseas Service • Applied for Signal Corps Administration and officer position in supply and was sent to Texas for further training. (13:38) • Sent to Hawaii, which was not yet a state, and was given a desk job in movement and acceptance of supplies. (15:00) • Enjoyed time off for golfing and swimming. Seemed like paradise. (17:10) • His wife was not with him in Hawaii. He was released from service without issue due to his wife’s pregnancy without a request on his part. (17:48) • Felt he was there to help the effort and those around him. He wanted to help his men solve problems and grateful that his education allowed him to not have to do many of the things others had to do. (19:00), (20:10) • Felt he knew what to expect from service life because he had worked with WWI veterans and was in the Drum and Bugle corps before this service experience. He felt he was not particularly indoctrinated because of these prior experiences. (19:31) (21:06) After The Service • Radio and television repair business, and went to college on weekend at Central Michigan University. (21:32) �• Received a Masters degree. (21:36) • • • Taught K-12 until he was sixty-five, and then retired. (21:41) Substitute taught in Cheboygan County until his mid seventies. (21:53) The children always wanted to know if he was a veteran and he would tell them stories of his service. They would want to know about the 16 inch guns and if he has ever killed anyone, which he had not. (21:56), (22:58) • Was a major of Cheboygan for one term in 1954 and worked for: board of directors at the Department of Social Services in addition to The State of Michigan Veteran’s Trust. He has preformed services for veteran’s counseling and affairs. (23:51) • Believed the State did a fairly good job and the main issue was transport to vital services, and opportunities for care. Veterans never really get mentally on track themselves because they have others who depend on them post war. b He is a Commander in the American Legion and is in charge of Veteran Memorial Day services. (28:00) • � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LeslieQ Title A name given to the resource Leslie, Quincy (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Leslie, Quincy Description An account of the resource Quincy Leslie is a WW II veteran from Cheboygan, Michigan who served in the U.S. Army after being drafted in 1942. He served in a radar unit on the New Jersey shore, and then as a supply officer in Hawaii until his discharge in 1946. After the war, he became actively involved in working with veterans in Michigan. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) Video recordings United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Army World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-02-05 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bfcb6d0bb6401f775a09e7eaa46022af.pdf 9b50fd8f8dcbc8c6c13ae1d06c76897c PDF Text Text ue.e.r � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource GVSU Sexuality and Gender Flyers Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Rainbow Resource Center Women and Gender Studies Department Women's Commission Gayle R. Davis Center for Women and Gender Equity Description An account of the resource Digitized posters, flyers, event notices, and other materials relating to gender expression and sexuality at Grand Valley State University, with materials spanning from 1974 to 2019. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1974/2019 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Digitized from collections at the Rainbow Resource Center (formerly the Milton E. Ford LGBT Resource Center), Women and Gender Studies Department, Women's Commission, and Gayle R. Davis Center for Women and Gender Equity. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Gender identity Gender expression Sexual orientation Women's studies Queer theory Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-09 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-09_SGF_LGBTQ_2013_National-Coming-Out-Day-Poster.pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2013-10-11 Title A name given to the resource Let Me Make Myseelf Perfectly Queer Description An account of the resource A poster for the 2013 National Coming Out Day celebration. Poster includes the information of the event, including the time, date and place. Subject The topic of the resource Sexual minorities Community centers Coming out (Sexual orientation) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived The Rainbow Resource Center Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Rainbow Resource Center https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9a501d833b70570c6fa4a5ef1f3fe7b2.mp3 902c1aeaecb8aa407de56046280fefc5 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XV Series The Mystery of God's Sovereign Grace Scripture Text Genesis 17:7, 21:4, Mark 10:14 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19870913 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-09-13 Title A name given to the resource Let the Children Come Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on September 13, 1987 entitled "Let the Children Come", as part of the series "The Mystery of God's Sovereign Grace", on the occasion of Pentecost XV, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Genesis 17:7, 21:4, Mark 10:14. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/86ea29a974e90dfb0c5d4528064321d9.mp3 ab08e496ce22959136cc7deea5f018cf Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XVII Scripture Text Genesis 17:7, Deuteronomy 6:20-21, Mark 10:14 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19880918 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1988-09-18 Title A name given to the resource Let the Children Come Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on September 18, 1988 entitled "Let the Children Come", on the occasion of Pentecost XVII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Genesis 17:7, Deuteronomy 6:20-21, Mark 10:14. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bc864ccbef36ac2a85efc0d55d2f76bf.pdf c63018e70d94a903da880350327a1d3f PDF Text Text Let’s Close Half Our Churches Article by Richard A. Rhem Minister of Preaching and Theological Inquiry Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan Published in The Church Herald The Magazine of the Reformed Church in America November 10, 1973, pp. 11-12 Sound Radical? Perhaps. But perhaps it's time for radical surgery on the church in order to bring it to health and vitality, able effectively to carry out its mission of reconciliation. We have too many congregations doing their own thing, building their own buildings, paying their own overhead and offering their own programs to the community in competition with too many other congregations doing the same thing. If there was a day for church extension (and I'm sure there was) now is the time for church deletion. We are not here to see how many new Reformed congregations we can build. We are not here to preserve the identity of congregations, even though they have outlived their mission. We are not being called to maintain a church merely for the convenience of a few who refuse to make an adjustment in the pattern of their church life. These are hard words, but we need hard words. Too long we have argued against change and new structures and modes of church life on the basis of sentiment, nostalgia, or obstinacy, cloaking our real feelings with pious arguments which no one dared to attack. The day when we could afford that kind of luxury is past. We are not only failing to dent contemporary secular culture, we are not even keeping up with the exploding world population. The challenge of the day calls for radical streamlining of the Body of Christ. This will come to roost effectively by concentrating not on the multiplication of congregations, but on the re-grouping of the people of God into effective communities of worship, fellowship, and ministry. What’s involved? The willingness to die in order to live - a sound gospel principal (John 12:24-26). Jesus’ words are addressed to individuals, but they are not without relevance to congregations as well. If it is really our primary aim to bring Christ to the nation, then we must be willing to put all else on the line. © Grand Valley State University   �Let’s Close Half Our Churches Richard A. Rhem Page 2   The successful church will be the church that is a many-splendored thing – able to approach our culture from various angles with a wide variety of opportunities which will appeal to a wide spectrum of interests and needs. This can only be accomplished by a team ministry that offers specialization in several spheres. In most areas the traditional pattern of congregational life which remained practically unchanged for over half a century is no longer effective in accomplishing the mission of the church. We can no longer take for granted the loyal, almost automatic response to the traditional church program. People will not necessarily be there just because there is a meeting. Nor ought we attempt to coerce people through guilt or fear. The old loyalty to which once we could appeal and the family and community pressures which held a congregation together, whether or not there was a creative ministry that was meeting people at their point of need, can no longer be counted on and we ought not to regret that loss. We are now in a position to allow the winds of the Spirit to shape us into new forms of church life and ministry that will elicit the free response of people who make up our largely secular culture. But the task is demanding and will require the special gifts and specialized training of the professional ministry, as well as the commitment of the total Christian community. I believe the key to building successful churches lies in the development of a team ministry that can recruit, train, and motivate the Body of Christ to carry out its ministry in the world. Paul conceived of the pastor as one who equipped God’s people for doing the work of ministry. The congregation can no longer be understood as the recipient of ministry carried out by a trained professional who becomes their private chaplain, but rather must be viewed as the instrument of ministry in the total cultural setting of which it is a part. This is not a new idea, but what is being demonstrated in various places throughout the church today is that effective recruitment and training issuing in effective ministry and church growth can take place more readily where there is a team of professionals that can utilize their specialized gifts for the building of the whole Body. Team ministry offers several advantages over the single-pastor organization. First, it allows for the most efficient and effective use of the professionally trained ministry. Team ministry allows a person to exercise his best gifts in an area for which he is especially fitted. Many men with fine gifts and dedication flounder when they must carry the total program of a congregation’s life and witness. When the leadership is frustrated, the whole program gets bogged down and everything is done with mediocrity. We cannot allow the Lord’s work to be done with mediocrity. Let the one gifted in administration, administer; the one gifted in counseling, counsel; the one gifted in education, educate. Then each area of the church’s life will receive the leadership of a specialist and the total program will have upon it the mark of excellence. © Grand Valley State University �Let’s Close Half Our Churches Richard A. Rhem Page 3   With a team ministry a wide spectrum of ministries can be inaugurated: small groups, singles’ ministry, youth ministry, ministry to the aging, etc. There is a vast reservoir of willing volunteer labor in the church but it must be tapped, equipped and channeled into meaningful service. With a staff of trained professionals to administer, lay-participation increases. With a multiplication of ministry comes the increased usage of facilities. Church buildings have traditionally been our poorest examples of Christian stewardship large sanctuaries and beautiful educational units used very few hours per week. With a team ministry and a wide spectrum of ministries, the facilities will be in use seven days a week. When a congregation can offer a wide-ranging program appealing to a wide spectrum of interests and meeting the needs of the whole person, it will grow, and as it grows it will be able to support a growing mission to its community and world. Every congregation has a certain given overhead, but why should each little group of one hundred or two hundred families duplicate each other in building facilities, administrative costs and ministerial service? Why can we not fill the sanctuary three times on Sunday morning as well as once? What difference does it make if we develop two or three different congregations on the same locations? Instead of three costly buildings, there will be one. Instead of three ministers trying to do everything and succeeding with only some things, and doing nothing with excellence, could not three men join together, each doing well for the congregation what he is especially gifted to do. And finally, the benefit of team ministry will be experienced in the mutual support the team members are able to give to each other. When one is alone trying to do too many things, succeeding in only some, and being frustrated in others, the ministry can become a very depressing business. But when there is a team working together, each one is released to exercise his best gifts, and finds in his colleagues support and affirmation which enables him to function more effectively and find fulfillment and satisfaction in his vocation. Let us build the kingdom, not through the multiplication of congregations, but through the building of multi-staff congregations, which can then become effective communities of Christian worship and ministry. © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RA-4-19731110 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1973-11-10 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Title A name given to the resource Let's Close Half Our Churches Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available The Church School Herald Journal Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Description An account of the resource Article created, delivered, or published by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on November 10, 1973 entitled "Let's Close Half Our Churches", it appeared in The Church Herald, pp. 11-12. Tags: Church, Reformed, Community of Faith, Team Ministry. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Church Community of Faith Reformed Team Ministry https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4d6fa3ac78e678547ed9ce3cd41170f5.pdf 71761a4119cec34160cfabdb150c8e34 PDF Text Text Let's Collaborate! R ~ L{fcvan,d,tfuv W ~~ Cet'tt0r Bulletin Board Themes The Women's Center has ideas and resources for you to use when developing your Living Center Bulletin Boards. Please contact us for assistance in developing boards on any of the following topics: • • • October is BREAST CANCER AWARENESS Month. We offer lots of programs and activities to educate the campus community on breast cancer. Volunteer with Us Serve as a LIASION with the Women's Center to help develop programs and events. We are always looking for diverse students, faculty, and/or staff to help with the planning, set up, and execution of our events. Contact our Assistant Director, Jo Ann Wassenaar, at 3312748 to explore ways to collaborate on programming. Visit our Website Come visit our Website for resources and education on a variety of topics: October is DOMESTIC VIOLENCE and SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS Month on campus. Activities include: The Clothesline Project, Silent Witness, and Take Back the Night March. * * December is AIDS AWARENESS Month. * • January is CERVICAL HEALTH AWARENESS Month. • February is BODY IMAGE Month. • March is WOMEN'S HISTORY Month. * * * Pregnancy and Contraception Dating Violence Sexual Assault Women's Health Eating Disorders and Body Image Stalking We also have a number of EDUCATIONAL RELEASES you can access for research and help when planning your own WOMEN'S housing event or program. CENTER ~,:-:~i_~ Grand Valley State Universily �Host a Program The Women's Center Staff or Student Ambassadors are always willing to lead a program in your living center on any number of the gender educational programs we offer. Examples include eating disorders, gender identity, mentoring, and dating violence. Contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Ashley Nickels at 331-2748 for program information. Attend a Program Attend one of our PROGRAMS as a group and host a talk back session afterwards. We'll even help you develop discussion questions! Here's just a sampling of some of our upcoming programs. For an updated calendar go to our website: www.gvsu.edu/women_cen Use our Space Come use our BRAND NEW SPACE KC 1201 when hosting an event or a recurring or nonrecurring meeting. Our space may be reserved for your group! Please call the Women's Center at 3312748 and ask for Darrhonda ScottJones to reserve our space. Check Out our Library The Women's Center has a lending library of many books and videos. Check out a book from our library, or better yet start a Book Club. We would be glad to help you pick out a book that best fits your needs and help develop questions for a group discussion. "My Identity as an advocate for social justice was born out of my work with the Women's Center"-Dave Jones, Former GVSU Student Watch a Video Reserve our SPACE to watch one of the many interesting VIDEOS we have available through our lending library. Then, after watching lead your group in a discussion based on questions we will help you develop. Se,rve;~evW~~Center L~Ct,t'l.a,,flelp US VeNelop Pv~rum,! � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource GVSU Sexuality and Gender Flyers Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Rainbow Resource Center Women and Gender Studies Department Women's Commission Gayle R. Davis Center for Women and Gender Equity Description An account of the resource Digitized posters, flyers, event notices, and other materials relating to gender expression and sexuality at Grand Valley State University, with materials spanning from 1974 to 2019. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1974/2019 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Digitized from collections at the Rainbow Resource Center (formerly the Milton E. Ford LGBT Resource Center), Women and Gender Studies Department, Women's Commission, and Gayle R. Davis Center for Women and Gender Equity. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Gender identity Gender expression Sexual orientation Women's studies Queer theory Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-09 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-09_SGF_Womens-Center_2008_Residence-Life.pdf Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Women's Center Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008 Title A name given to the resource Let's Collaborate! Residence Life and the Women's Center Description An account of the resource Information on how RAs & MAs to develop Living Center Bulletin Boards. Date is approximate, according to location found in archive binder. Subject The topic of the resource Community centers Bulletin boards Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Women's Center Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9d86a766b6bd44a66ba778a5932d4f66.jpg 9944942a04aeda6b4d7f8a07d5a9d01c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History Description An account of the resource Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Stories of Summer," supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant. The collection aims to document the twin lakeshore communities of Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan, as they transformed through the state's bustling tourism industry and acceptance of minorities. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1910s-2010s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Douglas (Mich.) Michigan, Lake Allegan County (Mich.) Beaches Sand dunes Outdoor recreation Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Saugatuck-Douglas History Center Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Text Language A language of the resource English Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-07_SD-Red-Misc-47 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1965 Title A name given to the resource Leta's Unsinkable Description An account of the resource A page from the weekly Red Barn News, which includes articles on several of the shows that would be performed, several actresses and members of the Red Barn Theatre staff, and an announcement on how to throw a party at the Red Barn Theatre. Duplicate of Program-131. Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Douglas (Mich.) Community theater Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Digital file collected by the Kutsche Office of Local History from the Saugatuck Douglas History Center for the Stories of Summer project. Relation A related resource Stories of Summer (project) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8857d550727e246b84c1492c0ad68b38.pdf 49cc90649cc6d463ea2009f441504a29 PDF Text Text 1' maandag 1 mei '72 ~ Beste Piet en Jannie, 'l et i:-s nu e r n wek gelrden dRt we i-us c: en zes . en h~lf zeven gewaarschuwd werden door de oechtzuster dis ons -vertelde dat hAt moeder hard achteruit ging.''le waren om on~eVBPr acht uur in Bergen. moeder reagerr ~e toeA ner wel als je ha~r naam noemdo,meRr we hebben de hels dag tosh niet de indruk §OkPP-gen dat ;e ons herkeAde of bewust rePgeerde.Leida is ·s mid rt ags •epn tijdlang gewe Ast. sAvonds is ze terug nekomen en gebmmven tot het einde kwam.WP hebben niet cis indr~k gekrpgen dat moeder geleden hA r ft of het ~enauwd heeft gehad.Ze was de hele dag er~ rustig en lek het 'Ys morlens nog op dat ze in een coma lag,in de middag kre g je steeds meer da indruk GAt ze sliep.redurende het la ~tste uor werd haar ad ~mhaling ste Pds rustiger er langzamer totdat ze als een kaars uitdoJfele. ~ We he g ben e le _lof voor de v~rpleegsters die bijzonder zorqzaam voor mo~der ' aren en hartelijk en medelevend voor ons. _ Het einde is toch nog ~errassend snel gekomen al viel het wel op dat moeder de laftste drie wel<en steeds zwijgzamer werd .Il/at uiteind e lijk d e:: do grslag he e ft· qege~en:Qriep,longon t stekin ~,v~rval ven krachteR of ds gevolgen van dA harsenbloeding ia wa~rschijnlijk zelfs voor een medicus m7eilijk te zeggen~Ze had ko~rtsen die onre gelmatig terugke Frden ~n die ongetwijfeld veel van ~b aa~ krachten heb ben gevergd. Bij de crematie heb ik §ezegd dat wanneer iemand zijn levPn zo gespa • oen geleefd herft,meA vRek geneigd is te zegq en d at de dood eindelijk rust brengt,na~r dat we deAkbaEr waren dat voor ~ceder die _rust al be qonnen was in de laatste fase van ha~r leven.Ze ha~ vrede met 0~s Rn met Jannie's ~oedrr e~ L~idE.Ze was verlost van . de spa~nin§en over haar huisje,haar meu' elen en haar geld. Er wareD ogenbli~ken wa rin ze volkomen on~spannen hartelijk kon lach~B- - - · Soms wa~ je geneig d om te denken da l- ~0 • r de her - enbloeding ee~ en t rum van aqres ~ivi ' eit in • rle ~ersen e n beschadi 1'" w2s waer r! oor zi · in vrcide me.: haar o geving k'on lev"'!n. r~ ac;r z ura.s tiet toch 1 0 . ~ _kon zie wel ê:legeI:1.J< ooR in de la2tste - maanden noq erge r en a~n mensen,~an andére patienten, an enkelB vërpleAgsters,ze w~s echte~dochtig ten aanzien van haar fruitvoorraadje en ze meRnde ~at_ ze bestolen WPrd.Gezien deze dingen was het des te meer o,msrkeli)k dat Do,rl en D.oke BD moeder Schuurman allern' maiar vriendelijkheid en dankbaa-rheid van ~o~der bef ben ond ervonden in ~et af : elopen jaar.Er is in het ziekenhuis zelfs esn o~e 1blik van ZRldzame 1uciditeit gewe-st.Ik was àl~esn met moeder ~n het gesp rek kwam op Doks. Ine f ns zei ze! Hoe heb ik dar kunnen doen. Dan heb· ik veel goed 't8 maken. 11 !•e zijn e-r nooit me e r op terug ge-kom9n,"laar ik UJi1. haar z ach l moe.9igheid ten_ opzichte van ons graE.g zien als een bewuste houding. r~adat wîj al rouwkaarten hadden laten ,1erzenden e·n ePn -adve tentie hadden laten p)aats.an,hoJrden wij van dominee van IUijk dat hij een brief van moe-der bewaarde waarin zij schree~ dat er geen ken~is gegeven mocht worden van haar overlijden. Dat w-as- enerzijds wel vervelend-,maar ik mer>n dat mij in dat opzi..cht,ook al had ik het ge-wet .en,missch-ie-n toch wel gerechtvaardigd wa 'fi and rs te handelen dan mnedBT had gB1JJild.De b-rief af\n de.van ''lijk. date"rde nog uit de p• -riode waari~ moerrler het leven naar haer hand wilde z&tten met alle antioa±hieën die -zij koEs'terde.Zo waren in -di--e brief ooi< met name- -de. -f-ami:J.ia--lede.i QBn..oernd die op de no1:rgte moch t en wo-rdèm ~ebre-cht van h-a?T over-1 "j de.n. ,Cven.. uitdr_ukkel.ijk warerr.Lla--arbij wr,ggel-aten de namen van tante. Cé en haar kind r ren,v.an tante Tru 1s en van tante Dien.Nu heb! 1en we in het -af q elop-en jaar no-g het meeste m.edeleven ondrwvond rm van Jan van oom Bá -die v:.ele male'll 'opgebeld heeftr o-m w V-ragen hoe het 'met mo~eder ging. Tan:te -Dé he-'J b en we -e Pn -paar- ma-al gs,c;proken en-- -UJ.a w...e.rden getTÓffetn do o r h-an hartelijkheid en haar oprechte verdri-e-t dat moeder alle banden ~et ha;r verbroken had. Tante Truus(g5 jaar-)schreDf ons omlidde.llij!< een brierl:._. 1 zij~ haar gisteren gaan opzoek-en en we troffen haar in e r n gaestelijk uitstsl<ende staat aan.Ook · 2; j sprak er mEit spijt over dat moeder a-lle , -ve.rd e re 0 ·:e �contact had afgesloten. Pcöteraf besef je dat je je venl te eel do~r moeder hebt · latön be!nvl6eden wat de femilierAläties betreft en al is het dan laat en in e-n aantal -g êvallen te laat,~•e zijn blij dat ~i op het oqenblik met zoveel neven en nichten eFn gaede verstandhouding he~•en . Ik nîe r n daf het dus toch goeq is gewnrst dat ~e ke7nisgEqeven he ' he n van m• F~e~s o~e r lijrlen . Gezi~n ha~; ve r a~derde in~fnllin§ têgenover ons ; a u ze er ho1o s tmaarsrh~jnlijk z elf oo~ andFrs over zijn ~aan denken . • ~e l geierbiedigd he~6en wn haar wens dat haar a s verstrooid . zou word~n.Telefonis~~ -~ arl~~n Piet en ik afre~~r6Ren dat de ~s zou worden b{jqe~et in het ~raf vaA vader.Ik meende dat ~we in dit opzicht moesten doe n wat moeder had getilB~ . ·Het portret van kleine Jan is naar moeders wens in haar handen meeqe~aan. SleÉ~t; w~inig mense~ heb t, en op donderdägavond afscheid genomen . Twee buurvrouwen, Jaap en Gees,moeders buren van de ~o~ingsweg,de heer· en mevrouw meier mevrauw Vorstenburg moed~r Sch6urman met LeiBa . Ds . van 'Hjk is er ai die · tijd bijgeweest. · ' Bij ~e cremafie wa r en Jan v;n oom 8~ met· zijn vrouw Fefflie . Zij hadaen oom Jan meegin~men.1illy en Rinsk~ ~ind wa~en er . Nicht Nel Ter~aat'hedBen wij ook mep uitgenodigd . Ook donderdagavond hadden wij ha~r opg~haPld , Haar naam was _door moeder ook niet genoemd,maar wij voelen ons verantwob r d dat wiJ deze laat§te relatie vin - vader -e r - bij hebben ~illen late n zijn . Ook de.béide bu rvroywe n waermee moeder een goed contact heeff gPhad,mevr6uw Visser en mevrouw Tamis hebben mij me genomen naar ~esterveld . Va n onze vrienclen ·was mau Klijnkrameo gekomen en Rien Boomgaard . Os . van Wijk heeft gesproken - op e~n buitengewoon eerl!jke wij z e . Hij h~eft onze familie 2 § jaçr lang mergem!akt en- ~ij heeft moeder m;t voo~~eeldige t;ouw_ bezofht,zoals hij dat met alle ziekBn en 0 1den van agen deed.~ij verlrouwde h em en 1ffi ~\f ev tsï' t r Öuw i. -3- f Ie e I t I li ets v er-qo e · r1-Jkt"""c:rf-;~n~~~===--= voor~st eld . lHj heeft - de g8romp l ic8f"rd'lPid van moedPrs leven en dP. invloed die zij op onzP l vEns he~ft geh2d,9oed we rgeg e Den en het grsteld in het licht waarin wij tot aenva2rding en barmhartirheid kun 1en _k omen. Het ·wa-s zijn laetste nastorale tlead.Zcindao heeft hij afsrheid qeprePkt."Je zj.jn er- heEn gsweest'met Doke die-~oer hem ryedoopt is.~et de beorafenis van vadrr Bartelds heb! en WA hem een bedrag van F , 10.0. - gegeven ter bes.teding voor een kerkelijk doe l. Dit keer hebbe_n we gemeend hem voor eenzelfde bedrag aan boeken bonnen t ·e moet_en -geven, mPde als dank voor alles wat hij .vonr moe~er heeft gedaan . Na afloop van-de crematie zijn oom Jan,Willie en Pinske-,Jan en Fem.is nog mee n_?er Amsterdam -gegaan .e n hebben uie bij ons thuis., thee gedr-onkan . ,Zoals :9ezeg.d .zijn we gistPr_en naar t.ante l r y.us g.BWesst . Ze ka t ,niet -veel Meer buiten en· ziet. ~i.et z o g.oe.d_. rnaar ze le -s _t toch nog ve8l en is geestelijk nog h.er r gOPd.Hazr zonn Hannie· _is ~op ~9--jarhi_e- leeftijd • v-erleden-. H·I°r had ~n i0on die ~mej;, 8' n Jav_a,a nse yrouw" grfr.ouwd. 7ij hitilie/n ee·n zoon sn~ een docnter en ' h.sbber.-.r~g_elm.atig contact m'"e~t tànte Jruu-s . Onze nïc.ht .,..ru,us is tegen de zin van ha_ar moeder me_t een m_e_nePr -Pèr-a oetrouwd, een man van 1.2 -mbacht en en 13 o·ngelukk rn-..H j is inmiddels overleden ma2r de band tussen Tante Tru 1s eJT haar dochter is volledig, gebroken . Tänte Tru s zei:" Achteraf denkik nu dat ik het goedgevonden zou heb'ien al -was ze met een rputjesschep'1er getr uwd" .Maar' ze had zich zo v--eel ontzegd om Tru •s te laten -studeren ctat zé zich er nlilet -over lieen kon zetten dat ze mf't ee-n,in haar ogen,onnesrhi 'te· man trouw·de . ~ Over haBr- o -diilijk huis vertelde ze dat C"roofvadF'.r 1larms Dolere'ld was en een zwarP r' r-u k op h-et gezin u·toefende.Dst was een van ds oorzaken,v-olCJens ha2r,dat !:Jr. g P,rn innige- familieband -k •-n ontstaan. 'lll e hopen nu bi nenkort -e ns -m et oom Jan na::ir haar t-oe te gaan.+lij ha.ef.t die wEns ook wel -fe kannen ge:oeven al herft hij ook nooit el:!n poging qec:J..~an om het ~n 0 1 0 is- 1 con' act te herctellen . �.; Tante Truus onderhoudt wel regelmatige coorespondentie met Rinske en '!Jillis Wind en met Jan en maarigje Harms(van oom Piet) . Die hun dochter Truus studEPrt psycholorie en is onlangs met een psycholoo n getrouwd. IIJil Pi.et mij een mach ' iqing sturen vo1r het !l Bgelen~ van de nalatenschap Ik neem a-n uatrik daFrvo~r naar re nota r is zal moeten gaan. Daar-voo-r heb ik nog wel wat adviezen ven jullie nodig . De nalatenschap bestaat uiti~Tie delen . TeneFrste is er het spaarbankboekje van mo e'der plus Ben re ·e ning-courant bij de Nutspaarbank wa~rop haar pensiFoen en o.. • . ri . wer ' en gest a rt en 111"1armee ik d:i'o'erse betalingen · 1=rn behoeve van ma:QJ:ler heb ~errichL. Te n tweFde beschik ik over geld waarcver je aen de achtrrzijde een voorlopige VPraRtwoDr~ing a2ntreft . In da.derde pla~ tt zijn er de restanten van de inboedel.Wat jullie vori~e ja~r geclaimd hebben zullen we van ' t zomrr meenemen . Van wat wij,b 1it en het toen door ons gEclaimd~hcbben behouden,zullen we een lijst maken en dan moeten ~ e manr zien hoe we dat rekenen. Moet ik nu bij de notaris ook het bij mij a ~n~e zige geld en de bij ons aanwBziQe , niet - verde·lde,brzittingen opgeven? Een belanc r ijk gedsFlte v an het bij mij aAnwrzige geld heb ik ontvange n van de ziekteverzekc:-ring ter•11ijl de nota's Van het ziekenhuis afgeschrevf'n z ij n van -rret tece~ bij de ~~ aarbank.Daar zou aus eventueel navraag naar kunnen komen. Wat denken jullie? Ik heb nog verqeten te zeg o en dat moedrr niet over bloemen bij haar crenatie hcd "'S hr0vPn."'e wisten dat ze P'n h-kEil had -an witte bloernen bij be, rafAnisse lluyen ~ herft op ons vPrzoeke8n bijzon~sr mmoie toef qemaakt van na2rse oerin en fin tulpB-A Vo , r el; orienblik is --' i t al les. Ik zal dat <ornt e8n andere i<e<", d 2n noo WPl. Hart'èlijke groeten van allevior , 1 <. --~ 11 el het een en ander verasten hebben, mac-r �., ~n moPdr ~s ~uis gavondenF. 3B1,60 gas 14·, 56 antvan g rn van ziekteverr. - 2Dl 5 ,ï0 electri ei tei t ~ 27.95 maandeli j ''se oversr rl-jvinrien · apoth e ek 45. • 5 van m.oed~rs re '<enino op !'.ie -~huisarts - 7D.mi jne(l3 m~ nden) 1300.- - kleding(peighoir, n chtpon, - meubilair aan opkoper 25.bra~kjes,kouspn~ 92~73 avor v a zak oeld 3 .14 geschPnken zusters c.z. · 57 __ bloemen huw e lijks"eest mevrouw Ta111is lL- rontributie 5,zak ' e1d Oudt hurgh 22,50 J wásgoed tijdens onze vacantie ' 75·.sàfehuur 20:bloemen crematie 60.adresw·jzigingska~rten 2. 0 373 U.ll t saldo 3230. 65 3733,4 1;- - � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_COR_1972-05-01-Cor-to-Pieter-about-Hendrikas-estate-421 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Cornelis B. (b. 1918) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1972-05-01 Title A name given to the resource Letter about Hendrika Termaat's estate Description An account of the resource Letter by Cornelis B. Termaat (Pieter's brother), about their mother, Hendrika's estate. In Dutch. Subject The topic of the resource Dutch Administration of estates Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource nl Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/11859ce0b49eee511820dfc1767825e5.pdf 2006e304e043d1a338bb329c91d3af25 PDF Text Text •, Ber 6 en( rn )16-4-J.::;172 1 ie v e 1 ui d J e s , Het zat nutuurJ.ij~ aJ.J.ang 1n ue ~en , dat l~ zou scnrijven , mru.r er 6 ebeurde in het iQe'--in vEn d~ze ctl~c;10 zo veel . Greet is geweest _plus Peter Jr .; Honny neçft OiJ ~e 6 elo geerd é~we neuoe~ de fGniJ.ie réuaie denaa . ~us aeze ~eer een heleooel stof! 1111a8r la2t ili: oe~it11e1 met de 01tV8.llt:,..,t oev.;..,t1 6 it1 5 van je orief o:nstree&s i•1oet er ' s ver Jaarda.; e.1 de it1 6 eGJ.oten $ 5, ~ Voor Moeder zal in: - la -.:n 11iet - ee,1 aoosJe J2J1aica rumoo~en. Ko_pen, dat vi1dt ze wel leKKer en het geoeurt wel eenf dat ze (als ze ze toevalJ.ig in huis neeft)een J.i,teuroonoon als 11 slaa_p.nia0.e l 11 6 eo1 uLrt . Voor .i?iet 's lloeder zal iK - nacr oehoefte - fruit en/of vers~a~eringen &ee nemen . Het is - alhoewel dat natuurJ.iJ~ veeJ. leu&er ~even is - g( goed idee b . v . ee·1 fruitoa .... Je te laten o_pmaa<:en. De ineeste vrucht en JJaó ze ,1iet tle IJ Jen ( zorJ.s pere •1/ oa,1a:1en-bliiej es) en d2~ mar~t ze zich zor~en over oeaerf of snel verdwiJ nen . Met Cor en Dori neo i& afjes_pro~en dat i~ wat suiKer vrije fli~~en - een oJ.i~Je coc~teilworstJes e . a . per Keer ~ee zal orengen. vawniana~ on iK ~eweest , maar ze was ii n orde, lat; in oeCJ. en had de af 0 elo.Jeil da6en .rrnortsaa11va H€t is inQ.ercJ2 °r triest en uitzicntsloc;s . d 6 eha~ )an ÁWam Greet op Goede VriJdag voor een wee,.;:Je HoJ.J.and . IK ben ha2r van scnipnol daL1 halen . MaatJe was natuurliJ erg olij en heeft de nu al traditioneJ.e ÁOOÁ)artiJ verzorgd op zaterdag . Greet ~ P Jr .1 0 6 eeraen biJ wij. Zonda.6 ( le Paasdag) zijn we tnuis 0 e oJ.even ; 2de Paasdag naa r .• · A:10.iJK ir1 een poginJ; tot voorouaer-v ererin~ op G-reet ' s verzoeÁ. ze was wel wat oectuusd - i~ oo~ wei, illaar 1 Á ÁOn er eerder de huillor van zie~ . Het KerKJe oij de diJK is nu een soort " supertna r..ret" 5 eworaen met Dora Jes aan de muur en overal in o e li Jn ven " A.ns te..L oier" "cocacola" "Dash" etc . Het Ker.n:hof was verdwenen. Het was bitter Koud, storm, zodat we biJnr van de dijK waaiden. Maandag avJiia n:waJ.11 Hou e_1 we heobe'1 d i nsdag met rvraatJe; Greet etc 1 een tocht Je c!;e.naa,d la:1gs de oe 6 innende bloembollenvelden en een bezoeÁJe aan Ta1te GrietJe(l A~riJ. Jarig 5 eweest ). Dat viel erg in de su1aaÁ . ' s avonds too11de Hoü nj nieuwe Israel dia ' s voor o.a. Ilev r . .lay ooer e11 naar zus tu MsetJe ~ing wat vroe 6 er naar huis , want derdeJ.iJÁe uits;,attin6en ver"°oeie_1 .tu:.o.r toen we J. en ooveüt..le 1 was 11evr. Q. weer zioÁ in o~d . Donderdau reoen J tP wet Honny mee naar zeist(Hon illOest no 5 verder). Greet neeft dus ooK daor nog 2 dagen 5 elogeerd ea ~aterda~ 8/4 erachten a t H ha2r weer naar Schiphol . Het was a.1J.eJ18aJ. e 1 b ~ lig . ...______ Sn t o e ri 6 is t eren a e r é unie • Ja tn..n er dat J e er n ie t o i J ,m ziJ~ . Je waren met ca . 40 personen als vol~t : T8.n te Grietje - Anton .net vrouw - Jany Maatje - Jaap % G~ - i~ Heil: Tryntje % man(or 6 anisatore11)Ja:1y;Álaas('?) Schippe-rs: .Hm "t: vrou.w; Jat1y en Greet (geen ecntgenoten Hoocnourg : DirK t vr; ~laas t vr; Piet vr. mee) Jany ?c m; Stien ':c m; Jan '1: vr; Jaa_i:) <c vr . Sc.t1uunuan; JanyfzoL1der mo 1); Adriaan :i: vr . 1,.,.1ton ~ vr . Jan % vr. v . Delft ; Klaas (zonder vr . ); Alie 3n een ge~a~el! OnvoorsteJ.baar.Eerst ~ennis ma~en tijdens ,rnffie en al gauw zat iederee .1 "°et ouoe mee 0 eoracht foto I s h,~ rLrner ln'--'e,1 op te naJ.en; dr·áraa een oorrel t je of zo; toen een broodmaaltiJd en een borreltJC toe . we be~onnen om 3 uur en o~ ~wart voor tien cin~en we we met het voor'le~en het voJ.uend Jaar weer te dven . De aa'1. 6 etr ouwde nicnt e~/ .1e 11 e,1 r.:e 1de L{ 11auwe.1i J~s of niet en vaazelfspre~eüd troK i~ tocu weer op de Hodeno . aan. ~u �rJch neo i~ eea nJe.l JOOSJe illet Greet scnip~ers zitten 1raten . liet te ge.loven zeg - spre~end onze Cor!; ze.lfde ,c.leur/mode1- "hairdo"; ze.1fde illond e.i neus, ,naL.r vooral_ de oogops1-a 6 • Gé illaL~te ~eer o~ attent . Met Alaas v . D. schiJnt het niet 6 oed te ~aan . I~ ze~ dit sub rosa . Het genJ.c.ht t:Sin 6 dat hiJ aan ,ca1Mer .liJdt. Aanvanirnlij Lr was hij er 6 hiJteri~ illaar ctat dracicte biJ 1aJ ter . A1-ie gaat in Juni weer voor 6 we,cen naar ~anada . Fien was (weer)zlen. - aart . De anderen zu.l.leü oo~ wel hun zor6 en en i:noeiliJ .1Hieden heooen, lll8.8r we heooe11 toch ecnt geze.1.1i~ 6eoaooe.ld . Jan Hooaenourg moet oinnen,cort voor een ma~goperatie opJenornen worden. NoG dezelfde mal1-oot als alti Jd . Maat Je .g.eeft er erg vu1 óe r10t en en het had haar niet overmatid verilloeid , al was ze er vannacht toch no~ erg mee oezig geweest(vandaar miJn geda , htes~rong naar de lin.euroonoons!) Je orief (en oo~ een van Jeanne van Delft)werd voorselezen en met apJ.1aus beGroet . Dit moet dan in het ~ort n0t vers.la~ ziJn , miJn oluadJe is trouwens al weer vol. T . Z. t. 1ui Je;; Je een fot ocopie van al onze nandte~eningen. Nu weet Je (en v0or zover ik weet is Let c __p.Leet )wie er waren en ua.1 maar ui tzo Liefs -.- _ ---· 11 ~ ._ _.., .;,,t_ 11 OUVRIR ICI / , HIER OPENEN------=--=----' ~ .n/ r?/ ' , 1 y~~J' ~1JlJV -f_ ';'1 (' "N3)11nll839 "ZN3 ' aN ~ 1 d ' S1 39 3Z .lln1 S ' N3)1Qll .lSS3\I OII N339 i N3J.ln7SNI Sl.31N (Hi-1 )l :;:'.f)..l~r 's (? ~~BT~10~ 'tü rnnq • S • ~ ~ ll30N3Z~lf/'dn3110~dX3 1.SOdl.H:lnl "B3d / NOIA'v' "B'v'd · v-s ·n ~n~rv J VfTH~ UI ' SP1C'B}{ pUB.I{) ,- ~ ·1 aA1.1a auBT+Rar o,LT '+ 113U .IélJ; . l , • d 1 JNVnBG":1; '.)SP- ~ ".UJ,11 l .Iltl 1 aVlBJ.SOdl.H:)nl 3 WW Vtl 90tl 3V ... � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_COR_1972-04-16-Lijda-to-Termaats-439 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Schuurman, Lijda Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1972-04-16 Title A name given to the resource Letter about Schuurman family reunion Description An account of the resource Letter by Lijda Schuurman to Pieter and Adriana Termaat about a famiy reunion in Bergen, Netherlands. In Dutch. Subject The topic of the resource Dutch Family reunions Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource nl Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9345983c6aa211974d3d71b16c196662.pdf 00d170940cb93f76ef73b826ff282ed8 PDF Text Text ��� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Civil War and Slavery Collection Subject The topic of the resource United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 Slavery--United States African Americans United States--Politics and government--19th century Description An account of the resource A selection of correspondence, diaries, official documents, photographs related to the American Civil War and to the institution of slavery, collected by Harvey E. Lemmen. The collection includes a selection of documents from ten states related to the ownership of slaves and abolition, correspondence and documents of soldiers who fought in the war and from family members and officials, diaries and letters of individuals, and a collection of mailing envelopes decorated with patriotic imagery. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lemmen, Harvey E. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/472">Civil War and Slavery Collection (RHC-45)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/470">John Bennitt Diaries and Correspondence (RHC-43)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/471">Nathan Sargent Papers (RHC-44)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/478">Theodore Peticolas Diary (RHC-51)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/476">Civil War Patriotic Envelopes Collection (RHC-51)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/479">Whitely Read Diary (RHC-52)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1804-1897 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg; application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image; Text Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1804-1897 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-45_CW25888 Title A name given to the resource Letter about the Lincoln-McClellan campaign by Reverdy Johnson Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1864-10-10 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Johnson, Reverdy, 1796-1876 Subject The topic of the resource United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Johnson, Reverdy, 1796-1876 Description An account of the resource Letter about the Lincoln-McClellan campaign by former Attorney General, Reverdy Johnson supporter of McClellan. Believing that Lincoln's actions on emancipation and other areas to be illegal, he states "I hope you can keep the case before the public. Unless we are willing to submit to near tyranny, it is impossible but that this last outrage of our Pres. will meet with the sternest rebuke on Nov. 2. The letter is dated October 10, 1864 from Baltimore and marked "Private." Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Civil War and slavery collection (RHC-45): http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/472 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/503f2ac37cb03193bb4e3304e4e23153.pdf 7b05e22c1ef3a7dc25ec7296d37e06dd PDF Text Text ���� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/13ce6182b8bef3c210683f3ddf148b33.pdf a5ca076c61f47523d9c3d55fe160dbf5 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Agnes_1944-08-17] [Page 1] August 17, 1944 My dear Joe, Didn’t receive any mail from you today, but am writing to let you know that everything is fine, except that I’m terribly lonesome for you. Sometimes I don’t know to do with myself when I get so lonesome. I think of you all the time sweets and miss you so much. Gloria has gone roller skating with Venna tonight. I can’t roller skate very good so I didn’t go. Can you rink skate at all! I’m going to the beach at Grand Haven this weekend. A couple gals from the store are vacationing down there for a weekend and some of the rest are going to stay with them for the weekend. Elaine and Beatrice and a couple of other girls are sleeping in the {red lipstick imprint} [Page 2] backyard in a tent. Its rainproof, so it won’t be so bad if it rains. Someone asked me today if I got a new bracelet, so “darling” you can see what good care I have taken [text strikethrough] {care} of it. Its over two years ago that you gave it to me. Tomorrow is Friday, a busy day at the store, and I really hate to think of it, if it’s going to be hot. I still love you very much “darling” and pray we shall be together soon, and for good. I shall close and may God Bless you always. Yours always With Lots of Love and Kisses, Agnes {signature accent mark} {red lipstick imprint} [Envelope front] After five days return to 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids 9, Mich. �{Postmark} GRAND RAPIDS AUG 18 2 PM 1944 MICH. VIA AIR MAIL S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “K,” Det. of Patients 4167 U.S. Hosp. Plant A.P.O. – 514-A [?] c/o P.M. New York, N. Y. [Envelope back] S.W.A.K. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Agnes_1944-08-17 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Van Der Weide, Agnes Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-08-17 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, August 17, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, dated August 17, 1944. The envelope is sent from 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W., Grand Rapids, Michigan, dated August 18, 1944. In the letter, Agnes expresses how lonesome she becomes when she hasn't heard from Joe, while focusing on weekend plans spent with girlfriends at the beach in Grand Haven, Michigan and her love for the bracelet he gave her years ago. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href=" https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href=" http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d22d27967274f78cbd102b079739d7ea.pdf 1d4cd5ba5a18674f630e824c91059ef5 PDF Text Text ��� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b6b73c314f0956d0af5fca28eb22a8c6.pdf c42e584ff6cc438b5e636833a9d92a7c PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Agnes_1944-08-27] [Page 1] August 27, 1944 My dearest Darling, Received a couple of your letters yesterday, and the one with the money orders in. The money is already safe and sound in the bank. I put it in with my little bank account. I’m so glad you got the pictures because I sent those quite a while back. Evidentally you didn’t get the picture I sent of myself with the pup. I sent that one before I did the others. On that picture I’ve got my hair fixed the way you like it “darling.” This other way is so nice and cool in the summer. Did you get the card I sent you from Grand Haven? I could tell your morale went up when you got those pictures and letters because you sounded so happy in your letter. I can always tell by your letters what kind of mood you’re in. {red lipstick imprint} [Page 2] I sure will give you two years’ worth of hugs and kisses when you get back. I sure do miss them ever so much and I keep looking forward to your coming home for good. We’ll eat watermelon and do all the things we’ve always wanted to do. There’s [sic] so many places we could go, and I know we shall be very, very happy. I love you so much “darling.” It will be a grand day when we’re married, and we shall be able to share our lives for life. Won’t it? We’ve got so much to look forward to. When I see you, I think I’ll fall into your arms and stay there forever. I wonder just how we’ll act when the day really comes. What do you think of Paris being liberated. [sic] Isn’t it great? We just heard a broadcast from there, and we could hear the people yelling and there was some shooting yet. Yours always With Loads of Love Agnes {signature accent mark} {red lipstick imprint} [Envelope front] After five days return to �1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids 9, Mich. {Postmark} GRAND RAPIDS AUG 28 2 PM 1944 MICH. VIA AIR MAIL S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “K,” Det. of Patients 4167 U.S. Hosp. Plant A.P.O. – 514-A [?] c/o P.M. New York, N. Y. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Agnes_1944-08-27 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Van Der Weide, Agnes Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-08-27 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, August 27, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, dated August 27, 1944. The envelope is sent from 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W., Grand Rapids, Michigan, dated August 28, 1944. In the letter, Agnes expresses her happiness in knowing Joe received her photographs, her affection for him and an eagerness for their marriage someday. She closes her letter mentioning Paris' liberation from Nazi occupation while inquiring about Joe's thoughts on the major world event. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href=" https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href=" http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/46dca7aea119e4775a692999d85ba865.pdf 260e11a0c0e0ab1f159fa6f00d7763ea PDF Text Text ��� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5e99bc9b63755183d5d89ad5d48a7181.pdf 2d946136657417fbfd974dc23667fb7a PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Agnes_1944-12-12] [Page 1] December 12, 1944 My dearest Darling, I haven’t heard from you for sometime and again I’m worried. I hope I get some mail soon. This suspence drives me crazy. I’m writing this small because it’s the last piece of paper I’ve got “darling,” but I wanted to get out a few lines tonight. I still think of you all the time “honey” and miss you very, very much. I still love you with all my heart and happy days when you’re home again to stay. We sure will have to make up for lost time. And I hope everything will go quite smoothly for us. [Page 2] I think two boys and a girl will be nice for us “sweets,” but I like the way you said in your letter “and of course a girl.” I’d be awfully disappointed if I didn’t have a girl. I hope our first child is a boy, and I want him to look just like you. I sent you a birth announcement darling but evidentally you didn’t get it. The baby is a boy and his name is Paul. I also received the 125.00 you sent and put it in the bank. I’ll tell you again I also got the $180 you sent while you were in the hospital. I shall have to close “sweets” and write soon. With all my Love Agnes {signature accent mark} [Envelope front] Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids 9, Mich. {Postmark} GRAND RAPIDS DEC 13 8:30 PM 1944 MICH. VIA AIR MAIL �S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 c/o P.M. New York, N. Y. 130th Gen. Hosp. APO #652 JAN 2 - 1945 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Agnes_1944-12-12 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Van Der Weide, Agnes Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-12-12 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, December 12, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, dated December 12, 1944. The envelope is sent from 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W., Grand Rapids, Michigan, dated December 13, 1944. In the letter, Agnes tells Joe how much she misses and loves him and dreams of their future children. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href=" https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href=" http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cdfe52aa19cbf72420dcd0e1c7013dbf.pdf 0854752cfc7c04ef4b8622d1c53c0a6c PDF Text Text ���� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/57c23f9059e6bbcd92751070a8fe21cf.pdf 6044bfa556757721afa16ae8765b57fe PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Agnes_1944-12-03] [Page 1] December 3, 1944 My dearest Darling, Here I am again, and I hope you got all the mail I sent to you while I was at Helen’s. Oh! darling I had a terrible trip home. I had to stand up on the bus 50 miles from Conewango to Buffalo. I rode into Buffalo with Roger, Betty and Dorothy. Roger’s train left at 11:30 P.M. and then I had to wait until 4:05 in the morning for mine. I almost went nuts. Then when I did get on the train it was so crowded it was terrible. Ray was glad when we pulled into Grand Rapids. I had a grand time while I was at Helen’s though. She is a wonderful sister Joe, and she has a heart of gold. Gaylord is a lucky fellow and he doesn’t half appreciate what she does for him. [Page 2] Of course “darling” this is just between you and me. She’s a grand cook and she makes so many different kinds of dishes and everything she does is grand. We get along swell. I also made a hit with Miles and I think he likes me a lot. Gaylord took me around and showed me the country. All in all “darling” I was treated swell. I didn’t meet Janice until the last day. I didn’t like her at first because I thought she was tough and loud but then after I got to know her better I like her a lot. She was real sweet to me. Ollie makes me sick at times. He thinks he knows everything and has such a big mouth. I’m glad you’re going to be my [Page 3] husband “darling.” I think your the sweetest person on this earth “sweets”, and I love you with all my heart. I miss you so terribly, and how I wish you were here now. I met Jenna [?] last nite and when I met her she had already had seven shots. She was in pretty good condition though so I took her home, and we had a lot of fun… Well, “darling” I think I shall close for this time, and write as often as you can. God bless you always. Yours forever With all my Love Agnes �{signature accent mark} [Envelope front] Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids 9, Mich. {Postmark} GRAND RAPIDS DEC 7 3 PM 1944 MICH. VIA AIR MAIL S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 c/o Postmaster New York, N. Y. 130th Gen. Hosp. APO #652 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Agnes_1944-12-03 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Van Der Weide, Agnes Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-12-03 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, December 3, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, dated December 3, 1944. The envelope is sent from 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W., Grand Rapids, Michigan, dated December 7, 1944. In the letter, Agnes describes her trip from Conewango Valley back to Grand Rapids, Michigan with family and friends and expresses appreciation for Joe as her future husband. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href=" https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href=" http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6eb47be5e6911f4579cc101f4f6a93d9.pdf 1bb1d85a054bdbfbc793e3b0e3206736 PDF Text Text ������ https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/328f42f68b4f3aa42782fb075cbfa4a3.pdf cc5666bb91ab35c1a59da38a5271352f PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Agnes_1945-02-11] [Page 1] February 11, 1945 My dearest Darling, Received your latest letter of Jan. 21st, and must say it was very welcome. It was almost two weeks since I had one. I sure do miss your letters, and appreciate it when I do get one. I think of you very much “darling” and sure do miss you very much too. I’m looking forward to the day when you’ll be home again to stay. We’ll just have to be patient like we have been in the past, even if it is hard. I just got through making out my income tax, and I’m glad that’s over. [Page 2] You sure do enjoy keeping me in suspence, don’t you “darling.” I think you’re a big tease. I’m just wondering what that souvenir is. I got a 12 page letter from Helen yesterday. Can you imagine that? I enjoy getting her letters. I agree with you “sweets” that you’d be a lot better off if you were sent home, but if you had to go back again, it would be a lot worse. Don’t you think so? Remember darling, that all things work out for the best to those who love God. When I get discouraged and blue, I always think of that. [Page 3] I get so lonesome and depressed at times that I don’t know what to do with myself. But I always think there’s better days coming. I hope someday we can have a new little home of our own, and furnish it just the way we want it. I know this will all take time and money, but if we’re careful I think we’ll be able to do it. If we were together there’s so many things we could plan and talk about. Jenna’s [?] husband is home this week. He hasn’t been home for a year, even if he is in this country. [Page 4] She would live with him, but her mother is ill most of the time, so she takes care of her. If you came back to the states and were stationed out here somewhere, would you want me to live with you? A lot of girls do it now. �I shall close for this time “darling” and write soon and as often as you can. Yours forever With all my Love Agnes P.S. The family are all fine, and send their love. [Envelope front] Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids 9, Mich. {Postmark} GRAND RAPIDS FEB 13 3:30 PM 1945 MICH. VIA AIR MAIL S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Det. of Patients 4152 U.S. Hosp. Plant A.P.O. – 63 c/o P.M. New York, N. Y. [Envelope back] {Postmark} U.S. ARMY 1 BPO 7 MCH CONTROL SECTION � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Agnes_1945-02-11 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Van Der Weide, Agnes Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1945-02-11 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, February 11, 1945 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, dated February 11, 1945. The envelope is sent from 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W., Grand Rapids, Michigan, dated February 13, 1945. In the letter, Agnes discusses her happiness over receiving Joe's latest letter and how much she looks forward to the day when he finally returns home and they can build their life together. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href=" https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href=" http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e5100e72f2f71719bdf63b2598fcb000.pdf 02789c906db9da4abae982f4525f0b49 PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e1960555fd2060a9109028fa885bd0e5.pdf 1964cc4ead76cade0294f7d5f49a997c PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Agnes_1945-02-22] [Page 1] February 22, 1945 My Darling, Received your letter of the 9th and must say I was very pleased to get it. I sure do appreciate your letters, especially when they’re so few and far between. I thought you sounded quite cheerful in this last V-mail, and I was quite encouraged. I’m anxiously waiting to get the package you sent and I’m wondering what’s in it. I know you just love to keep me guessing don’t you? Yes, darling I did visit Helen and I had a grand time. To think I wrote to you everyday while I was there and you didn’t get any of my letters just about makes me sick. [Page 2] I’m still praying for your safety “darling” and I hope the Lord will send you home to me soon. It seems as if you’ve just got to come home soon. Don’t you think so? Oh! darling I’m so anxious for you to see my cedar chest. I had my order in for quite awhile and I finally got mine. It’s walnut and sure is very pretty. Dad says it’s made good and has a good finish. I paid for it out of your money $40.00. I did this because you wanted me to have one, and you’ll have a lot of use out of it someday too. I got it on Valentine’s Day so I can {red lipstick imprint} [Page 3] call it a valentine from you. I always think of you “darling” and not a day goes by that I fail to. I still love you with all my heart, and miss you just as much. Oh! happy day when you’re home again to stay. I got a letter from Janice the other day, and by the way she writes, I guess they are coming here for Easter. I hope so, and I wish you were going to be here too. Well “sweets” I shall close for this time and write real soon and often. Yours always With all my Love Agnes {red lipstick imprint} �[Envelope front] Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids 9, Mich. {Postmark} GRAND RAPIDS FEB 23 2 PM 1945 MICH. VIA AIR MAIL S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Det. of Patients 4152 U.S. Army Hospital A.P.O. – 63 c/o P.M. New York, N. Y. [Envelope back] S.W.A.K. {Postmark} U.S. ARMY 1 BPO 13 MCH POSTAL SERVICE CONTROL SECTION � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Agnes_1945-02-22 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Van Der Weide, Agnes Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1945-02-22 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, February 22, 1945 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, dated February 22, 1945. The envelope is sent from 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W., Grand Rapids, Michigan, dated February 23, 1945. In the letter, Agnes writes how she is eagerly awaiting the gift package Joe sent to her and how sorry she was regarding her previous letters being undelivered during her time away with Helen. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href=" https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href=" http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/359e5d2b375a0be6dbb9355cb1e29c65.pdf 9b4c24094dad1373b3356394179d1d7d PDF Text Text ������ https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2ecb0cd734b01fce6a36230940b928ac.pdf 7fe0a258fb0d9b29e0973aa8eef4d0c1 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Agnes_1945-01-18] [Page 1] January 18, 1945 My dearest Darling, Received a letter and V-mail from you, and its nice hearing from you. Now that I’ve got your address again, I’ll be able to write. I’m glad to hear you are coming along fine, and I hope you continue to feel better. I imagine if you didn’t get any of my letters you don’t know I spent my vacation at Helen’s house. I had a grand time there, and it was a nice trip, [Page 2] even if I was all alone. I also got the money you sent just before you went to the hospital. I can’t help but worry about you “darling” because I love you so much, and if anything ever happened to you, I think I’d die!! I keep thinking about our future, and of all the things we’ve got to look forward to. I sure do miss your hugs and kisses, and how swell it will be to get them again. Its been a long [Page 3] time, hasn’t it “darling.” Sometimes I just sit and wonder how much longer its going to be. I wish you could see Dad’s pipe, he’s smoking it now, and some fellows in the shop painting it about three or four different colors. They do that to everyone’s pipe that they find laying around. Its really cute. I bought some nice plaid material for a skirt today and it came to over 5.00 just for material. A ready made [Page 4] skirt costs at least 8.99. Isn’t that terrible. Its almost time to file income tax again and what a headache that is. I liked that picture you sent of me and Masie. Its really very nice. Everything is going fine for me at the store, “darling” and I still enjoy my work. I do get sick of people grumbling about rationing and shortages though. �I shall close “sweets” and write as often as you can. With all my Love Your future wife Agnes {signature accent mark} [Envelope front] 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids 9, Mich. {Postmark} GRAND RAPIDS JAN 19 3 PM 1945 MICH. S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Det. of Patients 4152 U.S. Hosp. Plant A.P.O. – 63 c/o P.M. N. Y., N. Y. No Record 4152 H. P. A.P.O. #63 [Envelope back] S.W.A.K. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Agnes_1945-01-18 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Van Der Weide, Agnes Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1945-01-18 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, January 18, 1945 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, dated January 18, 1945. The envelope is sent from 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W., Grand Rapids, Michigan, dated January 19, 1945. In the letter, Agnes is relieved to hear from Joe again and describes what he may have missed in her other letters such as her vacation at Helen's and the money she received from him. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href=" https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href=" http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7a036d3ebc4692a991056c6daae0132c.pdf 6cf292e43ab27809525aa825c8fa1dc7 PDF Text Text ����� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/843007e13f3096aac3fd69611d1ef79d.pdf 62f91815cab98965d9d74c384535f4c4 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Agnes_1945-01-24] [Page 1] January 24, 1945 My dearest Darling, {red lipstick imprint} Received your letter of Jan. 15th and I sure was tickled to get it. Your writing is still so nice “darling.” Especially when you write with ink. I got a letter from Janice yesterday and one from Helen today. Everything is fine in Detroit. I feel so sorry for Helen because Gaylord has to go to the Army. I really think it will do “Gay” good though, because he’ll appreciate Helen a lot more. I guess he appreciates her but he just doesn’t show it. So many people tell me I’m going to be disappointed [Page 2] after I’m married awhile because I expect so much. By that I mean, I think marriage is wonderful, and if two people are really in love everything goes smoothly for them. I suppose I have a lot to learn, but I know you’ll make a grand husband for me, and we’ll understand each other. I sure hope they let you come soon, at least that’s what I’m praying for. I’m sure your nervous condition will be alright soon “darling.” When you get blue just think about our future, and all the [Page 3] things we’ve got to look forward to. We took some pictures up at Helen’s and I look terrible on them, just like I do on all the other pictures your folks take. Just when I want them to come out good they never do. I sure could stand some hugging and squeezing now so I’ll let you all you want when you get here. I’ll shower you with all the kisses I’ve got in me. All stored up for you to. I love you with all my heart “sweets” and miss you so much. Some {red lipstick imprint} [Page 4] �times I get so lonesome I could scream, and that’s bad. I’m getting so sick of movies! Movies! Movies! That’s about all there is for a decent girl to do. The last picture I saw was “Hollywood Canteen” and that’s the best one I’ve seen for a long time. I shall close for this time “darling,” and write as often as you can. Yours always With all my Love, Agnes {signature accent mark} {red lipstick imprint} [Envelope front] Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids 9, Mich. {Postmark} GRAND RAPIDS JAN 25 [?] PM 1945 MICH. VIA AIR MAIL S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Det. of Patients 4152 U.S. Hosp. Plant A.P.O. – 63 c/o P.M. New York, N. Y. No Record 4152 H. P. A.P.O. #63 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Agnes_1945-01-24 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Van Der Weide, Agnes Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1945-01-24 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, January 24, 1945 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, dated January 24, 1945. The envelope is sent from 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W., Grand Rapids, Michigan, dated January 25, 1945. In the letter, Agnes expresses her feelings on marriage and her hopes for her future with Joe, while consoling him on his nervous condition and reassuring him that there are brighter days ahead for the couple. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href=" https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href=" http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cbf12131bf98dc3aa87eb5dacf3f9bcb.pdf 67e51a26146e36e1fc932f8321933f6a PDF Text Text ���� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6af1e5494e953269c3199f2c1ed8dde1.pdf b12e8832b3e6bdda7ee990f8619c4155 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Agnes_1945-01-30] [Page 1] January 30, 1945 My dearest Darling, I haven’t received any mail yet this week, but I’m patiently waiting. Yesterday was my day off, and I didn’t get any and was I ever disappointed. I was almost too blue to go downtown with Mom, but I did though. I bought some material for a couple spring dresses, a blouse and 3 pairs of slacks. Now I’m almost broke again. I’ve got an income tax bill coming up too. They took almost $5.00 a week out of my pay last year, and now I still have to pay $35.00. The people back home are earning good money in this war, but they’re [Page 2] paying it out too. Socks that I paid 10 cents a pair for before the war I pay 50 cents for now. Gloria and Beatrice have gone to a basketball game outside of town tonight, and it’s snowing hard and below zero. Nothing stops those two. Honestly, “darling” you’ll be so surprised when you see the kids. They’ve grown and changed so. I’ve even changed I guess. I’ve been trying to take pictures every Sunday and Monday, the only two days I get a chance, but the sun is never out. Mother said she wrote you a letter today. I’m glad she did. She sure likes the pin she got from you {red lipstick imprint} [Page 3] for Christmas. The baby has got quite a bad cold, and I hate to see him sick. I still love you as much as ever sweets and think of you all the time. I sure will thank God the day you step food in this house! I’ll be so happy, I’m afraid I’ll cry. I’m getting so I don’t know what to do with myself and the suspense is getting me down. There are millions more just like us though. I shall close “darling” and write soon and often. With all my Love Your future wife Agnes �{red lipstick imprint} [Envelope front] Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids 9, Mich. {Postmark} GRAND RAPIDS FEB 1 4:30 PM 1945 MICH. VIA AIR MAIL S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Det. of Patients 4152 U.S. Hosp. Plant A.P.O. – 63 c/o P.M. New York, N. Y. No Record 4152 H. P. A.P.O. #63 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Agnes_1945-01-30 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Van Der Weide, Agnes Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1945-01-30 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, January 30, 1945 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, dated January 30, 1945. The envelope is sent from 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W., Grand Rapids, Michigan, dated February 1, 1945. In the letter, Agnes updates Joe on how her family are doing as she awaits another letter from him that winter. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href=" https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href=" http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a840a7bbaf69387ebf1ce1ca60bb2bd9.pdf 8fc4ec3f30acd6634d70ec99ae3a1bc5 PDF Text Text ���� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9333d051cfa88a241001e6172e35b934.pdf c3a4794faac60fad76833543c6c0e98a PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Agnes_1944-07-04] [Page 1] July 4, 1944 Hello Darling, Received a letter from you written June 14th, and I must say it was a relief getting it. I’m so happy that you are safe and sound, and I’m praying that you still are at this time. Alice arrived here Sunday from Mass. and we sure are having a swell time. We went to the movies a couple of times, and today we went to the beaches at Grand Haven and Holland. We took some pictures, and I’m going to send you some, as soon as I get them. Even if they aren’t much good, I’ll send them to you. We were going to the amusement park, but we were dead tired so we changed our minds. I guess we’ll go tomorrow night instead. Gloria and Junior are going back with her, and they’re going to stay there a couple weeks. I would like to go back for a visit sometime, but I figured we might be able to go together sometime when you get home. {red lipstick imprint} Alice told Carolyn that we were [Page 2] engaged, and Carolyn and her mother laughed, and said they didn’t believe it. What do you think of it? I bet Carolyn is pretty jealous. A girl that works in the store with me, has a brother who just came home from the South Pacific. He has a 30 day furlough and got married last Saturday. It only took 3 days for their blood tests and license. Of course he had his blood test in the Army. I don’t think we’ll have to worry about waiting so long in case you don’t get a long furlough. Anyway, we can think about it as time goes along. I still love you very, very much “darling” and I’m getting so anxious to see you, I’m ready to burst. Well, I shall close for this time and write soon. With all my love, Agnes {signature accent mark} {red lipstick imprint} [Envelope front] After five days return to 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids 9, Mich. {Postmark} �GRAND RAPIDS JUL 5 2 PM 1944 MICH. VIA AIR MAIL S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 c/o Postmaster New York, N. Y. DET. OF. PAT. U.S. Army HOSP. PLANT [?] #4187 APO #152 8-9-44 [Envelope back] S.W.A.K. CONTROL SECTION {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 1 BPO 12 NOV 1944 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Agnes_1944-07-04 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Van Der Weide, Agnes Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-07-04 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, July 4, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, dated July 4, 1944. The envelope is sent from 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W., Grand Rapids, Michigan, dated July 5, 1944. In the letter, Agnes describes her relief in receiving a letter from Joe and tells him about her summer adventures going to the movies and the beaches of Grand Haven and Holland, Michigan. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href=" https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href=" http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/43f4da5b5307a5040e14ba441499c3e9.pdf 4b939fc56f8c02b2555531b194e55bf4 PDF Text Text ���� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d046731a8d69e8285188c8ff1db623af.pdf 3c2b27ed6999f6c848e6807c080caf71 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Agnes_1944-06-27] [Page 1] June 27, 1944 Hello Darling Have been thinking of you a lot today, so thought I’d drop you a few lines again. Its [sic] terribly hot here tonight, it was 99 degrees all day, and that sure is hot weather to work in. I stood it though, although it made me dizzy a couple of times. The weather here is so different than in Mass. I just got through taking a bath, so I’m cooled off a little. “Darling”, I’m so anxious to hear from you and get some of your latest letters. The suspence [sic] is really getting me down. I’m praying that you are safe, and I’m sure the Lord will answer my prayers. I made some cookies for you, and am sending the box tomorrow morning. I don’t know if you’ll like the cookies or not, but remember “sweets” I’m just learning. I found you a fountain pen, and also hope that is alright. The watch and gum [?] is from Ollie as I told you before. I wanted to send you a can of pineapple, but it {red lipstick imprint} [Page 2] made the box overweight. I went to a girl’s house for dinner today. I work with her in the store. I sure had some nice Chop suey. Do you like Chop suey sweets. I hope you do, because I love it. Alice, from Mass. Is coming out here to visit me for a week. She should be here for this Sunday. I’m very anxious to see her again. I wish you were coming home to see me “darling”. I love you very much “darling” and my love for you grows deeper and deeper everyday way down in. I think about you constantly when I’m working, and whatever I’m doing. I got a letter from Ollie, and he kidded me about living on a farm after (you and I) we’re married. He knows I hate farms. Well, “darling,” I shall have to close for this time, and write soon. {red lipstick imprint} Yours forever With all my Love Agnes {signature accent mark} [Envelope front] �After five days return to 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids 9, Mich. {Postmark} GRAND RAPIDS JUN 28 5 PM 1944 MICH. S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) Co. “L,” 26th Infantry A.P.O. - 1 c/o Postmaster New York, N. Y. DET. OF. PAT. U.S. Army HOSP. PLANT [?] #4187 APO #152 8-24-44 [Envelope back] S.W.A.K. CONTROL SECTION {Postmark} U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE 1 BPO 30 OCT 1944 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Agnes_1944-06-27 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Van Der Weide, Agnes Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-06-27 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, June 27, 1944 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, dated June 27, 1944. The envelope is sent from 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W., Grand Rapids, Michigan, dated June 28, 1944. In the letter, Agnes describes the hot weather conditions she is experiencing while anxiously awaiting to hear from Joe and details the gifts she will be sending him on the following day. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href=" https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href=" http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fb034fcf0ca4ef40e190fc86b177df2e.pdf 299148485d3bfc9ddfab119bc73e6667 PDF Text Text ���� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/55546846aa4f69aa48935d3dafc68c0e.pdf 724c81c924297d3f2a70d0621b298510 PDF Text Text [RHC-93_Agnes_1945-03-13] [Page 1] March 13, 1945 My dearest Darling: Received your V-mail of Mar. 4, and sure was glad to hear from you again. I sure hope the letters keep coming like they used too, and you’ll feel more like writing. Do you think you’re going to like your new assignment? Its such a relief to me to know you’re not going back to the front again. I still love you with all my heart “darling” and miss you very much. I’m praying that you’ll soon get a furlough and come home to me. I sure do like the picture you sent me “sweets” and I keep looking at it all the time. I want to thank {red lipstick imprint} [Page 2] you again for the souveners in case you don’t get some of my letters. Spring is almost here again. How time does fly! Do you ever hear anything of Ray? I haven’t heard anything about him for ages. Alice wrote and told me Carolyn’s brother is getting married. He’s marrying a girl from Maine. I don’t think Carolyn’s got a boyfriend. I wonder if she believes yet that we’re engaged. I shall have to close “sweets” because this is the last of my paper. All my Love Your future wife Agnes {signature accent mark} {red lipstick imprint} [Envelope front] Agnes Van Der Weide 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W. Grand Rapids 9, Mich. {Postmark} GRAND RAPIDS �MAR 14 3 PM 1945 MICH. VIA AIR MAIL S/Sgt. Joseph P. Olexa (12016893) [?] A.P.O. – [?] c/o Postmaster New York, N. Y. [Envelope back] S.W.A.K. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Joe Olexa letters Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Olexa, Joseph P. Van Der Weide, Agnes Description An account of the resource Collection of letters between Joseph Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide, dating from 1941 to 1946. Olexa fought in the U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division, Company "L", and eventually attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Over the course of World War II, Olexa was engaged in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. He fought in the Invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Belgium, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge. While deployed abroad, Olexa maintained regular correspondence with Agnes Van Der Weide, a young woman he met through mutual friends. Agnes was the daughter of Benjamin and Minnie (Ter Meer) Van Der Weide. The Van Der Weide family lived in Jamestown, Michigan and Ashburnham, Massachusetts until moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. While the letters do not contain details relating to Olexa's military activities, due to heavy censorship of soldiers' correspondence by the U.S. Army, the letters do depict the daily activities of an infantry soldier and illustrate the blossoming romance between the two. Joseph and Agnes were married July 23, 1945, and lived in West Michigan until Agnes's death in 1993. Joseph Olexa died December 3, 2000. They were survived by their son, Karl Olexa. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1946 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence (RHC-93)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93 Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-93_Agnes_1945-03-13 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Van Der Weide, Agnes Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1945-03-13 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, March 13, 1945 Description An account of the resource Handwritten letter and envelope with transcript by Agnes Van Der Weide to Joe Olexa, dated March 13, 1945. The envelope is sent from 1913 Berkley Ave. S.W., Grand Rapids, Michigan, dated March 14, 1945. In the letter, Agnes expresses her relief over Joe's new assignment away from the front lines and hopes he will receive a furlough to return home once again. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army. Infantry Division, 26th World War, 1939-1945 Soldiers -- Michigan Correspondence Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href=" https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/543">Joseph P. Olexa WWII memoir and correspondence, (RHC-93)</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href=" http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives