503
24
26018
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6f3412f5ef08ac0750c22352a4131495.pdf
6a18a0653caa2425828ddabe04bc4157
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_CW1-8369-3
Title
A name given to the resource
Letters from John Q. Adams, 60th Illinois Infantry, to his wife Kate
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1863-10-02
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Adams, John Q.
Adams, Sarah C.
Fogarty, S.
Subject
The topic of the resource
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
United States. Army. Illinois Infantry Regiment, 60th (1862-1865)
Description
An account of the resource
Letters from John Q. Adams, 60th Illinois Infantry, to his wife Kate, and letter from Capt. S. Fogarty to Kate informing her of John's capture. John wrote to Kate from Tuscumbia, Alabama on August 24, 1862 and from Murfreesboro, Tennessee on August 13, 1863. On Oct. 7, 1863 Kate received a letter from Capt. S. Fogarty informing her that John was unharmed, but taken prisoner in Tennessee on Oct. 2, 1863. Related collection at the University of Southern Mississippi McCain Library.
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/eb06702526118a2b229fc91d76f4699d.pdf
a9262d941e349006fd7cba2ac79f8fc1
PDF Text
Text
11
.,-'.Termaat
~730 Westlane Drive N.E.,
Grand Rapids, Michigan k9505
25 Februari ·1987.
Basto vrienden ,
De politiok~ situatie in Alkmaar voor de oorlo~ ~&1' een verw.flrd en
verdeeld boold • !Sr.ezien V.tln de !'-qr~erij , waren er in '!l')>r.eentedienst
een u.!ltal led.on of geheime leden v,n de N.S.B. l')ll /,rnold M"yer's
nationaal Front.
(;nier hen bevond.en zic:i li. alravo:n Co~ssiris va.-i Politi~ , V!l'l'l misrlevelt Inspectour van folitie en de a.~btensron FRber, J~n fl~s, Ei v,n den
.• euvel en as els •
~·roe~ in de beztti~ or1tvinr, ik het eerste nu"'f'Tlcr v.m Vrij ?Je:!el"l111n<l
anoniem por post, en ver~en1gvuldi~1'3 dat.
'\,.
.iet werd door r,ij o.a. a4n ~as els en · 1as n~n~eboden. Do re,ctie
van do eerst~ , zoals ik d eerder heb P"esc11reven l'3tt~rlijk :
Zo moesten eon fuik zetton voor de :iervorm~ l'm de Gerefor"lieerde Kerken
ä.an -ws.s het wol uit Met dat (sorry) vordorrrle verzet • Fbs sloot zie:i
hierbij a.a.n • '.adien ·kon ik door·~a~n n:~t het. copieren v,n Vrij 'e-:J9rh.nd
door nedewarkinri: vsn d<3 concîer;,-e C. V~l''l ""J!'rl~nt die mij "s avonds
binnnn liot.
Van dan 'euv~l , ~las an ~els Ma.akten zich verdienstolijk bij de bezott~r
door rnonsP-n te dwin~en te uaan werk~n op het vlie~veld Berren.
De eerste twoo worden beloond o.a. met het gebruik v~n een auto en
benzine bonnen van het JUitsc~e le~er •
•~erkw!lardir- dnt die auto en benzino e13n zonderlijke wondin~ n.•ur: •
Je ,.S.l ,. hie1-:l op eon ?'Or:-~von darr een de"l!onstr "tie voor het Stadhuis
in de Lan!".estraat te Alkmaar. Na de 't4,ospraken gingen do rechteramen
om.~oorr en werd er iets r:ezonpen.
·
Vanaf da ho~e stenen brwç naderde oen-auto met jonillge mensen , ·bestuurd
door een zoon van V4n don Heuvel zon-:ler rijbewijs, welke pardoes inreed
op do e-roep r;.s.D.ers • Arrestaties volgden en toen bleek dnt het hier
eon Duitso~e auto welke benzine rebru.ikte van ne Duitsche le~er instantios, werd deze"diefstel" r,estraft mot de arrestatie va.n Ed vande11
Heuvel, die daardoor in een_ concentr11tiekamp terec:it kwam, w&ar hij
ovorlead • Plas ~dst zich dasrbuit~n te houden.
Van den Heuvel en Plas r:aven aan de Gestapo do namen door van man't'lAn
die door hen Favaarlijk warden ~eacht voor de Duitsc:ie bez~tt~.
Zij behoorden tot die groep welke de Februari stakin~ in 1911 or~anL
seerde. De Inspecteur van }:aarlevelt mankte zich daarna verdienstelijk
door deze mensen uit hun wonimen te ranselen naär de overvalwa~ens.
Gaan heoft het overleefd • :e;;sen als Joh,m Korver on Ioin K°lasin": en
vele andoren werden slachtoffers.
1:adat het fetij voor de P.s.B •. 'a~ "'ationul Fron't berron te verlopen
gaf de opric~til'llI van de B.S. op 5 Serte~bor 1911 Jan Flns aanloidinovoor eon soort macht~reep, niet in het Minst o~ zijn verloden to'verbargen. rlij koesterde een abnormale haat teren W!lt·de O.D. had biji:redragen • "a V~ Day hadden 1,.'1.j eon fotoreportao-e irw:oric~t in de l-1n)f'estraat
hook :. ui~brouwerstr~ut • c" a. w11s daarin opç,-eno-:rion e~n foto van het lijk
van i.annie Schaft Met een kleine schot"-"OJ'.lri in haar slaap •
Jan Flits vérwijderde die foto •
z.o.z.
,
,.•.
.
�.
De overste Gonlag gaf Mr.5urlage en mij de cp1r~cht or, rapport ui~
te bre'1.~en OYAr de omstandigheden waiironder eeb lid vnn de B.s. was
r.esneuvclà. îocn ~-:i.j zijn persoonlijke bezittingen na~inren, zat
2.ijl1 rortc:rmi11,:- vol m0t foto's van hem temidden r.:roepen Duitsche
sol.:1:1-:.e:~ • ~· cor was het J.:in Fl11.s die deze foto's wernr.m •
(',,.-1cr d: i....,r.ri,rntur van Jn.n Plas en tevens <ie na.11m VRn de Stichting
191 0/1 ·; b ~isbruikon , wer;'l 38· j1.1ren n1.1 de oor]o"' eon boekj~ uit_
;:-:e::-0v11:~ :.i-::t bcruc11t '\-Tl?r.1 ,foor het l-:eq}.-ton van zovel9 n1.1men van vor~ie~sto7 ij :,c v .c:rz.cts:"le:1s"1"\ P-'1 vordr~ .,ir.,.. on "-•C," '"latinr: van feiten •
.J 3.:, : 7 -.~ ,,-ls t br:tor •r:H'!' 1,".}rsc':1rncf rie r-i,sc'.1iorl nis voor politieko
rP:1cn:.•n , ri'.'. ']'.:. t j,:, '"ll)~stn c-Atuir:m1 wr.ren over11:'drm •
:t!0 ir-~~~2.~.' :tur 1-:'[1S cr;!J sc""!..., '1:1f'.1.
l'-1 is or:::-lo ,..,:~ lv~zr•tti'1- r.i~t. n~r
11
'icc i'lc,i o!' nv,.,.,,t~ l,li')ro ""!'?:1 bP.h.'.lve ;is :ic~~nt1:v ;is t~r,v l-:on]~
in y;e,'.'.!n ti"'!':' Il
?,r:,o s~'.,re')f r~~"rn1 Sir c1 0',·1 :.,.c'~r::tt •
In 19'•:; 1-: :is i'.-: ,~r:>1Jr d,.,_ ?m•-P'.')'}1'.!Sbn· v:,-, i-lb::i"'.r uit,...on0-.--Jir-i o~ els
V'Jcr-;:-.,li - v~rz~tsstrij·hr d'J l O_jnri"e :1rird,nl:i•r bij tn "'on~n !tlS
zijn .~ ast •
:· !; in :;€' 1 lr:-·~:-cr 1?21
in :ïj-r:~- en te ieb~en d<é>~l : -- cno'T'r>!1 l'l"!'l 1e
bi)·v-ri,:i·:i•r s•101".:>m1:iri~ in è.ic st-;-:1 , W'J s :r.ijn ou·h woonpl:1,its 11an
:-!'ote trr::~·r-•l'}iStP.r •
û: c:1t~0stti:: bij die hordcnkin~ in :\lkm,,•n· we~r de r':n:i toin r,1sters
destijds tOP.;::-evoc:_,;d a:in do First Cl(füfl(I:::anlldi:rn :\rmy , :·.:::irinus :.1~rbus ,
a.1!!.n Groet , ,' ri~ Vtl"l den Eur7 an ::nvrou,,_. de ~,onr , '\-.'O':lm..·o van Dirk
r:iA '\"()~:-- ·;n..,r ".1 :·•-=)n ~·,.~ n0r"\'..":;• nsc~ott:?n •
:..}: r"'l,: èo;;l aan een 'i"; intorvieu"' on woorida de h-~'1S1!:lc-r·inc- bij
op de ~r:iven v:m do tm,,, ~nerlsche vliecrers op de r l";r:?!"l<.:me Be""raafplat1.t~ door a~ r;url!c".".oestt1rs van fl lhllnr en va.11 hn11r zusterstad
?,at~ in sn~ola~d •
, :ijn broer en zijn vrouw en mijn zoo:-i en ik w~ron de nnip-en die de
nooit8 hn~d,;n r-Ano:"len na:,;r-bij ter-~nvoor:ii~ t~ zijn.
Voor ik ec'.1tl:!r r, lkm:ur wirliet had I l.qs no:,,- ..:et t.~ ze,...,,.en •
;·'oton:fo r.at ik ½P-'!! al in 19l O 0'1 19L'l had r--esir--nP.lA1:rd , viel hij mij
bijnellià.C?:,elijk R-'in o.a. over de r:lo011 v,1n m'rrncientj'3 11 • Dit ·w1s in
feit') '10 ,'.";r.,!';bro srionne ?r!!~Sjq ,fo '•'unk •
:!ij --=-ciro-3,,. zie~ alsof liij di:i Stic'ltinr, 191 O/l '5 Kis on denr-J ::1e-'lP,dclin~en
zoo vij~~~i~ en ~at8lijk dat duidelijk bleek dat hij tot allos in
stn-'.lt l-:1 s , voornl to':!n ik h'31'1 herinn13rdFJ a'l.n zijn sl.'lc~toff'ers v,1.n
0
19l 0/ l 1 •
\, cl ontv-'i~"''Jl!J'! o~ze h,irte}j jk rror.:itP,YJ rm best11 WP,nc;rm. •
L3. .1 t el)ns v0tcn over cl~ y:J innnn voor eer. br.:ite!'0 r,utilil.:'ltie r111n
fl -'.l.s 1 bo'3kj0. \ls <Jr vr~~rm zij~ o:-n ~111'?s te- ·coor 'lin'3r'3n , l'lat
1
het mij
d:t"".
w1-1t11~ •
Je;1 .ieer e!l. :,8vrouw :;.!; •. ,,rbus •
�Piet en Jannie Termaat
1730 Wastlane Drive N.E.,
Gra.m Rapids , r:ic~ifan l!9505
27 Januari 1987
Beste wienden,
U'll te beginnen met _typefouten maakt geen erg goede indruk;
r;ecf or da stijve vinr.-ers maar de schuld 11an.
Cm maar met de deur in huis te VAllen, hier is dan een varvolr
op mjn brief van 6 Januari j.l.
~n~esloten heb ik het vol~endP-:
een afsc11rift vnn mijn brief aan Vevrouw Feld van vandaaic ;
e8', hoofdartikel uit Trouw van 30 CctobP.r 19L·3 ;
een artikel uit het :Jieuws val'l den d:i!; V!!n 2 J:mugri 191 1
""
rr.8t enn korte notmtie van 1939 vr.n Dr.cif>. Brouwer;
een afs~~rift van een ~uitsche inst~ntin vavi Juli 19~0 ovor
Dr.Colijn en hêt deolneman van NS3-ers a,m rlo inva1 in '~erierland
een afschrift van de oproep om in1ichti'rren i"1 hot :Ioordhollandsch
Ja-:-bhd van 17 Juni 19u omtrent ?"ransje 1fo ~'. unk ( zij W'lS de
s\i0~ die voor de Gestapo werkte en nij vorri'Xl :
;çn afsc~1!'ift V'ln 'r.ijn ontslacr O!'.' VP.rzoet~ V."1'1 28 >lei 19L5 ,
getekend door de kapit•ün Luris ;
een afsci~rift VR.n een brief van r.~evrouw Vorsc~ure , een P.:einterneerde !JSB-st"3r a11n mijn vader ter i,elagonheid van zijn verjaardar
in l9L:6 ;
een afschrift van zuster Slvira vn::-i ,et St. Slis<?bet~ Ziekf:\nhuis
in /, 1k:r:aar , ter rele;;ren~eid v11'1 de s1 ui tinr; van het internerin1:sk1lll1p
aa.~ de Westerwer te fl.lkmaar, gericht aan mijn vader.
Zoals ik al aan Eevrouw Feld schreef, heb ik eon onderhoud ~ehad
mot Gerrit van Slinpeland nadnt 5urp.er.i"}estor van Kinschot in be;dn
191;2 was ontsla.f"en ~ van S. werd toen loco-bur;:,_-emeester maar weigerde or,1 dio positie op principale redenen te verlaten •
In dat zelfde voorjaar werd er twoo maal eon k~be1 ~es4boteerd
welke naar het door de Duitschers bezette vlieP'veld Berc;,;1m
leidde • Jat voorjaar , toen ik >nijn ontsla'< n!lm v;in het G.fl.B.,
en ik een telefoon drin~end noii~ had ook al voor het verzet,
heb ik een gesprek gehad met de plaatselijke leidinr van de telefoondienst. Er waren wel toestellen aanwezirr in het ma~azij~ ma11r in het
geheel ~een kabel. hls ik voor k8bel kon zorren zouden zij hem wel
aansluiten. Binnen enkele da'"'en kon ik de hand lerrP-en op onl!eVe'3r
~ meter Duitsc,e kabel , vim zo'n kw~.!titeit dat de F.T.T~ m~;,sen dio
hem kwl'l:nmn aa.nslui te11 zeiden : "da 'lr kun je wei 5 dozijn toestellon
op aansluiten 11 • Wij woon:icn toen in l1ct huis Sorfstr•rnt 28 ( later
'Tieen ik vernu.~ard ) en har:lden o:1ze telefoon •
Zo!ils ~cT.eln heb ik sinds Jir1u:tri 1931.1 tot Juni 19l 1 als collar"a.
Sa."l'len·•ewerl:t met Jan 1tlas • ~iet WA s in hat R-lr::e"'leen eAn f"O&'.le verhoudinf , bohalve al~tot poli tiok kwa~ • Jlm beschom::le het ac:,teraenvol<?ens aan do macht ko~o11 van Sa.lazar , ;;ussolini, Hitlar en
Fra..'YlcO , .als eon t'3kon dR.t het rijk va.n K~rel V wel e'3:'1S kon worden
hersteld • :iij werkte samen n:et l:llebrants va.n het C. ri. B. om Salazar' s
b0ek: 11 Jo corporatieve sta-'lt" an, de man te bren<;en.
i,al, ontvan~ onze hartelijk~ ~roeten en boste we~s~n. Hoop binnnekort
te vervoleen • hls er eni~e vra.ren zijn dia ik welJicht zou ku."'lne!l
beantwoorden zal ik die ,;ras,,. o!'ltv11n;r,An.
�
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_DOC_1987-02-25_Marbus-letter
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Marbus, M. A.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1987-02-25
Title
A name given to the resource
Letters from M. A. Marbus
Description
An account of the resource
Two letters from M. A. Marbus to Pieter and Adriana Termaat relating to the political and social conditions in the Netherlands before and during World War II. In Dutch.
Subject
The topic of the resource
World War, 1939-1945 -- Netherlands
Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945
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/56ed6b2a8332a3b5ccbf339a59936e5a.mp3
db107890f08abc01f98bed836b8500d0
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f724a64f5b4935b8bfb291985ce7f53d.pdf
5b1d8cdf28978dc432392adffbabb3c7
PDF Text
Text
Letting Go – Reaching Out
From the Eastertide sermon series: Easter People
Scripture: Mark 3:19b-21, 31-35; John 19: 25-27; Acts 1:12-14
Richard A. Rhem and Collette Volkema DeNooyer
Christ Community Church
Spring Lake, Michigan
Ascension Day Sunday, May 12, 1991
Transcription of the spoken sermon
Text:
“Whoever
does
the
will
of
God
is
my
brother,
my
sister,
my
mother.”
Mark
3:35
On Thursday last, the Christian Church celebrated the Festival of the Ascension,
although this significant event in our calendar gets hardly a notice. Its truth is
that the risen Christ lives in the very presence of God, that he is our reigning Lord
and our friend at the throne of the universe, pleading our cause. In the Book of
Acts, we are told that Jesus showed himself alive for forty days and then was seen
by the disciples enveloped in a cloud and “lifted up.” Therefore, the Church
names the 40th day after Easter Ascension Day, the event that completes the
Easter miracle and sets the stage for the miracle of Pentecost, the pouring out of
the Spirit on the Church, to be celebrated next Lord’s Day.
Today, then, we are still in the Season of Eastertide - the last of the Great
Sundays of the Season of Easter, waiting now for the day of Pentecost.
Some months ago as I was contemplating the preaching for Eastertide, I decided
on a series of biographical messages on biblical people whose lives were
transformed by encounter with the Risen Lord - Peter and Thomas, Barnabas and
Paul. And then I realized that this Sunday, the one between Ascension and
Pentecost, was also Mother’s Day and I went through my annual struggle with
how to handle Mother’s Day when it falls on a High Holy Day.
For one thing, at CCC we have broadened this day to include the Christian family.
We have recognized that, while for some this day is filled with beauty, for others
its remembrance brings sharp pain, for not only the ideal, the wholeness of family
life, but also the hurt of brokenness is part of our human situation.
And so, how do we celebrate this day that has one meaning on the church
calendar and another on the secular calendar?
© Grand Valley State University
�Letting Go – Reaching Out
Richard A. Rhem
Page 2
It occurred to me that there is a narrative from Luke’s Acts of the Apostles that
takes place between the event of ascension and the day of Pentecost. Following
the experience of the ascension of Jesus and the outpouring of the Spirit, the
disciples were in the upper room together praying, and with them were some
women, among whom was Mary, the mother of our Lord.
And there it was - my Easter person for this Sunday - Mary, mother of Jesus;
Mary, mother of us all. What a rich source of reflection this one provides. Think
of the biblical story of her experience.
As I thought on these things, “pondering them in my heart,” I realized I had never
done a biographical sermon on Mary. And yet I have frequently thought about it.
In my earlier years, I think I simply did not know what to do with this woman full
of grace.
I knew that in the Roman Catholic tradition she was venerated to superhuman
heights. Such dogma as her perpetual virginity, her bodily assumption into
heaven, her role as co-mediatrix with her son raised serious questions in my
narrowly-formed Protestant mind. I was suspect of the “Hail Marys” in the
Catholic piety.
But I also knew our knee-jerk Protestant reaction and rejection resulted in our
failure to give this woman her due and failed to bring into our devotion that soft
feminine dimension which is so important because of our mistaken ascription of
maleness to God Who transcends our sexual differentiation. It has been a great
loss we’ve suffered because we’ve failed to see Mary in the wonder of her faith,
obedience and human transformation.
Mary, peasant girl. Mary, recipient of God’s special call to be mother of our Lord.
Mary, entertainer of angels. Mary, recipient of the Spirit’s creative energy. Mary,
witness of her son’s cruel crucifixion. Mary, in the wake of Easter in prayer for the
Holy Spirit. Who was this woman? How was she transformed?
I’ve never preached on her life, even though over 30 years ago I heard a moving
first person sermon which I still remember. But, I also remember that I felt some
dissonance because Mary’s experience came to expression in a man’s voice.
How can a man possibly bring to expression the experience, the feelings of this
great woman, this mother of us all?
And so, I’ve never dared presume to speak for Mary. Yet, I’m certain her story of
transformation would enrich us all. If only she could tell her own story...
(Mary has been walking down the aisle during these last words; she pauses at
the base of the steps of the chancel. Mr. Rhem notices. No words are exchanged.
He gets up, offers the stool to her, and returns to his seat. Mary begins...)
© Grand Valley State University
�Letting Go – Reaching Out
Richard A. Rhem
Page 3
“Have you ever had someone, when they were introducing you, sing your praises?
It can make you squirm a bit. You wonder how long it will take them to know the
real you, the one, you know, who from your perspective falls far short of the one
being described. You wonder whether with all integrity you shouldn’t be the first
to admit what they are certain, eventually, to discover for themselves.
Can you imagine, then, what it has been like for me? You’ve seen the paintings,
and the statues. I am eternally innocent, always delicately beautiful, holier than
most. Always somewhat elevated, above it all, gazing down from stained glass or,
if a statue, just above eye level, perched in a niche carved out of the sanctuary
wall, inevitably cast with an all-knowing look of divine wisdom.
‘All-knowing.’ Let me tell you how it really was - to be Mary, the mother of Jesus.
At first, terrifying. Pregnant. Unwed. I took a deep breath and took on the world,
at the age of 13. I knew scorn and disbelief awaited me when I told them what I
knew - knew beyond all knowing - that the child growing within me was blessed
by God, chosen by God, that somehow God was even in the fathering. I remember
their looks, their whispers. I burned with ... shame? No, it wasn’t really shame. It
was more with the fear and frustration of being unable to prove my integrity, to
prove that, despite outward appearances, I, too, was blessed, loved by God. That I
had been chosen - chosen to bear a child who one day the world would call
Emmanuel – ‘God with us.’
And then the birth. I was frightened. And yet, having the child is the easy part,
isn’t it? Raising them, nurturing them, loving them - that is the art. And it seems
you know how to do it best by the time you bid farewell to the last one. He was
my first, Jesus was. What I lacked in experience, hopefully I made up for in time time to tell the stories, time to teach him the ways, the tradition, the
responsibilities. Our people, Israel, had been blessed by God so that we might be
a blessing. I taught him that - faithfully.
He has been called a child ‘full of grace and truth.’ Ah, he was that. I am, of
course, unabashedly prejudiced. But that did not make him an easy child. He was
bright. And Nazareth was not exactly a bustling center of learning. He was
frustrated, I know, many times - yearning for more. It really shouldn’t have
surprised me, that year in Jerusalem, when he could not pull himself away from
the Temple, that he would love to be there, in the midst of the rabbis and the
elders, asking questions to his heart’s content. Good questions they were, too. At
least the ones I overheard.
Had I really been all-knowing, I would have seen then, that that moment was his
first significant step away from me. He was almost 13, almost a man. It was time
for me to begin letting go. But, all the years of care and love - and now to risk it
all? It can be so hard. I’m sure you know.
© Grand Valley State University
�Letting Go – Reaching Out
Richard A. Rhem
Page 4
When he took the pilgrimage out into the desert to encounter John the Baptist,
son of my cousin Elizabeth, that was the next step. He went out to the wilderness
to receive John’s baptism. When he returned, I thought, I hoped, that he would
be content for a time, that he would pick up his carpenter’s tools and be part of
the family again. But, it wasn’t to be. Something had happened to him out in that
desert wilderness. His friends told me that he had experienced God’s Spirit
descending upon him like a dove, that God’s voice had called him. He had come
home to follow that call, to bring the voice he had heard to all who had eyes to see
and ears to hear.
He began preaching and teaching and even healing. He spoke with such authority
- it fascinated people. It made me uneasy. His words, and his actions: associating
openly with sinners, healing on the Sabbath - they flew in the face of our
traditions and mores.
Once I had stood and faced the world, strong in my truth, so I understood the
need to take a stand. I knew he was a grown man, old enough to be responsible
for his own consequences. And yet, when I heard that he had returned home
again from Capernaum, heard that crowds were gathered at his door, heard the
neighbors and scribes saying that he was dangerous, a devil, out of his mind,
primal motherly instincts surged to the surface. His brothers and I went to the
house where he was staying and called for him to come out, come home, come to
his senses.
Do you know what he said? The word came back to us that when they had given
him our message, he looked around at those who sat about him and said, ‘Who
are my mother and my brothers? Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever
does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother.’
I was stunned! Hurt. But, there was something -a truth - in what he said. Not one
I wanted to hear, really. I tried to get my heart around it. His words spoke of
something larger than the intimate family, even the Jewish family. ‘Whoever does
the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother...’
His ministry was short - barely three years - and then came his fateful
determination to go to Jerusalem. His friends warned him. And I knew. It did not
take divine omniscience to know that there he would most probably meet his end.
He knew it, too, I think. But, to watch them crucify him - there is nothing natural
or normal in watching the life that you birthed, the child you suckled, the
innocent infant you watched blossom into an adult, hang there, screaming in
pain, suffering, dying. Dear God! Why is this what they do to you when you speak
the only truth you know?
I couldn’t bear to watch ... and I couldn’t bear to leave. And then I heard him
speak, barely. He was so weak. ‘Woman, behold your son.’ And then, ‘Son, behold
your mother.’
© Grand Valley State University
�Letting Go – Reaching Out
Richard A. Rhem
Page 5
I was aware of arms around me. John, the one they called The Beloved, was there,
with me. Behold. My son. Who was my son? My son, my son was dying. And yet,
the arms of another son surrounded me, supported me. ‘Whoever does the will of
God.’ Even in that dark night of grief, a light was beginning to dawn.
And then a blaze of light - Easter light. Mary, the one called Magdalene, she came
running with the news. The tomb was empty and - she has seen him!
I take a deep breath - and take on the world, once again. Let them gaze at me with
disbelief -He lives! I know it beyond all knowing. And because he lives, I know he
was right. It took time for the truth he spoke to seep through the pain and the
grief. ‘Who are my brothers and my sisters, my mother?’ Who are my sons and
my daughters? ‘Whoever does the will of God.’ That is the realization that
transformed me! He was showing me the way to let go, and receive something
more. Wasn’t that so often at the heart of his message?
Who am I, you ask? I am a mother who had a mother’s hopes and dreams, of
children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A mother who felt she had a
right and a responsibility to demand that her son come home, come to his
senses, be the son she had dreamed he would be – the long-awaited Messiah
king, who would sit on the throne of David forever, and she, perhaps the Queen
Mother? If I am honest...
I’ve let all that go because he was right. The definition of family which is simply
biological or legal can hinder, even obstruct the coming of the Kingdom. I almost
did. But, even beyond that, I needed to recognize such definitions exclude those
who no longer have those ties, and can cause deep pain for those whose family
relations were destructive, or manipulative. He was right – true family
transcends our traditional definitions.
So, I am reaching out now, joining hands with brothers and sisters, sons and
daughters who believe, who strive to live as he taught us to live, who try to love as
he loved. I am waiting with them now, my family in Jerusalem, for the coming of
his spirit which he has promised to send.
You could reach out, too. Whether you are here today with a family or alone, if
you feel comfortable doing so, reach out and take the hand of the one on your
right and your left. Do it now. Know that this one can be your mother, your
father, your sister, or brother, your son, your daughter. Why? Because we all
belong to the One God who was there to hear our borning cry and who has
promised to be there with us when we have breathed our last. Welcome to the
Family of God!”
(This message was begun by Richard A. Rhem, Minister of Preaching. The
message continued in dramatic narrative by Colette V. DeNooyer, Minister for
Children.)
© Grand Valley State University
�Letting Go – Reaching Out
Richard A. Rhem
© Grand Valley State University
Page 6
�
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
Ascension Sunday
Series
Easter People
Scripture Text
Mark 3:35
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-0-19910512
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1991-05-12
Title
A name given to the resource
Letting Go - Reaching Out
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
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio/mp3
application/pdf
Description
An account of the resource
A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on May 12, 1991 entitled "Letting Go - Reaching Out", as part of the series "Easter People", on the occasion of Ascension Sunday, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Mark 3:35.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
Ascension Day
Community of Faith
Eastertide
Inclusive
Mary
Mothers Day
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/768e4f3e765ca2b0b2cb09609462655d.jpg
ee5f6a2a336c7a8fdd1d6b65f6b392c3
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
Robert H. Merrill photographs
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1909/1950
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222)
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
In Copyright
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-222
Description
An account of the resource
Photographs, negatives, and lantern slides digitized from the papers of engineer and archaeologist Robert H. Merrill. A Grand Rapids native, Merrill held an accomplished career as a civil engineer. He founded the company Spooner & Merrill, which held offices in Grand Rapids and Chicago. From 1919-1921, Merrill lived in China, working as Assistant Principal Engineer on a reconstruction of the Grand Canal - the oldest and longest canal system in the world. Merrill became fascinated by archaeology, and among other projects, he traveled to the Uxmal Pyramids in Yucatan, Mexico, with a research expedition from Tulane University. Merrill's photo collection includes images of his travels and projects, friends and family.
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
Merrill_Graflex_A_1936_003
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1936-05-30
Title
A name given to the resource
Leverett and Taylor Ft. Wayne
Description
An account of the resource
Black and white photograph of two men, Dr. Frank Leverett and [?] Taylor. A person's shoulder is visible in the bottom left corner of the frame.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Ft. Wayne (Ind.)
Archaeologists
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222)
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
In Copyright
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955
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/8d3d76a365f84fbeb5482464f02f7689.mp4
ee23c3a0f1af6e0e90d60cede8e40541
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f6015a304c019728650366f552997a1c.pdf
c7a8193c8e8795d4698e77bed873f854
PDF Text
Text
Grand Valley State University
Veterans History Project Interview
Depression and World War II
Estelle Levin
Length of Interview: 1:41:37
(00:00)
JS: We’re talking today with Estelle Levin, of Cascade, Michigan. The interviewer is James
Smither of Grand Valley State University. Mrs. Levin, can you start by telling us a little bit
about your background. Where were you born and where did you grow up?
EL: Well, I was born in Glendale, California. I grew up on the north shore of Chicago. I grew
up in a suburb there, Glen Cove. When the war came, my family was not the only one that had
this problem. You could not get oil to heat the house, ‘cause most houses out there were not coal
burning.
JS: Let’s back up a little bit. Let’s fill in a little bit more before we get you there. For example,
when did you move from California to the Chicago area?
EL: I was three years old when my parents moved to Evanston, Illinois. We lived there for
about three years and then we moved to Glen Cove.
JS: Okay. Now why did your family move?
(00:58)
EL: Why does any family move? The father’s business, his job. And my dad was an inventor.
And he found fields to be much more fertile in the Chicago area than they had been out in
California. He was interested in the manufacturing of fountain pens. He made the first fountain
pen that did not have a rubber sack in it. And he needed the support of other manufacturers, at
that time it would have been Parker Pen Company in Janesville, Wisconsin. So that’s really how
we moved to Chicago. Then of course, once there, he commuted from Glen Cove, like all the
other fathers did. Mothers took their husbands down to the train station, that went on the north
shore or Northwestern, depending on where they were going. And then they were all back there
again at 5:30, 6:00, to pick them up again and bring them home. It was a very lovely life. It was
the beginning of suburban life. But when the war came, when the advent of the war came,
everything changed. You could not get oil to heat your house. There was no way to convert
those houses to coal. So that was one thing. It was too expensive as far as gas for cars. That
also became a premium item. Ultimately, that was rationed, along with meat, along with sugar,
along with shoes. Everybody had a ration book.
(2:39)
EL: For example, by the time I was old enough to go to college, I went to college with my ration
book. It was almost more important than my diploma. ‘Cause if you didn’t have a ration book,
you didn’t get anything to eat.
�JS: Now when did you start college?
EL: 1941. September of 1941.
JS: Okay. So there was rationing in place then, even prior to Pearl Harbor.
EL: Yes. Yes. It was, and I believe, from my study of history, that Roosevelt knew the war was
coming but he did not know we were going to get hit in Pearl Harbor. Because when this
happened, the Japanese ambassador was still in this country. And he got out, just at that time.
So they knew. They knew it was going to happen. As the war progressed, now we’re in the war
and we’re really the suppliers for all of Europe, for all the Allies, I should say, the rationing
system was operative. It was not something they diddled around with. It was operative.
(03:48)
EL: The other thing that was operative, and which it just amazes me that we haven’t done
anything like that with this war, was the whole saving bond program. I mean, if you…you were
confronted with this all the time, bond rallies. If anybody could buy a bond for $18.75 and hold
it and have it mature until $25, you could…there were more expensive bonds, but everything
was at a level that the ordinary person could participate in it. And as far as kids were concerned,
my sister was seven years younger than I, Tuesday was bank day. You could bring a dime and
get a sticker in your book, which would ultimately add up to the cost of a bond. And it was built
up from the very bottom of the population. I remember my sister was part of the MacArthur
Youth Core, General MacArthur. And each time you, it was a whole program. Each time you
did something a little bit more, you got elevated to the next level and you got a sticker that you
could wear.
(04:57)
EL: So there was a building up of an attitude which had just not existed in this situation. I was
on campus, at Knox College, when the war began. But the experience that we all had, on that…I
remember exactly where I was sitting, in that gymnasium, listening to Roosevelt. We had about
seven Nisei, Japanese American students. They were gone by the next day. We never really
understood why. They were interred probably with all the rest of them that were interred on the
west coast.
JS: The internment applied mostly to the people living on the west coast.
EL: No. Wherever there were Japanese students, they were off the campus.
JS: Well, that’s quite likely. They would not have been safe. The college people would
have…well, anyway, a number of things could have happened. In terms of what was legally
imposed by the government, it was primarily the western states, especially the pacific coast,
where official internment of the Japanese took place. And it didn’t place right after Pearl
Harbor. But the shockwaves were immediate.
(06:09)
�EL: Yes. We never really knew what happened to it. Perhaps this is my erroneous assumption,
because I don’t know where there were other places of internment.
JS: But they were there one day and gone the next.
EL: They were there and gone within twenty-four hours. And our whole life changed
dramatically. The building I lived in was a place called Whiting Hall. It was a girls dormitory.
It was built about 1870. And it had huge huge windows. We had blinds that we had to pull
down for privacy, but now all those rooms were equipped with blackout curtains. So that there
was no light coming through from those large windows. And then of course, we already had the
ration books. We came to college with the ration books. Knox was unusual in that they had
their own farmland, because it was a land grant school, but a private school. And they grew a lot
of their own produce and they had some of their own livestock. But we still had meat rationing.
(07:25)
JS: Right.
EL: Still had meat rationing. I never really thought that much about it, because at that time, you
just didn’t. Shoes were another story. Shoes were rationed and you got two pairs a year. That
meant that if there was a family that had growing children whose feet outgrew the shoes before
the next pair was available, somebody in the family gave up one of their ration tickets so that
they could get another pair of shoes. My sister and I…I’ve got to make a connection between
the war and the Depression. Because I was really a Depression child. And from my point of
view, and in my viewing of history, we didn’t really solve the Depression. The war solved the
Depression. One of the things that we did was to save aluminum foil. At that time, every piece
of chewing gum, every bit of candy bar, cigarettes, came with foil in the package. And my sister
and I, I can still see us sitting at the dining room table, smoothing out the foil. And when we got
a big enough ball, our dad would take it down to a place where you could get it weighed and they
would pay you for it. And that’s how we got spending money.
(08:47)
EL: We also got spending money by walking around with a little wagon, in the neighborhood,
city neighborhoods were not as neat as suburban neighborhoods, and they threw their tin cans,
their coke bottles, and you could take those back and get a nickel for them. So recycling was just
par for the course. You didn’t think otherwise. You didn’t think about it. I, by the time I was
sixteen, before I went away to school, I got a job in a local department store, Manilow’s,
working on Saturdays, in the basement. We had a shipment one particular day of nylon hose. It
was a riot. I don’t mean riot, fun. I mean a riot, there was a limit to two pair of hose. No ration
cards were involved in this. But there weren’t any hose. How we got these nylon hose, I don’t
know. But women were fighting for them. They were just fighting for them.
(09:49)
EL: There were shortages but everybody was in it. So nobody felt deprived, or victimized. And
I have to say, there was a different spirit than there is today. We all knew we were in this
together. There was a draft. If you were in college, and enrolled in a strategically important
program, you had more opportunity to avoid the draft. But by the time I left, I left Know College
�after my first year and went to be transferred to the University of Michigan, and the Japanese
language school was located there. And I mean…and also, the only topographical map of Japan,
in the whole United States, was located in the Geography department at the University of
Michigan. So the Japanese language school was there.
(10:59)
EL: You saw these fellas marching to and fro. There were very little social contacts with this
group. They were highly disciplined and highly trained. There were no cars. You walked.
Everyone was a lot healthier. It was cold but you still walked. You were aware that life was
changing. You didn’t quite understand how. I was involved with the Red Cross, both when I
was at Knox College and in Ann Arbor, and it was more than just rolling bandages. You actually
did some volunteer work in the hospitals, because key help was already involved in the build-up
as far as supporting what was going on. And the University of Michigan was located at Willow
run, which was the main manufacturing spot for the B-17s and the B-25s. And I subsequently,
the war was now still going on, I subsequently got a job in downtown Ann Arbor, at a clothing
store called the Darling Shops, I needed the money. I hated the job. But I needed the money.
(12:33)
EL: Our primary customers were from Willow Run. Huge amounts of people had come up from
the South, to work in the plants. And the reason I hated the job was because your job, my job, as
an employee, was to get two bucks out of these people and get them to sign a piece of paper and
then the store would get them for the rest of it, and it was just forever that they were paying, on
whatever this purchase was.
JS: Now what kinds of things were you selling?
EL: Clothing, primarily. Clothing. And that bothered me, that bothered me. Now, there were
other things. The draft. For those students, for the males that were still on campus, and there
were a lot of them, they had to report regularly to their draft boards. And if they didn’t keep
their grades up, they got swept up. And this was a fact, this was a fact of life. Scarcities, we
didn’t see as scarcities. It was just the way it was.
(13:49)
EL: I remember June 6, when the invasion began. I mean, the dorm was just abuzz at 6:30 in
the morning because it had come over on the radio. Remember, we had no television. We had
no instant messaging of any kind. A letter took forever. Transportation was primarily trains.
And I can remember going back and forth to Chicago one particular break and I rode standing up
halfway, because the train was so crowded. I wasn’t the only one. There were a lot of us. And
we just sort of, passengers who had seats would just get up and let you have a seat for a little
while.
(14:45)
EL: So there were a lot of dislocations. I think that the thing, I would like to bring out. There
were a lot of dislocations, but people accepted these things gracefully. There was just not some
of the whining you hear today. Now that may not be a nice thing to say, but I happen to feel that
we’ve been a pretty spoiled population. From the end of World War II until about, what, the
�early eighties, we’ve been through a period of our history that never was before and never will be
again. From an economic standpoint. And our kids grew up with, not necessarily with these
expectations, but just that’s the way it was. That’s the way it was.
JS: Sure.
(15:37)
EL: So, we’ve got a lot of things to face right now, I think. I don’t know how well prepared we
are for that.
JS: Well, certainly the economists are telling us what you just said. That we had this period of
prosperity and now, other people have caught up with us, and what happens. I’d like at this point
to backtrack a little bit and fill in a little bit more of sort of your own individual story and your
family story. Now when did you move from Glen Cove? Did you move into Chicago from Glen
Cove?
EL: Yeah. Yes.
JS: And what neighborhood or area did you move to?
(16:14)
EL: We were on the north side. 832 [Gunninson]. Which was a block off Sheridan Road. Oh, I
should tell you about how I got to high school. I went to [Senn] High School, and there was a
bus system that ran north and south on Sheridan Road, it did not go east and west. The high
school was east of Lake Michigan, and we were close to Lake Michigan. There were about ten
of us girls, we looked like the Tudor Ville Taxi. We’d pile into this taxi, ten cents apiece, with
our books. And if you weren’t there on time, you didn’t get the ride. So you were there on time.
And that’s how we got to school in the morning. If you had an eight o’clock class or homeroom,
you needed to be there early. Now coming home was a different thing. We all bought bus
tickets. The bus tickets were ten cents apiece but money was scarce, this was still in the
Depression. So if you could, you tried to walk home. I lived about twenty-eight blocks from
[Senn] High School, and when the wind wasn’t too bad, or the snow wasn’t too bad, I walked
home. I had a gorgeous figure. (laughs) I mean, you just didn’t get rides.
(17:42)
EL: My folks had a car but it sat on the street most of the time. We didn’t have a garage. It sat
on the street because we didn’t have gas. And so if it was something really important, my father
would take the car out. The problem was if you let the car sit and you didn’t use it, the battery
went out. So you had those things which were definitely a nuisance. Um, the school that I went
to had over five thousand students in it. My graduating class was over eight hundred. That’s
about the size of East Grand Rapids, you know.
JS: Yep.
(18:34)
�EL: So, um, we had an ROTC, which was very very active. I was involved in an international
relations class, which took me to the University of Chicago several times a month, along with
other students from the city, and we were focused on the issues that the country was facing. As a
matter of fact, the way that I got to college was through a scholarship that was given by the long
now-defunct League of Nations. My international relations teacher was very supportive and very
much a guide to all of her students and she had us entering this essay contest. Well, I won first
prize for the eight states of the Midwest. And then I found out, I’ll never forget this, she also
was the sponsor for the debate team, and the debate team used to go to the University of Chicago
and the Council of Foreign Relations.
(19:47)
EL: I was looking through this material last night, my old yearbook. And somebody wrote,
“You’re a swell debater. If you ever decide to run for President, I’ll vote for you instead of
FDR.” (laughter) Now that was another word I saw yesterday. I absolutely don’t ever
remember hearing that word, except in the “Music Man,” there is a line where the music man
talks about “swell’’ and something else. But in my yearbook, that word is all over the place.
You know, you’re swell this, you’re swell that. And I talked to my sister last night and I said, do
you ever remember any of that? She didn’t remember that either.
(20:34)
EL: Now another way that my sister earned money, there were contests sponsored by the
newspapers for kids. And she won a lot of them. What did she win? A dollar. Do you have any
idea what a dollar was at that time to a kid? A dollar, to win a dollar. That was just a huge sum
of money, in the ‘30s and early ‘40s. Everything is disproportionate now, it seems. Another
thing that we did, this is in high school. The Depression is still on. And we didn’t…first of all,
you couldn’t work if you weren’t sixteen. A lot of us lied to get jobs. Because we needed the
money. We needed it to get spending money. We needed it for the bus tickets. We also had
school supplies. Books were supplied by the school system. But there were other things that
you had to buy yourself. Paper, pencils, exam books, this kind of thing. We were very
cognizant of the value of money and, I remember many times, asking my dad if I could have my
allowance and he didn’t have it to give me.
(22:07)
EL: And my sister, of course, was in grade school and she would always manage to get by on
what she had saved from her aluminum foil that he had taken and sold. There was also a period,
now this is going back further, we’re still living in Glen Cove, but it’s the Depression. And one
day a week was sandwich day, in which everybody brought a sandwich to school and these were
collected and given to people who didn’t have anything to eat. I can tell you another thing that I
remember distinctly. You would not do this today. We had a little back entry into the house,
that was sort of a foyer, that you could close off from the rest of the house, but there was a place
to sit. Put your boots on, this kind of thing. And we had people, men, come to the door and
knock at the door and ask if we could spare any food. And my mother would always sit them
down in this room, make them some kind of a sandwich, give them a cup of coffee, and maybe
an extra little piece of something, and they’d be on their way. You know you wouldn’t let
anybody in your house like that today.
�(23:26)
EL: But I remember this. When we got to Chicago, I mean, we had cut back so much by then.
When I say my dad couldn’t give me an allowance at a particular time, things had just gotten
worse. And, we didn’t think of ourselves as porr, though. ‘Cause everybody else was in the
same boat.
JS: Now did your father still have some income, was he employed by anyone?
EL: No, he, that was the other part, that used to drive my mother nuts. He was an inventor.
There was a big table in the living room that he did all of his puttering on. I’ve got a box in the
basement, of all of his patens. He did sell the patens. I mean, but it was erratic. It was erratic.
(24:35)
EL: Oh, the run on the banks. I had to be about ten years old. We were still living in the
suburbs. And I went with my mother to the Hubbard Woods Bank. Hubbard Woods was a little
community between Winnetka and Glen Cove. But it was really the central commercial area for
both Winnetka and Glen Cove. We stood outside. It was so cold, Dr. Smither, it was so cold. I
don’t know…they wouldn’t let you in. I mean, they would let some people in, and then they let
them out. And you didn’t…my mother wanted to withdraw everything she had in the bank. You
didn’t get everything you had. They gave you a percentage. I don’t know what it was. My
mother never put another dime in the bank. She, it was wither under the mattress or under
something. I remember that very distinctly. Because now we are worrying about money.
(25:26)
EL: So I’d look around at these people who are losing their homes, we did not have that.
Somehow we had food to eat and a roof over our head. My father saw to that. But there were no
extras. A movie! My God. We never had any soft drinks at our house either. That was just
because of the cost. And because my mother didn’t believe in drinking all that sugar. An ice
cream cone, if it was your birthday, you got an ice cream cone. So the things we take for granted
today, you can go in a supermarket and just load up on, was just unheard of. Just unheard of.
JS: Something that strikes me a little bit from what you’ve said so far, from a modern
perspective, that at the same that you were not too far above the level of a subsistence level of
existing…
EL: I’m sorry, say that again.
JS: You were not too far above subsistence level of income. I mean, you had food, you had
shelter, but you didn’t have much beyond that, and that’s what we would associate today with
people who were really poor. At the same time that you had that, you were also going to a high
school that had stuff going on, that had some of these clubs and activities. You had opportunities
to go and do things, like take classes at the University of Chicago, so you’re sort of going to an
elite institution, you’re hooking up with people who can do things like find college scholarships.
There’s still an expectation that you can go to college. There’s a lot of things that don’t
necessarily go together with the way that things would work now.
�(27:05)
EL: That’s right.
JS: You went to a big city high school. If you go into a big city high school in Chicago, you
may get into some kind of a program that can help you, but the networks and the connections
don’t work the same way. It’s not as easy to move back and forth.
EL: No. it absolutely isn’t and I’m glad you brought that up, because in addition to going to the
University of Chicago, my real love was art. And that’s one of the things I found last night, and
I thought, oh my god, I’d forgotten all about this. I didn’t know I was that good. I also, while I
was in high school, had a scholarship at the Chicago Art Institute, on Saturday. I wanted to be a
fashion designer. Well… I always knew I was going to college. That was an expectation in my
family. How it was going to be paid for was just a big amorphous question mark. And if I
wanted to go, it was going to be pretty much up to me.
(28:04)
EL: When it came time, you know you start in your junior year, you know how this goes, it’s
been pretty consistent that way. It was this teacher, Henrietta Havemen, who really guided me
and made it possible for me, not to just get a scholarship. I had four scholarships when I
graduated. I had my choice of four years at the University of Illinois, four years at the University
of Chicago, four years at Lawrence College, in Appleton, Wisconsin, and four years at Knox.
Why did I go to Knox? It was a very small school. The whole school was smaller than my
graduating class. Know was the most prestigious scholarship and I didn’t have to work.
Lawrence College would have been a work study. The University of Chicago, my parents would
have never thought of letting me live off campus. You got an apartment there, a family here.
What’s wrong with you? I would have flunked out of school by the first semester. Because
going back and forth on the train, how’m I going to study? Oh my goodness. Be at the library at
night. I wouldn’t have been able to do it.
(29:20)
EL: The University of Illinois, now here’s how economics enters into this. The University of
Illinois was really a party school. Everybody who went to the University of Illinois from [Senn],
joined a sorority or fraternity. I couldn’t afford that. And I didn’t know how I could handle that.
I was smart enough to know that I didn’t know how I could handle that but naïve enough, and
childish enough, to think that mattered. Do you understand what I’m saying? Because you
could go to school without being part of a sorority. Or fraternity. And there are opportunities all
over the place. But I did not see it.
(30:05)
EL: I did very well at Knox. And the University of Michigan was the only place I didn’t get a
scholarship. What happened was when I finally did transfer, my father’s financial position had
changed. So he could help/
JS: Was he doing better, in part because the war created opportunities for inventors?
�EL: Oh, gosh, yes. First of all, before the ball point pen, there was an intermediate pen, with a
cartridge. That was his invention. So that made the world and all difference. The big problem
with pens in the past had been, you have them in your pocket and that rubber sack, that sack rots
and, even a little bit, the ink is all over.
JS: Right.
(30:57)
EL: And he was working with DuPont and with Lucite and with, the plastics were just beginning
to emerge. And he figured out that with pneumatic action, you could fill this pen without having
to have that clip, from that came this cartridge that you could just slip into the pen. And the
locate of the back of a pen point would puncture the cartridge and the ink would flow through it.
If he…my father was an immigrant. He went to the Gymnasium in Germany and he went to
Peter Cooper Union to learn English. His English was horrible. My mother really helped him
get rid of his purple prose. I have some letters that he’s written that would make your hair stand
on end. With his use of the language.
(32:04)
EL: But he was a putterer. And all of his puttering always produced something. Some were
profitable, some were just duds. I never saw this, this is a story I’ve been told. I have the patent
downstairs, with the rest of these patents. Before I was born, he and my mother lived in
Breckenridge, Texas. He had discovered an oil well. He was sort of the last, the tail end of the
rugged individualists, of that time. He built a hotel, called the Seger Hotel, and it had a movie
house. And he invented a talking popcorn machine. In a Rube Goldberg construction that you
just cannot believe. You put your money in, and the thing would pop and out would come your
popcorn. But you had to say a certain something in order for it to do it. To pop the corn. So
these gadgets did not make for a totally orderly life. But it was a creative atmosphere. And both
my sister and I absorbed a lot of that.
(33:26)
EL: I had the point I wanted to make, now where did I go with it?
JS: We’re talking about, you transferring to the University of Michigan.
EL: Oh, yeah. To the University of Michigan. All right. By now, the men are starting to go.
We still had men on campus. But I got a job as student director of the Hillel Foundation. I was
the first female student director of any student organization. I didn’t know what that was going
to lead to, but I did get twenty five dollars a month, which was a very good salary to get. And it
put me in contact with the Catholic Newman Club, and with all of the, um…I forgot what we
called them then. But anyway, all of the organizations that provided the social services support
to veterans. Because we, even at that time, had some veterans that were coming back. They had
been in Europe early, and why they came back would be an individual story. But, we had the GI
Bill. That’s the other thing that we had.
(34:42)
�EL: We have nothing for these guys when they come back here. Absolutely nothing. They’re
not even getting good medical care.
JS: Well, we do have, they do get college tuition and there’s a lot of packages that come with it.
But the, college students usually get help of one kind or another, it’s just, as you mentioned,
there are holes in what’s provided.
EL: Big big holes. Yeah, well, this, everybody knew about the GI Bill. And, I later went back
to the University of Michigan, after I had graduated. Well, because I was trying to get lined up
with this program to go overseas, and in the process I was tutoring for the Political Science
department and I was tutoring returning veterans. Well, that whole thing sort of fell apart,
because I found out my husband was coming home.
(35:41)
EL: But the GI Bill was…everybody looked at this as sort of a magic, open sesame. There’d
never been anything like this. Never. And I’m glad to hear that we are doing something now.
I’m sort of out of that world so I don’t know some of these things. But I think that…as I look
back, from the Depression to the beginning of the war and the war, there’s a cohesiveness of
experience about the whole thing and there’s not the fragmentation that exists today. And this
really, frankly, worries me. There was a cohesiveness in the sense that people really cared about
each other. I don’t have that feeling here now. Everybody’s just rushing around on their own
and it’s like they’re in a hamster cage. You know? Am I making any sense to you, in this
regard?
(36:46)
JS: Well, they’re using a lot of energy and not going anywhere.
EL: That’s exactly it. That’s exactly it. I do not remember my life that way. I walked…when I
first went to Ann Arbor, housing was a problem. Well, it was a problem all during the war. But
when I say it was a problem, I lived in what was known as a League house. It was usually a
widow or a husband, older husband and wife turned their house into a rooming house for
students. And it was off campus and you walked back and forth. You got breakfast and
lunch…no, lunch you got on campus. You got breakfast and dinner. I did not get into a dorm on
campus until my senior year, that’s how long the wait was. We had lots of stories about the
food. I remember one particular place, 1810 University Avenue, we swore that this woman used
her meat rations for herself and her family, and we just got shoe leather. And we didn’t quite
know what to do, so we had a ringleader in our house, and she said, let’s just mix it all up. And
she won’t be able to give it back to us in another disguise. Cause that’s what we were sure she
was doing. And she said, I’ll pour water over it to make sure.
(38:16)
EL: so we were a little mischievous in that way. But food was a problem. It isn’t that you
didn’t get enough. It was that it wasn’t very good. And even fresh vegetables were hard to come
by. I don’t know if you had great big cans, like you can buy now. I can just tell you, the food
was not wonderful. Lunch, we would all gather, I and my friends. And I presume this is what
other people did. At the nearest drugstore or at one of the little restaurants in town. There was a
�period of time when I was having some dental work done, at the dental clinic. And I couldn’t
really eat anything that I had to chew. And there was a restaurant called the “Lamplighter” and I
knew a couple of the guys there, and I remember going in one day and saying, can you make me
runny scrambled eggs, so I can get something to eat that I don’t have to chew. And when they
would see me coming, they’d run into the kitchen and start the eggs because I couldn’t eat
anything else.
(39:42)
EL: But I don’t want to romanticize anything. What I want to say is that all of us, that I knew,
felt that we had an opportunity to be in school. And there were certain restrictions. We all
walked. Nobody had a car. Some people had bicycles but not many. The library was the most
important focal point beyond the classroom. And you had dinner at the dorm or at your house
and you scooted back to the library until the place closed. You didn’t worry about whether you
were walking alone or walking in pairs. But you usually did try to go with somebody. There
weren’t any extras. And if there were, it was an occasion. There weren’t any of the
communication distractions that we have today. None, whatsoever. If somebody got a long
distance phone call, and this has happened to me. I was not yet engaged to my husband, but he
called me from Hobbs, New Mexico. Well, I wasn’t at the house at the time. And somebody
went to the library to see if they could find me, I don’t know whether they thought he was going
to stay on the line or not. But anyway, I came back. I guess he said he’d call back. I came to
get this phone call. And the next day in the Michigan Daily, who is the co-ed who gets a long
distance call from Hobbs, New Mexico?
(41:24)
EL: Because one of the writers for the paper lived in the house that I lived in. So this was a big
event. As a matter of fact, when I met my husband, I met him here, on a blind date, because my
grandparents lived here, and I had come to take care of my grandmother because she was sick
and I was the oldest grandchild and I was her favorite…
JS: So this gives us the Michigan connection…
EL: That’s right.
JS: Why the University of Michigan goes into the mix.
EL: That’s right. So I was…I have a younger aunt. I have two living aunts. I will be 85 in
April. I have one living aunt that just turned 95 and one that just turned 90. The one who was
90, husband was overseas and women didn’t call men, no matter what. And she wanted to get a
date and she didn’t care how and I was the ploy. So she fixed up this date for me. And I told
my…after I came back to Chicago, to get ready to go back to Ann Arbor, I told my folks that I
met this really neat guy from Grand Rapids but I was never going to live in Grand Rapids,
Michigan.
(42:41)
EL: So I’m out shopping for some things that I need for school, and I come home and my
mother is just a basket case. I have gotten a long distance call from Grand Rapids, Michigan and
�he wants you to call him back. You’re not gonna call him back are you? I mean, this is the
social mores. In the first place, you didn’t…a long distance call meant a death or a crisis. You
just didn’t make a long distance call. So I didn’t call him back. He called me back. And then, I
was going for, that weekend, to get ready for school. Well, it was also the Michigan-Michigan
State game. He had gone to Michigan State. So then we met in Ann Arbor. He drove in from
Grand Rapids and I took the train. So that’s how all of that happened and how I wound up in
Grand Rapids, Michigan.
(43:50)
JS: Okay. Now, was he older than you?
EL: Yes. He was already working. He was out of school. He enlisted in the Air Force, because
he wanted to be sure to get what he wanted, and he wound up as a captain of a B-17.
JS: Was he flying in Europe or the Pacific?
EL: No. Europe. Everything moved fast. We were actually married while I was still in school,
with the understanding that I was going to finish. I had a semester to go. And after that summer,
he went back overseas. So that part of the story is a thousand times repeated. But I did finish
school. A lot of girls who got married, did not finish school. And then later on, this tidal wave
began, and I was very much involved in that. Of women going back to school, to finish
unfinished degrees. And to find out who am I, now that I’m no longer somebodies mommy or
somebodies wife.
(45:12)
EL: Norbert Ruby was president of Aquinas at the time. And I had been hired by Michigan
State to something for women. They didn’t know what, they didn’t have a clue. They just didn’t
want to be sued, the way that U of M had been sued for violating women’s civil rights laws. And
they wanted a visible woman. Well, I had a visible position. I had a cubby-hole office that was
on the way to the johns. (laughter) I could never close the door, ‘cause I didn’t have a door.
But then, my life really did begin to change. At that point, I was working for MSU as their
coordinator of community relations. And I was very much involved in the fabric of the
community. My kids were growing up. And I worked with Aquinas because they had the only
game in town. They had the ENCORE program. And with Michigan State, and the U of M, and
Western, and Eastern, what was the other. Oakland. Put on a conference called “The Changing
Consciousness of American Women.”
(46:31)
EL: It was more than anybody, including myself, expected to have happen.
JS: What year was that?
EL: This was 1972. It hit a raw nerve. You could not put one more body into the allotted room
at the Wenke Center. It wasn’t called the Wenke Center then, the name escapes me right now.
But it was the first time that a collaborative enterprise had taken place. In fact, afterwards, I was
approached by somebody, not very bright idea-ed, I didn’t think, who said, well, what’s a big
�state like Michigan State doing with a little po-dunk school like Aquinas? I said, well, they had
the real estate. We had the program, but they had the real estate.
(47:28)
EL: Grand Valley was just getting started. And by the way, I wanted to tell you, and that was
one of my assessments. He had a Catholic school. We had a Christian Reformed School, a
Baptist school. We didn’t have a non-sectarian school in this town. And we needed that. And
when Grand Valley finally got launched, it had the growing pains I believe any new institution
had.
JS: It had some growing pains that went beyond the norm, but that’s something else.
EL: Well, yeah. But it was also the atmosphere in which it was trying to grow. I mean, it was
starting from the bottom up. But it’s made a huge contribution. I don’t think what people
understand, I don’t think they understand it at all, is that institutional change does not happen
with a snap of the finger. It takes time. Development takes time. For myself, at this point, I
began to see, gosh, I have to go back to school. There’s some things I need to learn to do.
(48:43)
JS: Now at this point, what combination of degrees did you have?
EL: I had a half-finished Masters degree. Because you had to have that in order to teach at JC.
And I had been teaching at JC. So, I finished that. My oldest daughter was sixteen. She’d been
telling me for a whole year how much better she could do things anyway, so I said all right, you
stay home and take care of things and I’m going to go to summer school and I’m going to finish
this thing up.
JS: Now what was this degree in?
EL: I got a Masters degree in History and English. These were loose ends, because I had a lot of
this stuff. But the teaching certificate was separate. So I got both of those. In other words, I put
my house in order.
(49:38)
EL: And then, this whole field of development, the relationship between adult education and
adult development was just beginning. The U of M was just starting with a fledgling program.
In fact, Michigan State had sent me to Wayne, for some weekend classes on adult development
and counseling. I told my husband I was going to become a counselor, but then I needed to
know, there was stuff I needed to know. And as a field, this was just beginning. There wasn’t
that much out there. Michigan State developed, began developing a program on Human
Ecology, I think it was called. And you really had to leave Grand Rapids in order to get any of
this. We did not have it here. I think Grand Rapids has always had good basics, but beyond that.
I think some of that’s changing now with Grand Valley.
�JS: Bit by bit. But Grand Valley is still not a place that has much in the way of doctoral
programs, even is limited at the graduate level. So they cover many fields and they have a lot of
connections, and it’s expanding, but it’s still not yet at a level where they go beyond basics.
(51:07)
EL: No, but the Seidman School of Business is probably the most advanced as far as getting to
some of the next levels. Well, I did go back and now I’m no longer working for MSU. I just
couldn’t do it all. First of all, my husband got sick. There were just a lot of family problems.
And you don’t go out and get a social worker, you have to be your own social worker, you know.
So in the course of all this, though, as I look back at the changes that have taken place, and the
changes that have taken place for me, and the larger system and how it impacts us, I’m
wondering how ready are many of us to cope with what lies ahead. I mean, there’s really a
shortage of certain skills.
(52:10)
EL: One of the first things I did when I was hired by Michigan State, and this will give you a bit
of a perspective, was to sit in on some discussions at St. Mary’s. The State of Michigan
legislature made a wise decision. They were not gonna build any more institutions. They
wanted to further advance education, to utilize the resources of community hospitals. In other
words, the whole concept of community health care was bursting on the scene, but there weren’t
any resources. And so I sat in on the interview skill training sessions. And that’s the first time a
television was used, in any kind of training.
(53:00)
EL: So now we’ve got the [unclear] building. We’ve got what Peter Cook has done. We’ve got
all of these things on this Michigan Mile. That’s how long it takes. This was in the early ‘70s.
Jim, this was not even in the talking stages, this was just discussion, coffee cup discussion. So I
say to myself, oh, and the other thing that we didn’t have anything in, was listening skills. I
wasn’t very good at it myself. I went to Oakland University, go through some of Eleanor
Driver’s work, and I took people, women from Grand Rapids. I figured if this is gonna happen,
there’s gotta be support. And Jane [Eidema], Jean [McKeon], whose no longer living, Hillary
[Snite], whose no longer living, I mean there were a lot of good women who volunteered a lot of
time, that helped to make the Women’s Resource Center possible. Because, ultimately, that’s
what I did to fulfill my charge from MSU.
(54:28)
EL: But there was, what I began to sense, was that the cohesiveness of this community was
beginning to break down. And, because I’m not in the thick of things right now, anymore, I do
see certain things that are happening, and they’re calling it partnering. We used to just call it
collaboration, or cooperation, so some of these concepts are becoming workable, I think that’s
what I want to say. But I am amazed at how little understanding there is historically of the
course that we’ve all traveled in this time. I remember when Cathy, this is my oldest daughter,
was at Sarah Lawrence and she came home at spring vacation and she wanted to watch me teach.
I was teaching at JC at that time, this was in the late ‘60s. And I had to teach, there were two
books I had, one was a short story by Katherine Ann Porter, “The Flowering Judas.” And the
other was her novel, “Ship of Fools.”
�(55:48)
EL: I couldn’t get a rise out of my class. And I was pretty good at this. Because I didn’t lecture,
I was more interested in the give and take. And so we went to lunch, cause I had another class
that afternoon. And I apologized to her because it was such a flat, dull class. She said, Mom,
you don’t understand. Nobody knows about the Depression. Because these were all stories that
emanated out of events from the Depression. And, so now, here we are and more learned people
than I, I am sure, are asking, where do we go from here? And how do we get there? Because
how are people prepared? Now, you’ve got to be seeing some of this.
(56:48)
JS: Sure.
EL: You know, at Grand Valley. Because some of the lecture courses that you’re doing, at
Loosmore, for instance, reflect these concerns. But that’s a long way from the Depression and
the war. But it’s really one big continuum.
(57:10)
JS: I’d like to pull back to a couple of episodes from earlier there. You had mentioned that you
had done some Red Cross volunteering. When you were in high school and then college, or at
both colleges.
EL: Right.
JS: What kind of work did you do and how did that…
EL: Well, I worked in the laundry, folding linens. And I did what all of the volunteers did, to
relieve the nurses. Working in the laundry meant folding things, getting them into the right stalls
for the right floors. The shifts were never very long, four hours at the most. Um, I’m trying to
think what else I did. I did take our Red Cross First Aid course. But I think an awful lot of us
did that.
JS: Now the volunteering, was that done in hospitals or clinics?
EL: No, it was in the hospital. At U of M Hosptial. At Knox, what was the hospital called? It
was a small hospital. In high school, you see, transportation was a problem. The first thing we
did, I say we because, you know, girls clan together. We took Red Cross Survival classes
together. I don’t think I went to any hospitals. You would have had to go downtown, and that
would be a really big deal.
(58:46)
EL: If you lived down in the south part of the city, maybe for the hospitals at that end of the city
but on the north side of the city, you’d be going to Evanston. And transportation would be a
problem.
JS: Well did the El run up to Evanston at that point?
�EL: Oh, the El went everywhere. I could tell you another story. There was no theater anywhere
along the north shore, except in an area which was called no man’s land. Which was Tiagra de
Larga. And you had to go by train or you had to go by car. All right, now this is a problem. We
had not yet moved into the city. I, and a couple of my girlfriends wanted to see a movie there.
You didn’t ask your parents to take you cause they weren’t going to take you. So we figured out,
we had enough money for a bag of popcorn, for the price of a movie, and one way on the North
Shore. Now what do you suppose these twelve year old nuts did? We walked the railroad ties
from Hubbard Woods to Tiagra de Larga. And we had a train ride back. You’d kill a kid if they
did something like that today.
(1:00:04)
JS: I have to pause us right now, to change the tape. All right, now you were telling us the story
of you and your friends, you basically walked along the railroad tracks to get to a movie theater.
EL: That’s right. We walked along railroad ties to get to Tiagra de Larga. Well, it was a
straight line. We knew where we were going. But money was a problem. So we figured out
exactly how much it cost and we were afraid that when we came out, it might be twilight, so we
needed to take a train back. And that we thought was rather judicious of us. I’m sure we didn’t
use that word, but that was how we thought about ourselves. I think there was very little fear,
growing up. After all, if my mother fed people at the back door, there was a certain…I don’t
think that I grew up in denial. Because I knew that we didn’t have any money. And I knew that
things were different.
(1:01:25)
EL: First of all, we had had a maid and we didn’t have a maid anymore. And I had to do more.
My sister was seven years younger and she couldn’t do much, but we all had to kind of pitch in.
That was before we moved into the city. When we moved into the city, we really had to move
into the city because we just couldn’t afford to heat the house. It was as simple as that. And we
certainly didn’t have a maid in the city. Not that people in the city didn’t have maids but we
couldn’t afford it. In today’s terms, you would say we were poor. But we never thought of
ourselves as poor. We never thought of ourselves as poor.
(1:02:09)
EL: In order to, my first paying job was at the Kraft Cheese Company, and I had to ride the
elevator, the El to get to work there. And I’ll be quite honest with you, I lied to get the job. I
wasn’t sixteen but I couldn’t get a job and I had to have a job. But this job I could get. I was
about fifteen and a half. And I looked, you know, like I was sixteen. And I think riding the El, I
saw parts of Chicago that I was not aware of before. And I was perhaps oblivious and blind to.
My folks never really…they sort of fostered this independence in both my sister and me. There
wasn’t really a lot of talk about it. It had to do with being self-reliant, that’s all.
(1:03:10)
EL: I worked in the premium department of Kraft Cheese Company, which meant that I sent out
gimmicks, washcloths and that sort of thing. There were a lot of gimmicks that were employed
during the Depression. It’s a lot like today, only on a smaller, more practical scale. And I made
�$15 a week. I pay my home health aide $15 an hour. So that’s another part of the change. I
don’t really understand the economics of how we have gotten to this point in inflation. I really
don’t. It seems like the more we have of everything, the more expensive everything becomes.
And we are the only society, as far as I can see, who has been wealthy enough to afford outside
storage units for our stuff. So, the society couldn’t afford that before.
(1:04:24)
JS: We keep making our houses bigger and bigger cause we don’t have room for all of that stuff.
EL: That’s right. And what are we going to do? God, my sister and I shared a closet, we shared
a bedroom that wasn’t much bigger, than the closet. And there was a table in there that I used as
my desk to do my homework. And we managed. But we also weren’t running about all the
time. Which I think is another factor in this fragmentation that goes on. I do not feel that I was
deprived as a kid growing up. And I said, I did not feel that we were poor. We just didn’t have
any money. Neither did anybody else.
(1:05:29)
EL: But this I will tell you. I had a friend by the name of Betty Ann Whittaker. Whose, at the
height of the Depression, her father jumped off the Wrigley Building. In order to collect the
insurance because it was a big Catholic family and he didn’t know what he was going to do.
That marked me. I was just…when this happened, I was just in a daze afterward. I remember
saying to my father, “daddy, you wouldn’t do anything like that, would you?” I mean, that was
the most traumatic event of the Depression for me personally, as a child. We still lived in Glen
Cove and they lived not far from us.
(1:06:21)
EL: And there’s one other thing I would add. There was a colored family that lived about two
blocks from me. He was a detective with the police force in Chicago and her mother was an RN.
And Ann Chisholm was her name. And nobody ever treated her…it was as if we were all just
the same. Now whether it was because there was only one black family in a town of six
thousand, I don’t know. But I never had any of the feelings or experiences that I later came to
know, living in Chicago.
(1:07:04)
EL: One other thing, we lived kitty corner across from Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis. Now
do you know who that was? The baseball commissioner.
JS: Red Sox and all that, yep.
EL: And he had a granddaughter, Sue Landis, who was in my class. And Amelia Earhart, before
she went on that fatal flight, was there on a visit. I was invited to come over and meet her. So
that was…I didn’t really know what that meant until I was older. But those were some of the
experiences of my childhood, I think, that made me feel, I’m not poor. We just don’t have any
money.
JS: You knew all these people. You could do all these different things.
�EL: Right. Right.
JS: If all kind of went together.
(1:08:11)
EL: Right. When we moved into Chicago, down the street from us, 832 Gunnison, was a doctor
and his son was in my class. And at that time, what was I? Sixteen, seventeen. I did not know
that doctors made a lot of money. I mean, we were all living on the same street. Our fathers all
parked the cars on the street cause there were no garages. So there was a leveling and a
commonality, but it was not coarse. There’s a crudeness that’s come into our culture now. Part
of it I think is television. One night, I thought, I just got to do this. I jut have to do this to prove
this to myself. I don’t have cable but I’m flipping channels and I thought, oh my god, every one
of these is the same. It’s a formula. It builds up attention. There’s guns in there some place.
And then the denouement. I think that this has had a definite impact, on our kids especially.
(1:09:15)
EL: But I feel the period of the Depression was one of the most tough, trying times for this
culture. And I don’t care what people who didn’t like Franklin Roosevelt had to say, this man
was a leader. He was a leader in the sense that he provided an outlet for energy and to fill needs
that the country needed. I mean, this idiotic thing that we’re doing right now, giving everybody
six or seven hundred dollars. You can’t mount a public works program with the snap of a finger
but that’s what ought to be in the planning, in the pipeline right now. So by the time spring
comes around, people can be put to work on the roads. Because our roads here in Michigan are
just god-awful.
(1:10:07)
JS: Even the President thought so. George W. Bush, on one of his first campaign tours through
Michigan was on a bus tour, and his comment was “You people should fix your roads.”
EL: Oh, god. (laughs) Oh, my lord, we need to fix our roads is right. I think we’ve got so
much to do now. And where do we start. And now we’ve got this absolutely massive
gargantuan debt. And I believe that what this administration has done is no different than Enron.
The Iraq war is off budget. That’s how Enron did what they did. I mean, I don’t understand why
people don’t see this. And I listen to people belabor the press. C’mon, it’s not the press. It’s
what else are reading? What are you thinking about? As I said, I’m going to be 85. I’m at this
end of the stage. Not at this end anymore. And so I think I have a perspective on what’s gone
on.
(1:11:26)
JS: And it’s also a perspective that we’re losing track of. Thirty, forty years ago, it was normal
to have adults who remembered the period of the Depression as an experience. And they carried
that and the war memory with them, and they, when I was growing up in the ‘60s, I sort of took
it for granted that, you know, those people would have been in the war, if they were a certain
age. Or would have been in the Depression and that sort of leaves these marks here and there.
And you understand that things are different than they were. You sort of take it for granted, but
�we’ve gone from that to know the people who remember and tell the stories are going. And the
stories go with them. So that’s why we’re doing this. Now I do want to get back to other pieces
of things that you brought up earlier. One of them was, that as the war ended, you did training
that would have made you a civilian worker with the [unclear].
(1:12:20)
EL: Oh, all right. The University of Michigan Political Science department has always had an
outstanding reputation. Outstanding scholars from the U of M have wound up in government
one way or another. Bill Hager, the Department of Economics. James K. Polluck, the
Department of Political Science. He was involved, believe it or not, he was a librarian for the
Versailles Treaty, when he was a young man. Now, I come along and I’m in one of his classes.
And as the war was winding down, there was going to be a need for a civilian government. And
the idea was to use a lot of the bright students, graduate students or graduated students. They
didn’t necessarily have to have PhD’s. So I was invited to be one of those. But these were the
conditions. If you went, you were there for two years, period. The only reason that you could
get home was if there was a death in the family. But there was no swift way to get home.
(1:13:29)
EL: Everything was a slow boat to China, Jim. So I had the passport, I did everything I was
supposed to do. I did not have a foreign language but that was not going to be a problem,
because I would be working in an area where I would be using English. And then…and I hadn’t
heard from my husband for some time. Then I got word that he was coming home. Now I’m
going to be there and he’s going to be here. I hadn’t seen him in a while. I didn’t even know if
we were still husband and wife. So I had to get myself out of this and that was not easy. But I
did get myself out it so I did not have that experience.
(1:14:14)
JS: Now, did you have any kind of training or preparation for this, before then?
EL: Oh, yes. I was a political science major. I had done a great deal of comparative analysis in
European governments, European history. And we had seminars, I think you would call them.
There must have been about twenty-five of us. I don’t know if that many actually went, because
some people dropped out before, or en-route. But these seminars were above and beyond any
classwork that we had to do. And then there’s always the grease the skids kind of thing, you
know. I was community ambassador to Grand Rapids from a sister city, Omihachiman, in Japan,
in 1991. And the requirement for that was every other weekend at Michigan State, learning
some ways and customs, and which good morning you say at what time. But, again, if you don’t
continue to use the little that you learn, you lose it right away.
(1:15:29)
EL: But there was a great deal of discussion about the postwar possibilities. And the need to
turn things over as quickly as possible. I don’t think at that time the American government
wanted to stay as an army of occupation. At all. They just wanted to get home. I think a lot of
those experiences are what Tom Brokaw wrote about in “The Greatest Generation.” These guys,
these people, they didn’t see themselves as exceptional heroes. They had a job to do and darn it,
they were going to do it. And they did it. We were coming over, as extra hands of the
�government, that the government was not going to have to pay a lot for. Because the experience
was going to be priceless and invaluable.
JS: Now what, was there a specific kind of work that you were training for? Did you know what
they were going to have you do when they sent you over there?
(1:16:32)
EL: I didn’t really. Administrative work. You know, that can really be a garbage can term. I
could have been typing letters, I could have…I don’t know. Don’t think any of us really knew,
because some of these things happened so fast. And I don’t think that…I think that things were
worked out more thoughtfully then, than they have been now, say, in terms of Iraq. I think I’ll
give you that. But I don’t think we had a job description. In fact, I know we didn’t have a job
description. It was much like when I was hired by MSU. You write your job description. I
mean, that was part of my job, to write my job description. Of course, the job changed every
Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I wasn’t exactly sure what the job was. But I wanted to go. I
wanted to go. I had an ulterior motive, obviously. So that was the story there. Now what else
do you want to back up? That I can refresh my memory on.
(1:17:53)
JS: Can you fill in a little bit on your husband career. He was a pilot. Was he flying bombers
over Germany?
EL: B-17 pilot. Yes, but…this is another story. Paul was a pilot and he was captain of a B-17,
and that’s a huge investment, but that isn’t what he really did. I don’t know the official title. But
it was really Secret Service. I learned about this after we came back to Grand Rapids and his
mother told us that there had been government people, she had another name, what did she call
them? Snooping around. They were trying to find out about him and his family. And there is
something in the Michigan Room about them. But he was in charge of some secret missions.
And I never really knew what they were, and I remember when we were still in this country, and
he’d tell me, Ï’m going to go out and watch the burning of secret documents.” That’s all he could
tell me.
(1:19:04)
EL: And either I didn’t press him enough or I was too naïve or I thought he was kidding, but he
did go out. He was gone. He would be gone for several hours. And I never really knew what it
was. So, and then, when the war ended, he was still in this for maybe about four years
afterwards. I mean, he would go to these meetings and not talk about it. He was very closedmouth in that way. So he was good for that job.
JS: Now was this, as far as you could tell, the kind of work he was doing throughout his military
career, or did he have a phase where he was flying and that kind of thing?
(1:19:51)
EL: No, he was flying but that was to make it look good. That was to make it look good. No,
he was in charge of, in Germany…he was in England and he was in Germany. In Germany, he
was in charge of black troops. In England, he was, you know, a B-17 pilot. He was the captain
�of the crew. But you have to…this much I do know. This much I do know. We had great
difficulty getting intelligence. Terrible difficulty. Just a minute, I have to think of it. The
process of situation analysis grew out of World War II. In which small pieces of seemingly
unimportant pieces of information would be studied and put together in order to get the picture.
You might…somebody might pick up some flyers, and get that to a troop or an American soldier
but that person would be in disguise. There was just no way to get intelligence behind the
German lines.
(1:21:18)
EL: And behind the Italian lines, either. So there were certain people that were trained in what
would later become known as situation analysis. You must have come across some of this
somewhere. Where they took different pieces of things and they had confabs about whether it
meant this, it mean this, or it meant this. And if it meant this, then it meant this was the option,
or this was the option. But then if it didn’t mean this, what were the options over here. That’s
the best way I can describe it. And I think the whole notion of situation analysis later came to be
used in this country. For various things.
JS: Sure. And it’s a lot of how they deal with international intelligence issues and so forth. Of
course, one ingredient of that, and this was true then, was aerial reconnaissance.
EL: Right.
JS: They used bombers that were basically for photography and they did things like fly secret
missions that would fly as far as an airstrip in Yugoslavia, held by the partisans. Recently one of
the guys on the flight,who would be manning the camera, recounted being made more difficult
by getting the wrong fuel there and having to crash land over Spain, of all places. But anyway,
the point was, that there was aerial reconnaissance that went on. It was done separately. The
people who went on those missions got all the background checks and so on, so whether he was
doing that or some other part of the operation, that kind of thing went. And they were doing that
in part because they didn’t have any way of getting stuff from behind the German lines.
(1:23:00)
EL: We didn’t have, no way at all. Now my husband’s brother, who is now a physiatrist, he is
still living, he was very small. My husband was a full, almost six feet. But Seamore was the tail
gunner on the alternate to the Enola Gay. And I have pictures of him when he came home on a
leave, we were in Everett, Washington at that time, it was before Paul was now going back
overseas. And I mean, he looks like a ghost. He looks like an absolute ghost. The ability to get
intelligence out of Japan was even worse than the ability to get intelligence behind the lines in
Germany.
(1:23:56)
EL: And you’re right about the reconnaissance flights, because I do remember, very definitely, it
was about the only thing that I heard, because he never talked about it, was that there was a lot of
filming. And I thought, what are they filming? They got all of this blowing up everything. How
can they film anything, you know? Now, with drones and this sort of thing.
�JS: Drones and satellites.
EL: Satellites, yeah. But you see, we didn’t have any of that stuff. And again, I don’t think
people realize this. And then I raised another question, you asked me about this. With all the
resources going into this kind of highly technical, and very much needed process, then there are
resources that can’t go into taking care of basic human needs and this its society.
(1:24:57)
JS: It’s certainly an issue with spending money going to Iraq.
EL: That’s right. That’s right, that’s right. And then you remember, when the war ended, we
had a huge backlog of needs and desires. But we also had a huge backlog of money, because the
patriotic thing to do throughout it all was to buy war bonds. And people had this and they were
maturing. Why don’t we have war bonds and things with this war?
JS: Weren’t we told to fight terrorists by going out and buying television sets? Well, a lot of
things are different, and certainly one of the things about the second World War in particular and
the Depression before it, is that it affected the entire country and the entire population in ways
that nothing really has done since. In Korea and Vietnam, there was still a draft and they were
expensive and things hit home in certain ways more than things after that have, but still, only
certain parts of the population got directly caught up in it.
(1:26:01)
JS: And today, for most people, unless they are military families, they’re compartmentalized
from it. And we created a society that works that way.
EL: Yeah, but I think we’re paying a price for it.
JS: Sure. We’re probably in a war because of that. Or we may be in a war because of that,
because people didn’t understand what war’s were like. Or what gets us there. But now I’m
giving opinion. And I’m supposed to be doing the interviewing, so I think, to sort of look back
on that time of your life for a second, from the mid 1930s, as you’re really becoming aware of
how the world works and what life is like and how hard it can be. Sometime between that and
the war years, how do you think just the process of living through that and finding your way
through that, how do you think it shaped the course of your life? Or how you look at thing now?
You talked about a lot of those things, but if you could pull that together a little bit.
(1:26:59)
EL: Okay. Well, let me just say, that one of the things that took place in the ‘30s, was the
Century of Progress, in Chicago. At the World’s Fair. And, it was both an event and a forecast.
I have always had an immensely curious mind. And very aware of what’s going on around me
and wanting to try to understand it. I spent a lot of time at the Century of Progress. In fact, I
have some things I could probably bring up to you. That I came across yesterday. And the
imagination of looking at places, the Japanese exhibit, the Chinese exhibit, the Swedish exhibit.
This is not the one in New York, Trial in a Parable, which came along later. This was much
more like what I think the Columbia Exposition must have been like.
�(1:28:13)
EL: It was a garnering together of where we, of all the things that had taken place since the turn
of the century. All of the inventions. All of the changes. And possibilities, and what the impact
of that could be. Now, to tie this in with the question that you asked. Later on, when I began to
go back to school, I had all but the dissertation, cause that’s when my husband got sick and I,
you know. You can’t write a dissertation with one hand tied behind your back. ABD, that’s me.
I became very interested in the forces of personality and if it’s the personality’s impact on the
culture or the culture’s impact on the personality. Is this just a chicken and the egg thing, or is
there a dynamic there that can tell us something?
(1:29:22)
EL: More and more my focus, for myself, became change and its dynamics and its impact and
what does it mean. The most concrete example is if the furniture wears out, and if you don’t
replace anything, it’s all comfortably shabby. But if you replace one chair or one pillow, the
whole rest of it looks like hell. And so, what does this mean for how things interface in the face
of change? How is change impacting us? A group of women and I got together, this was right
after I had my heart attack in ’03, and we began to meet on a monthly basis, to talk about the
dynamics of change, which we were all feeling. On a personal level, on a community level, and
on a awareness, a world level, really.
(1:30:30)
EL: And that remains with me. And I’m very much interested in this. And I don’t know if it’s
my imagination or if the data will support the fact, but I think there is a characterogical change
that has taken place in this country. I don’t know that much about it, in-depth. I used a number
of books with this group. One was a book written by an Indian woman, called “Nectar in the
Sieve.” Are you familiar with it? Well, it’s a story of a very poor Indian town. From our point
of view, an Indian village. But it’s cohesive, it hangs together. Along come the British and they
set up a factory to make cotton cloth. And they think they’re doing a wonderful thing by
providing jobs for these people. Well, if they work three days, that’s more money than they get
in a month, working in their whatever they were working in in their village. So the British call
them lazy, because they didn’t want to work around the clock. Every day. Every week. And the
village people, meanwhile, have they’re whole economy and their dynamic nature of their village
disrupted. And the end result is that they wind up as beggars on the street in Calcutta, or some,
one of the big cities.
(1:32:12)
EL: Now, is that what change is all about? I think that has relevance for where we are right
now. For our society. So that is, um…I don’t know if that answers your question or not.
JS: I think it’s a good answer.
EL: But I think that, oh what are the latest books? “The Tipping Point” and there’s another one.
“The Black Swan.” There are points of intersection that must have been going on before that we
weren’t aware of, because we didn’t know how to be aware of it. And I suspect that there may
be a growing awareness on the part of some people, about this whole notion of the tipping point.
�There’s something else, where you’re making the decision on the instant. There’s a book that
was written about it and a title, and I can’t think of it. But everything seems to be accelerated.
(1:33:34)
JS: And that is something you see as you study world history. One thing that we do now more
than we used to is we look at the history of the whole world and we look at all the intersections
between peoples and cultures and we start to look at it from different points of view and not just
our own. And as you do that, you see pictures like the one you’ve told of, of the Indian village
where there are all kinds of consequences to change and interaction. And in part, with
technology, things just do go faster. And a lot of things are sped up.
(1:34:03)
EL: James Gleick wrote a book called, “Faster, Faster.” And I’m reading one right now,
“Breathing Space.” I started with the chapter on packrat-ism, because that’s me. (laughter)
That’s me. But I am fascinated by these aspects of our lives. I think a recent article in the paper
set me on my heels. And that is, somebody’s done a study comparing health and happiness,
between this country and Britain and a couple of European countries, and we don’t come out so
well. You know, and we think we’re the cat’s meow and everything. We’re just not. And we’re
not looking at ourselves. We’re riding on our past glories. And that does worry me. I’ve got a
couple of grandsons. One is an artist. He’s a good artist. He graduated with a degree in music
from MSU. But he’s not using it. He’s selling his paintings over the internet. I don’t know if
he’s making a living or not. But I hear that he may teach, get a job teaching English as a second
language. When I spoke with his mother, she told me this. I was, where does he come off doing
that?
(1:35:32)
EL: You know. The other one is a quality engineer for Ticketmaster. And he’s got a mind like
a trip hammer. I remember a few years ago, I had called him. He told me to call him and I was,
how can I tell them at the office to call his grandmother? He was in Honolulu, he was in Hawaii.
Why was he there? Ticketmaster bought up a whole series a small operations and they sent Sean
out there to integrate them into the system. And I thought, god, he’s just a pipsqueak and he’s
doing this. And I don’t even know how to understand what he’s talking about. Now, these are
disconnects. Between generations, but also between large segments of society.
(1:36:25)
EL: What do you think about this election right now? I mean, I think if you listen to Obama, he
is lighting fires. But he hasn’t said anything. Now, the question is, is it better to light the fires
and release the energy and then harness the energy, or is it better to do what Clinton is doing,
being an expert on absolutely everything and spell out everything? She’s losing. She’s losing
people right now. And then when you look at Huckabee. I am just flabbergasted by this. I
mean, this is the “Music Man,” 2008-style. And we’ve got such a concentration of these kinds of
minds. I worry with that where we are right now, that society could implode.
(1:37:30)
EL: Or maybe I’m just being pessimistic. But that’s the way I’m feeling right now, about the
way things are. How are we going to endure the next few months? Until we get some change.
�Cause I think it has to change. It has to change. I will never forget sitting in a sessions with a
bunch of people and Vern Ehlers, before we had gotten into the war. And Vern had written a
letter, he wasn’t so keen on the war at that time. And he went around the room and he wanted
everybody’s input. There were about fifty five of us there. I was the last one to speak. And I
said, it will become Armageddon, it will bankrupt us, and we’ll become Sparta. Some woman in
the room says, what? We’re going to have to move to Sparta, Michigan?
(1:38:35)
EL: Now, what does that tell you about the mentality?
JS: It means you’ve got a broader world view than some of the people in the crowd.
EL: Well, that may be, but I think that it’s terrible that we are unable to think and see this way.
It’s not “see it my way or the highway.” It’s to see what the reality is. We just don’t see what the
reality is. And frankly, I like Huckabee, but he scares me. Because of what he can do. And he
doesn’t have Mitt Romney’s money. Now, my other daughter lives in Massachusetts, and I says,
honey, what kind of governor was he? And she said, oh mom, he was just not so great. He was
a big blowhard, she thought. Well, she is…that’s Martha, that’s all. But, no, he did not…I think
what he represents, is long gone. It’s capitalism that isn’t working anymore, for most people.
(1:39:26)
EL: I mean, where we are right now…what was the system? Not mercantilism, it preceded
mercantilism. It’s when the lord of the manor had all the serfs working for him.
JS: Ah, feudalism.
EL: Feudalism, thank you.
JS: So, you’ve got reverse Marxism going on.
EL: Yeah. But nobody understands it. So if they don’t understand…one of the things that I
learned early on, in terms of change, is that one of the reasons that solutions fail so often, they’re
well-intention and they have resources behind them, but the original conceptualization is too
small for the size of the problem. Some of the variables are just not seen. There’s no vision to
see them.
(1:40:22)
EL: And that’s where I think we are right now. And I think we’re in a big struggle to put this all
back together. My sister who lives in California, she wasn’t born there, but she lives in
California, and she’s caught up in a world that’s its own little world and it’s gonna hang on for a
while longer, but it can’t last. It’s the whole Countrywide (mortgage) thing, and these are huge
houses. Expensive houses. How are they going to sustain themselves? Ever upward and
outward growth? How can you tell me, we’re already in all this debt, and he says, go out and
spend money. Now how does that add up. It doesn’t.
(1:41:16)
�EL: It’s like Katherine Ann Porter’s “Ship of Fools,” right there before your eyes but you can’t
see it.
JS: And the real question now is going to be, what do we wind up doing with it? Well, I think
that that’s actually a good concluding point for the interview. And I want to thank you for taking
the time to talk to me today.
EL: Well, I hope I didn’t bore you.
JS: Certainly not.
(1:41:37)
�
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
LevinE
Title
A name given to the resource
Levin, Estelle (Interview transcript and video), 2008
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Levin, Estelle
Description
An account of the resource
Estelle Levin grew up in the Chicago area during the Great Depression and attended college during World War II. She provides detailed descriptions of life during the Depression and on the Home Front during the war years, as well as on her working career and the development of social services for women in the decades after the war.
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.)
United States--History, Military
Michigan--History, Military
Veterans
Video recordings
Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives
Women
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
2008-02-07
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/f0a1eb19330dba40e7210ace41145fa3.mp4
2313fdaf75a1864a129a1b9c68417ed8
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/621e597c0b9adca9536fe85e9793ddee.pdf
13a7bb81728f6d27a489896f7f036914
PDF Text
Text
Grand Valley State University
Special Collections & University Archives
RHC-88 Fei Hu Films
Flying Tigers Interviews
Interviewer: Frank Boring
Interviewee: Lewis J. Richards, M.D. (known as “Doc Rich”)
Date of Interview: 05-30-1991
Transcriber: Frank Boring
[TAPE 1]
FRANK BORING:
In as much detail as you want, give us an idea of your background,
your schooling, your medical training and perhaps your first
practices.
DOC RICH:
I had taken a lot of training in the ROTC and had a good record
and was a captain in the ROTC and we planned on going to enlist
in the army but was talked out of it by my mother. I had been in
different things and finally I decided to go on and study medicine.
And I started late in life. I graduated Creighton University in 1938
and went from there to a Charity hospital in New Orleans for a
year’s training and to a Mobile city hospital for a year’s training
and then the draft caught me, I enlisted in the army and I was at Ft.
uh, Fayetteville, North Carolina. I had considerable training in the
administrative and they could get doctors right and left so they put
me on the administration and training of course and in charge of a
1750 bed hospital. Another doctor and myself worked extremely
hard and we had a good reputation. And Colonel Choing [?] tried
to get us a promotion which we were deserving of, we were only
2nd lieutenants but because we didn’t get up a correspondence, we
couldn’t keep up with the work. However, we carried on at Ft.
Bragg, No. Carolina. And while I was there doing my training,
why Colonel Gentry was there and he was organizing a group to go
to China. Uh, He inquired if I would be interested. I told him very
much. Colonel Choing [?], when my year was up says, you going
�to re-enlist? I says no, he said yes you are. He says I will draft you.
I said no you won’t. He said I’ll show you something. I says I’ll
tell you Colonel, I know you’re a sporting man. I’ll bet you a
year’s salary against a year’s salary of mine and the loss would be
just about the same but the difference in numerical value. He says,
I’ll get you. I says, Ok you want to bet? He wouldn’t do it. So
when my cut orders came through from Washington D.C. with
Roosevelt, he caught me and he says “You dirty little so and so.
You’d a taken my money” I shall never forget that. Then he cut us
the orders and uh, we uh, had a short time to go home and visit and
went out to SF.
FRANK BORING:
What did you tell your family you were going to be doing?
DOC RICH:
After I was released from Ft. Bragg, N. Carolina, I went home and
visited my family and told them my plans and they were
disappointed and worried but knowing how adventurous I was they
were not surprised. I visit there for a while then I went in to SF and
waited for the Jaegersfontein ship to come along.
FRANK BORING:
If you could fill in some more information about your family that
would be good.
DOC RICH:
After I left Ft. Bragg, we went home to visit and we spent a few
weeks at home visiting. I informed my family what I was going to
do. They naturally were disappointed but they had no choice.
There was a war coming on and I told them it was my choice and
that’s what I was going to do. They accepted it because they knew
how adventurous I was. And so we went down to SF and we
waited for the Jaegersfontein to depart.
DOC RICH:
Did you want me to say anything why I came back to S.F. or no?
FRANK BORING:
What did you know about China at this particular point?
�DOC RICH:
My knowledge of China at this time was very limited. In fact, I
would have to say I knew nothing.
FRANK BORING:
What did you know about Japan?
DOC RICH:
My knowledge also, too of Japan was limited. My knowledge of
the Orient and [?] country was very limited. And this shows me
how little the American people know about anything other than
boundaries of the US.
FRANK BORING:
What was the interest in going to China, if you had no real
knowledge of it? What was your motivation?
DOC RICH:
My motivation in going to China was this, I’d worked hard in Ft.
Bragg, N. Carolina, I didn’t get a promotion, didn’t get what I
thought I deserved and I was not arrogant about it and the Colonel
was quite sympathetic about it and he said he didn’t blame me for
leaving him. And it was because of the dissatisfaction and my
unhappiness, I suppose I changed, I made up my mind to go to
China.
FRANK BORING:
During this period of time, a lot of Americans went to the movies
and at the movies they would see newsreels of the times. There
were some newsreels of the bombing of China by the Japanese.
Did you ever see any of those? If you did what was your reaction?
DOC RICH:
I never saw any of those until after the war. Of the bombing of
China. I didn’t answer that very well.
FRANK BORING:
Once you arrived in SF, did you meet with the other AVG people
or by the CAMCO representative?
DOC RICH:
We were met by the CAMCO representatives at the hotel and
interviewed. They gave us our passports and I think I went over as
a, I don’t know, a poet or a gardener, I don’t remember which.
�FRANK BORING:
What did the CAMCO representative tell you to expect? What
were your duties going to be and what did he say you were to be
doing in China?
DOC RICH:
I was informed of my duties in China, we’d be a rug and roof on
the rose. I responded that that had no bearing whatsoever. I was
instrumental in getting Sam Prevo to go because I asked if he
wanted to go too. And he was released from Ft. Bragg and we went
over on the same ship.
FRANK BORING:
Were you asked to maintain any level of secrecy about your trip
and your duties in China by CAMCO?
DOC RICH:
I don’t recall ever, ever, having been informed of any secrecy and
so on. They told us it would be a dangerous trip across the ocean
but we had no trouble. We went back and forth across the equator.
All the way over dodging the ships, which were mostly
ammunition ships and finally we were arrived at Hawaii.
Overnight at Hawaii. No, at Hawaii. Then we went down to
Singapore and we had to unload all of our medical supplies and
everything and I worked all that day and most of the night. And of
course the Jaegersfontein had refused to go any farther. They also
got a report that the Jaegersfontein had to go on. And so the next
day, I had to load a whole outfit over again and I got to see very
little of Singapore.
FRANK BORING:
Of the people you associated with during your trip, were there any
people who stuck out in your mind, any people you became friends
with on the boat trip over?
DOC RICH:
On the boat trip over I became very friendly with a lot of people
and especially Harry Fox. Who became the chief mechanic and a
very capable man. I admire him Uh, We were quite close. I had my
questions about Moon, uh, Moose Moss course he’s cocky and
everything else. But we got acquainted and got along fine. The
nurses and Sam Prevo and myself decided one night to go up high
�on deck. It was a moonlight night, very romantic, we played the
radio uh, phonograph that we had and Red Petach, I mean, uh,
Foster uh, and I were dancing
FRANK BORING:
Start off with Red Foster and I were dancing
DOC RICH:
Red Foster and I were dancing and every time the ship listed why
we felt we might go over board and all of us a little hilarity like
that heard a harsh voice from the captain of the ship. “I want that
noise stopped.” And somebody made some remark and he came
out and made it very emphatic and we got out right away.
FRANK BORING:
What was the routine like on the boat? Were there any incidents
that you can recall that were imprinted on your mind that you can
recall?
DOC RICH:
All the men had to get acquainted with one another and sometimes
there might have been a little differential between the pilots and
the ground crew, but they all finally got acquainted. As we pulled
into uh, Rangoon, I can’t think of one of these, uh, Leroy, what his
name was but he was a radio man and he’s uh, cut. What do you
call these ships that come up to Fiji?
DOC RICH:
One of the junks came out, a junk was coming out to sell us stuff
and one these, of the wise guys got smart and he picked up,
something was very heavy and he reached out and dropped it right
thru his junk and the junk ship sunk. They were just full of it. They
were just an ornery as could be, but a good group.
DOC RICH:
After leaving Singapore we went to Rangoon and the bay was not
deep enough so we had to unload everything else onto rafts and
carry it in and one of the Sampans came out to sell us merchandise
and one of the fellows, he was a radio man, picked up something
real heavy, he leaned over and dropped it thru the sampan and
there was a big hole in it and he lost everything. They was just a
bunch of ornery boys that’s all.
�FRANK BORING:
What was the procedure of the arrival in Rangoon of the medical
officer? What did you have to do? Did you just go on the train with
the whole group to Toungoo? What was your experience when you
finally arrived in Rangoon?
DOC RICH:
When we finally arrived in Rangoon, it was quite different. It was
a dirty city. We were appalled by the poverty and the wild, uh,
animals was, was, wandering about the city. The hotel was quite
nice, very different. We stayed there for a week or two and then we
were loaded on a lush train. The beds were nothing more than flat
boards. We went up to Toungoo and it was a journey. We went up
there, there were these pagodas with cattle all around them. It was
during the war shipping months it was very interesting.
FRANK BORING:
We interviewed Charlie Mott and he says that the arrival at
Toungoo, there was an incident where you were hanging your head
out the window of the train making quite a noise and all. Do you
recall that incident at all?
DOC RICH:
No. I do not. I do not recall the incident of uh, arriving at Toungoo
where I put my head out of the train. But Charlie Mott said I was
carrying on a bit, which occasionally I did.
FRANK BORING:
What was the train trip like up to Toungoo?
DOC RICH:
It was very nice. Just like riding on a cattle car. The bunks were
nothing but a bed, a board on a hinge and you laid on them. And
when we got up to Toungoo, I recall the remark that Moose Moss
ever said, we lived in these thatched huts and he said “it’s the first
time I ever slept in a fruit basket.” Home.
FRANK BORING:
What was your first impression upon arriving in Toungoo and the
area you were to be living in? Describe to us your quarters and
your medical facilities?
�DOC RICH:
Our medical facilities were quite good when we arrived in uh,
Toungoo. We set up a hospital, uh, set up a dentist and had sick
call just like the army. Uh, uh, our facilities were good because we
brought enough supplies along and because we had all been army
trained.
FRANK BORING:
Who were the members of your staff and if you could, give us an
idea of your first impressions of these people?
DOC RICH:
When we first got there, we had two nurses, females and we had
four male nurses army trained. They were all quite competent. A
good group. The uh, nurses, uh lady nurses were oversaw the
corpsman and we had a good rapport. Excellent.
FRANK BORING:
What was your routine like? What was your daily duties if you will
during this period of the first couple of weeks in Toungoo?
DOC RICH:
My duties were to set on the line because they were training these
men to fly P-40's. It was a fast plane, not what they’re used to. The
plane came in at a terrific speed. We lost quite a few planes in the
training. However - Harry Fox took very good [?] and got them
back in service rather rapidly. I enjoyed Toungoo. When I go to a
city I don’t go to the main part of the city, I go out to the
boondocks and see how the people lived and I really enjoyed
Toungoo.
FRANK BORING:
Can you give us an idea of your experiences when you did go out
into the boondocks? Any stories about that?
DOC RICH:
One of these great big birds called condors. Condors is the name. I
used to wander out into the fields and the thing that ah, surprised
me were several large birds that remind me of a Condor. Also, too
the most beautiful things I can remember about Rangoon, is moon
over Burma. The golden moon, there’s nothing like it. And it’s
nothing to, in the rainy season, to sit and see the sun setting on one
side with three or four rainbows and turning with three or four
�rainbows, and turning back in back of you and seeing the reflection
of those rainbows too. Perfect reduplication. No, I like Burma.
FRANK BORING:
During the time of training, there were a number of accidents.
Planes being destroyed especially on landing were a difficulty.
What were some of the incidents you recall? Were you ever called
to actually treat anybody for injuries? What was your actual role
during this period of time of training?
DOC RICH:
In this period of training, the men were learning how to negotiate
and handle a high speed plane. Many planes were lost in training.
However, fortunately if they had an accident, they were completely
wiped out. We lost three good men. Uh, other than that, there was
nothing very minor, except Dengue fever. I’d never seen a case of
Dengue fever and we had these men in the ah, hospital and I kept
trying to think what it was and one of the native nurses, a
Caucasian came in and said “oh, she says, isn’t that a beautiful
case of Dengue fever?” I said, “Oh, yes it’s the perfect picture.” I
didn’t know Dengue fever from typhoid fever. But, we had many
experiences like that.
�
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
Flying Tigers Interviews and Films
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral history
United States--History, Military
China--History, Military
Veterans
China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG.
Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Boring, Frank
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</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
1938/1991
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Fei Hu Films
Christopher, Frank
Gasdick, Joseph
Misenheimer, Charles V.
P.Y. Shu
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video/mp4; application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
English; Chinese
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
video; text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-88
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1938-1945
World War II
Relation
A related resource
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Moving Image
A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation.
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-88_Rich_Doc_1991-05-30_v01
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Richards, Lewis J., M.D.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1991-05-30
Title
A name given to the resource
Lewis "Doc Rich" Richards interview (video and transcript, 1 of 5), 1991
Description
An account of the resource
Interview of Dr. Lewis Richards by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Dr. Lewis J. Richards, or "Doc Rich" as he was known in the American Volunteer Group (AVG), served as the unit's Flight Surgeon. In this tape, Richards discusses his background in schooling and medical training before working with the AVG, in addition to his motivation in going to China and his journey overseas.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Boring, Frank (interviewer)
Christopher, Frank (director)
Fei Hu Films
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral history
United States--History, Military
China--History, Military
Veterans
China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives.
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
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video/mp4
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b6e1617bc892acaec493af94c54f8b17.mp4
d9b7c9696a3890da150a824f5db8bc16
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8183172c1e00d6c51cbcbcff46d9669f.pdf
f329aa7cd53dbe7846f382e4b1a75513
PDF Text
Text
Grand Valley State University
Special Collections & University Archives
RHC-88 Fei Hu Films
Flying Tigers Interviews
Interviewer: Frank Boring
Interviewee: Lewis J. Richards, M.D. (known as “Doc Rich”)
Date of Interview: 05-30-1991
Transcriber: Frank Boring
[TAPE 2]
DOC RICH:
One thing when I was in Toungoo, with reference to the hospital.
We had quite a few boys come down quite ill. They just were sick
and you couldn’t find anything to help for it They broke out in a
mild rash and one day one of the missionary nurses came to visit
us and was in there and saw them and said “oh yes isn’t this a
beautiful case of Dengue fever.” And I said “what?’ but I never let
her know that I didn’t know what Dengue fever was.
DOC RICH:
Here comes another. This is a bad time, coming home from work.
DOC RICH:
Want me to go? One day, I was making rounds at the hospital and
a missionary nurse came in to visit with us and while she was there
she looked over and said “oh, isn’t this a beautiful case of Dengue
fever” and I had been puzzled all along as to what was wrong with
it and it was a beautiful case of Dengue fever and I tell you, if you
have Dengue fever you feel like it’s called break bone fever and
you feel like you’re going to die and you wish you could. That’s
how sick you are and it’s a mosquito borne fever like malaria and
it takes you quite some time to regain your strength.
FRANK BORING:
What did you do to treat it?
�DOC RICH:
We treated it primarily symptomatic. We did give them some
quinine like you do for malaria, but I’m not quite sure that was the
effective thing at the time.
FRANK BORING:
What other kinds of ailments if you will, or accident related cases
did you deal with during the period of time you were at Toungoo?
DOC RICH:
Well a few of the, some of the cases that I dealt with there, we did
have quite a few malaria cases and Dengue fever and then of
course, when you’re living in an area like that where the water
supply is not always the best, we had quite a bit of diarrhea. Other
than that, it uh, they were quite healthy.
FRANK BORING:
What were your quarters like? Did you live with the men or did
you have separate quarters?
DOC RICH:
No, No I lived, when I was, my quarters there, uh I shared the
quarters with men just the same as anyone else. I remember one
time we’d always go to a, before we got up to, to uh, Toungoo,
Bob Prescott would come in and we’d be at the hotel and he’d
come in a little bit on the dark side and he had a pair of British
shoes and they squeaked and they squeaked and they squeaked and
he was, it took him an hour to get his uh, mosquito net tucked in
and I’d swear at him and he would swear right back at me. He was,
that was the routine for Bob.
FRANK BORING:
What other incidents can you recall from that period of time, just
personal observations or incidents that happened that you can think
of?
DOC RICH:
Where are we now at Loiwing? (Still at Toungoo). At Toungoo?
Let me think a minute. Uh, I was thinking of what was the best
ones happened when we were up at Magwe.
FRANK BORING:
Magwe?
�DOC RICH:
While I was at Loiwing, uh, we was, Japanese were coming up the
road and we were told to evacuate and everyone had moved out or
left and Harry Fox and myself were the last ones there, left and we
got a big trailer and loaded the trailer with all the uh, ammunition
for the cannons and uh, he and I started across uh, going up to, uh,
let me think where…
FRANK BORING:
Uh were you introduced to Chennault? Did you meet Chennault at
this time?
DOC RICH:
Oh, yes, we all met Chennault. Yea sure. During this period of
time we all met Chennault and we realized he, ah, was hard
looking, tough, his face was tanned like an Indian. And he was part
Indian. Uh, Churchill once said, that a man with a face like that “‘I’m glad he’s on my side.” I’ll never forget that.
FRANK BORING:
Well, you, oh sorry.
DOC RICH:
While we were at Toungoo, no, that’s wrong. Yea, Toungoo.
While we were at Toungoo, some of the fellows were quite, they
would get quite sick and so on and we didn’t have the hospital
facilities so we sent them over to, cut??, To uh, to Seagraves.
FRANK BORING:
No start from the beginning. Yeah.
DOC RICH:
While we were at Toungoo, sometimes we had to send some of the
men, we couldn’t handle them and we sent them over to see Dr.
Seagraves who had a hospital in that area, a missionary hospital. I
have mentioned in Seagraves book, Burma Surgeon. I
unfortunately never met him, they tried to get Seagraves to go into
the army, American armed forces did and they said they’d make
him a colonel and he said “no, I’d just as soon be an old Kentucky
Colonel.
�FRANK BORING:
What were your impressions of Chennault at this time as a leader?
This is a man that was going to be leading this group. Possibly into
war. What was your impression of the man?
DOC RICH:
Chennault, uh my, my impression of Chennault is that he was a
tough man, a determined man. Uh, that in spite of all the training, I
think the training that the pilots had it was initiated from
themselves how to learn to handle a fast moving plane. It was not a
dog fighting plane. It was a plane that moved fast, it regained their
altitude and drop off. While at Loiwing, one time, we had an air
raid and I’ve seen as high as four Japanese planes going down at
once. The men were well trained but it was primarily that they uh,
initiated how to use the plane.
FRANK BORING:
What were your impressions of Chennault's staff the other people
that you associated with? Whether it was Harvey Greenlaw or any
of these people, anybody that sticks out in your mind?
DOC RICH:
Chennault had a very good staff and you couldn’t help but like
them. Harvey Greenlaw was quite a character and one uh, Saturday
night, uh we were all doing a little drinking and Harvey Greenlaw
got his Tuxedo, wore his tuxedo, but he was always pulling
something like that . He was quite a character. While we were at
Toungoo, one night we were raided and while we were being
raided, uh Greg Boyington and all of us ran for the trenches. Greg
was pretty well inebriated and he fell down and cut himself up so
we took him back into the Loiwing uh, club house and I was
proceeding to sew him up and I didn’t use any anesthesia on him
because he’d had plenty of alcohol and Duke Hedman stood by
there and we’d been playing the piano in ragtime and uh, when
Greg would holler Duke would holler. “Go ahead, do, Doc, go
ahead hurt him, hurt him, but many little incidents like that were
very interesting.
FRANK BORING:
When did you first have to start utilizing your skills as a doctor
other than just dealing Dengue fever and a few of these minor
�things like that? Do you recall the first time that you had a serious
uh, accident or a serious bit of Doctoring to do?
DOC RICH:
Why don’t we, tell about loading up the ammunition, or did I do
that?
FRANK BORING:
Ok?
DOC RICH:
Did I tell about that?
FRANK BORING:
Sure.
DOC RICH:
Harry Fox and I were the last ones to leave Loiwing. We loaded
one trailer up with ammunition for the cannons, got it all up. We
went up to cross a river to go further up in China and uh, the uh,
we had trouble getting across the river. When we got in to, uh, cut,
was it Paoshan or what where the raid was? Yea, Paoshan.
FRANK BORING:
Paoshan is when, uh…
DOC RICH:
When we got in Paoshan, uh, I remember I was out on the fields
and was informed that there been a terrible air raid and in a city it
was almost im… difficult, impossible to get up there thru the
traffic so it was slow by the time I got up there. Unfortunately, one
of the Japs had dropped the bomb right in the middle of that truck
that we had all the ammunition and it went around and looked
around and several of the boys were hurt and Foshee was laying in
the fields with one leg off and part of an arm and these were the
kinds of things we ran, and then the Chinese could be seen lying all
over the street and they, when this air raid was over they carried on
just as if nothing happened.
FRANK BORING:
If we could continue on with the incident with Foshee we
interviewed Bob Locke and Bob is the one that actually brought
Benny Foshee into you to be treated. Do you recall, he described it
as this confusion all around? There was you and a Chinese doctor
�working on people and there was a little boy sitting over in the
corner who had an arm blown off. Do you recall that?
DOC RICH:
I’ll wait a few minutes. What was the name, I’m trying to think of
the name. Shields was it, no the two men…
FRANK BORING:
No, Swartz?
DOC RICH:
Shields and Fauth were hurt quite badly. Fauth had his, if I recall
right, had his hand blown off.
FRANK BORING:
It’s Swartz, Swartz.
DOC RICH:
What did I… Fauth had his arm blown off. William Swartz didn’t
have his…
FRANK BORING:
Swartz was the one that eventually they sent him off to India.
DOC RICH:
India?
FRANK BORING:
India, yeah. At least you’ve been quoted in books as saying that.
You said that the British were responsible really that he should
never have died.
DOC RICH:
Oh, I can’t remember that. I don’t know, whether it Swartz or
Fauth. I’m trying to think, seems to me like Swartz lost his arm
and I don’t… and what happened to Fauth I don’t know. He was
hurt pretty bad.
FRANK BORING:
He was - He died too.
DOC RICH:
Oh, yes.
FRANK BORING:
I think Swartz was the one that was sent off to an Indian Hospital.
DOC RICH:
Both of them.
�FRANK BORING:
Both of them.
DOC RICH:
The uh, one of the bad accidents was after an air raid. In the day
time and I mean late evening. Uh, it was Fauth and Swartz as I
recall. Uh, Fauth lost his arm clear up to his shoulders and it seems
to me that Swartz lost his hand and had his face pretty badly
injured too. Uh, we didn’t have the facilities out in the field to take
care of them and so the British loaded them and took them over to
India. Another incident was Bob Brouk, a pilot and uh, see uh,
shrapnel went off and he was filled with shrapnel and we moved
all the big parts and he said what about the little parts? I says they
won’t hurt. Many people live with a little piece of steel in them, so
we, never, there was nothing more to be done, we did take good
care of him and there was a few Chinese that were terribly hurt but
the Chinese doctors came in and took care of them.
FRANK BORING:
What did you, give us some idea of the facility that you had to
work with. What were the conditions that you were working
under? If you could try and make it as graphic as possible for us to
get a view of what you actually had to work with when somebody
would get hurt like that. I mean, people think that your medical
facility, even an army medical facility and they think you’ve got
medicine and syringes and…
DOC RICH:
Our medical facilities were quite limited. In fact I had my medical
bag and I had a Studebaker, small Studebaker and uh, I had it filled
with medicine and most of my work was done uh, on the running
board of the car. Uh, Charlie Bond came in after a raid and he was
making a victory roll over the field and following him and he was
a little careless then, following him was Jap plane and all I had was
a revolver and I kept trying to shoot at that Bob, that Jap plane and
I saw Charlie Bond bail out and his plane was afire and I got a
Indian, I mean a Chinese coolie to take me up there and we located
him and he was severely burned uh, we didn’t have much for
anesthesia, we give him a shot of morphine and then we went
�ahead and treated him with a for burns which was rather crude at
that time but fortunately, he came out without any scaring
whatsoever.
DOC RICH:
Now let me think a minute, uh I uh, failed to mention that I made
the entire trip from Burma up the Burma Road, uh, into Loiwing.
Ah, it was, talk about a snaky road, uh, the curves were so sharp
that the uh, Chinese pilots, uh, uh, truck drivers would have to
back up and take two or three times or many time to make the turn.
As we went up, we would stop and rest of course and uh, stop and
eat because the Chinese would set up little restaurants along the
way and we would eat the food there. I came up with Bob Locke
and I took all the precautions in the world to keep from getting
malaria and if a mosquito is anywhere around he’ll find me. Bob
Locke was absolutely, never slept under a net. Brought a tiger with
him and he never got one mosquito bite. So there’s something
about the odor of the body that will attract certain insects. Ants
will attracted by some people’s perspiration, mosquitos by others
and so on. But it was quite an interesting trip. Bob Locke and I was
paralled [?] all the way up. Cut. Did Bob mention that? Another
thing that happened once too. Steve Kustay? Uh, I think he was
Armorer, I’m not sure. He liked his booze. And they called me one
night. That Steve had turned the jeep over and was underneath the
jeep. And I got up and went out there and I found it and the jeep
was upside down on Steve Kustay. We turned the jeep over and
Steve wasn’t hurt a bit and he says thanks you guys for coming
helping me out. Cut. Ha, Ha, Ha, I never will forget. I could have
killed him. He was drunker than a goat.
FRANK BORING:
One of the things we are trying to get is that spontaneity, laughing
I could have killed him. Don’t cut. In the future let it go. That’s
what we want to get.
DOC RICH:
Let me see what else. There was another one too. Ah, there’s
another incident too, I forget uh, uh, just what city we were in, but
we were out, camping out at the airport and uh, while we were
�there. Cut. While we were there, let me see, we had a tent out in
the desert and uh, I stripped off one day and was laying there on
the cot getting sunshine, and course angelic Prescott got all the
fellows together and they went out and gathered up all…
FRANK BORING:
Before you go through, give us a sense of where it is.
DOC RICH:
Somewhere in the desert of China, we were out in the uh, uh,
desert and had a little tent set up and I decided to strip off my
clothes and get a sunshine. Of course angelic Bob Prescott got the
fellows together and set the coolies out to get some watermelons
and they came back with these watermelons and I was asleep and
they start to squeezing them all over me and then the flies you
know and I got up and I’d go after one and the other guy would get
back of me and hit me with a watermelon and I turned around to
get him and they like to run me crazy but geez they thought that
that was great sport. Truthfully I didn’t quite enjoy it at the time
but I look at, back now with much laughter.
�
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
Flying Tigers Interviews and Films
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral history
United States--History, Military
China--History, Military
Veterans
China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG.
Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Boring, Frank
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</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
1938/1991
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Fei Hu Films
Christopher, Frank
Gasdick, Joseph
Misenheimer, Charles V.
P.Y. Shu
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video/mp4; application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
English; Chinese
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
video; text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-88
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1938-1945
World War II
Relation
A related resource
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Moving Image
A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation.
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-88_Rich_Doc_1991-05-30_v02
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Richards, Lewis J., M.D.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1991-05-30
Title
A name given to the resource
Lewis "Doc Rich" Richards interview (video and transcript, 2 of 5), 1991
Description
An account of the resource
Interview of Dr. Lewis Richards by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Dr. Lewis J. Richards, or "Doc Rich" as he was known in the American Volunteer Group (AVG), served as the unit's Flight Surgeon. In this tape, Richards describes working at the hospital in Toungoo, his experiences treating Dengue fever, and his first impressions of General Chennault.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Boring, Frank (interviewer)
Christopher, Frank (director)
Fei Hu Films
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral history
United States--History, Military
China--History, Military
Veterans
China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives.
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
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video/mp4
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/16e5b49cd765c27a30f2c6f42a5f5376.mp4
6640268c86e05a71acbfe24110fe7554
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d805208267385aee98ad90e10c500e55.pdf
8767e9aa345a466eb0aab079658fac4b
PDF Text
Text
Grand Valley State University
Special Collections & University Archives
RHC-88 Fei Hu Films
Flying Tigers Interviews
Interviewer: Frank Boring
Interviewee: Lewis J. Richards, M.D. (known as “Doc Rich”)
Date of Interview: 05-30-1991
Transcriber: Frank Boring
[TAPE 3]
DOC RICH:
One instance that I forgot to mention coming up the Burma road, I
had a little Studebaker, and Bob Locke had a jeep and he had a
tiger in the jeep with him and I would have nothing to do with the
tiger uh, but uh, he had a lot of fun with it and whenever the
natives would try to steal stuff out of his truck the tiger was a very
effective deterrent. Uh, also too, while we were at Paoshan, and we
lost uh, uh, I don’t know if it was Faust or what, we were at
Paoshan or not, we lost cut, who was the one of the two men? Oh,
Fauth and Swartz, Swartz. We lost Fauth and Swartz, uh and I was
staying up most of the night, uh to attend to them what little I
could because we didn’t have much in my medical bag. Uh, uh, the
men were to take turns and to call me if they needed something
and all of a sudden they called me and I went over there and
checked some of the fellows and Bob Prescott said that, uh Doc.
there’s, I think one of these coolies are dead. I says “OK” so I went
over there and then we went to his bunk and they had double deck
bunks and he was up on the second bunk, and the guy got out. It
was a Gurkha guard and he saluted me and mentioned in Gurkha
language uh, about the man in the bed and I reached over and the
man was cold, free.., icy cold and I said well the man is dead and
they interpreted to him. The man saluted again and got back up and
got back in bed. Uh, And uh, Bob Prescott says, Doc, Doc, look
doc, he’s getting back into bed. I says yes I know. He said what’s
the matter with him? I said, hell, Bob he slept with he’s sleepy.
�And he called me every dirty name in the world. Told me how
merciless I was. Cut. Now let me think what else, couldn’t leave
that one out. Another incident, want me to start on. Another
incident that I failed to mention, someone in the night had got from
an air raid had got cut and we proceeded to sew him up and was all
we had was a flash light and I thought Moose Moss was holding
the flash light and I says after a while he couldn’t hold the flash
light still. I says Moose, oh no, it was Prescott holding the
flashlight and after a while he wasn’t holding it still. I says dammit
hold that flashlight so I can see. And it kept getting worse and I
says Moose quit goosing Bob Prescott and all of a sudden thug
Bob was holding the flashlight and he fainted. Cut. I never will
forget that.
FRANK BORING:
Just let it go. We’ll cut it. Don’t worry about it.
DOC RICH:
Let me think a few minutes.
FRANK BORING:
No I mean don’t say the cut. Because your comments after you say
cut are usually just as good as the story itself, so…
DOC RICH:
As far as the AVG medical supplies why we had ample drugs of all
kinds, and plenty of it. Uh, we had a pretty good little set up at the
hospital to treat them in and most of the stuff was done at local
anesthesia and as I’ve said, if there was any, as we’ve said if there
were any accidents they were terminal. Other than that it was
malaria, Dengue fever, ah, usual diarrhea and the usual run of the
mill of things that you could take care of even at home if you had
to.
FRANK BORING:
OK.
DOC RICH:
Cut if you want to, because I can’t think of it now.
�FRANK BORING:
No, that was fine. What about in the field though? Away from the
hospital what kind of conditions were you operating under in the
field?
DOC RICH:
Once I was away from the hospital, the operating conditions were
perfectly ideal. I had the medicines and my little Studebaker and I
had my medical box and that was the sum total of all of it. Do you
want to cut it? No, no wait a minute, let me, I got to think about
this stuff.
FRANK BORING:
Ok.
DOC RICH:
You ready? We went up to Kunming and when I was up at
Kunming, I was setting on the line with the ambulance for all the
uh, planes to take off and anything that happened or the fellows
didn’t feel good, we’d take care of them. And all of them had
trouble with their ears from flying and different things. Colonel
Scott came up to visit and he would fly his airplane back and forth
but he would never go with a group. He made the remarks, boys
I’m going to make go out here with a flight and a run and so he
was going to go the next morning. He never showed up till noon
and he says gentlemen I’m sorry I overslept. He says, don’t worry
we’re just getting ready to take off. We were fogged in and he
would not go. Scott used to get in his airplane and fly around as a
lone, loner and he would tell what he saw and who he shot down.
The boys, the armour boys questioned very much, so they taped up
the end of the cannons and when he came back and said what he
shot down, the guns had not been fired. Cut it off. Let me think a
minute.
FRANK BORING:
Doc don’t worry about…
DOC RICH:
I remember one incident Moose Moss was using the modern toilets
we had which was a trench. A straddle trench and he sent down
and says have doc come up in a hurry. I says what happened? He
says emergency. I says what's the emergency? While he was on the
�straddle trench, a bee stung him on the dong and he says well that’s
not too important and he says the hell it isn’t tell him to get up here
and take the sting out of this but don’t take the swelling out of it.
Cut it off.
FRANK BORING:
We’re going to see Moose next week. We’ll say hello for you.
DOC RICH:
The Chinese personnel was taken care of by the Chinese doctors
while I was there. I did not take care of many of the Chinese. We
referred them over because there’s a language barrier too.
FRANK BORING:
Did you have any contact with the Chinese doctors at all do you
have any evaluation of their skills?
DOC RICH:
I had very little contact with them. They kept us busy at all times.
One incident that did happen though, uh when I was at Kunming.
About Sam Prevo the orthopedist was down at Toungoo and they
called me and I was taking care of the line at, uh Kunming and
sentry said we’re going to send you down to the uh, to the uh, front
to relieve Sam Prevo. I said how come? They said Sam’s drinking
too much. So on the way down to there, we they had a pilot and
Three Star Hennessy used to fly the plane and on the way down
Hennessy was not quite sure where he was whether south or north
of Toungoo. I said Hennessy we’re north of Toungoo. He said how
do you know? I said North of Toungoo there’s only one railroad
track. South of Toungoo there’s two railroad tracks and if we went
in to make our landing, the whole airfield was disheveled. They
had just made a bombing raid and Sam ran out to get in the plane,
and they told us to get under cover and Hennessy came back with
Sam. And I spent the, that’s when I started staying down there,
made a trip up the Burma Road. Tom, ah, Hennessy was,
remembers that and he was so grateful, cause I know he was lost.
FRANK BORING:
Did you meet any Chinese? You heard about Pearl Harbor?
�DOC RICH:
Another incident on December the 8th, we were at Toungoo and
we heard, woke up the next morning and heard that Pearl Harbor
had been bombed. All night long airplanes were flying over our
area and we were so well camouflaged that they couldn’t find us. If
they had we’d of all been destroyed. I think the uh, good Lord had
his hand around us then.
FRANK BORING:
What was your personal reaction to the Pearl Harbor event
knowing that America now was at war and you were right in the
front lines?
DOC RICH:
Well, my personal reaction just when all this happened did not
disturb me. They sent uh, uh Sam Prevo down to Rangoon and uh,
one of our first our first battle front down there - one of our fine
men who I cannot recall was lost there. I can’t recall his name uh,
but it didn’t disturb me. I respected it the excitement and the
challenge so what I take life as it comes.
DOC RICH:
This time, there was another incident. The uh, Shilling,
Mangleburg and I can’t think of the other pilot’s name just right
off. We were flying up from uh, Toungoo up north and of course
they put on a big show and they ran out of gas before they got up
there. Uh these men had to crash land and I was sent down at
Christmas time to uh, Christy [?] to go down there and he and I
went down to locate them and I forget the little town way up in the
hills. And on the way down I was driving the truck like mad and
the roads were terrible Christy says Doc, if you don’t go slower
this truck won’t hold out. Well we kept on going and we got down
there and we then we couldn’t... it was inland so we parked the car
and we went inland, walked inland and as we walked inland we
had to stay overnight at some of these fancy hotels which was
nothing but a board to lay on and we didn’t have any blankets. So
as we went on in to the area and walked out always we had people,
Chinese that were coming into the market in this little country
town who’d bring us messages. And they’d located Shilling and
uh, I think it was, Mangleburg was killed and the other fellow was
�living and as we stood there it was interesting, the large number of
people who went by men and women. I had the man that was with
me Christy Bent to count the people that went by and then when I
picked out one with a goiter I’d say now let’s start counting over
again. And the average, we picked out great big, large goiters and
about 10 percent about every 10 we’d find one with a goiter that
came down the hills. That was most impressive. When finally we,
they brought Shilling in and he came in riding on one of these
shoulder things that the men carried, riding like a king. And
Shilling hadn’t eaten very much, so we went to eat and you won’t
believe this but Shilling ate one dozen eggs, that’s how hungry he
was. Mangleburg was killed and we waited for the other men and
we took them back to uh, uh, Kunming and Mangleburg we had,
had an air raid one night and they had no lights for them to light in,
the fellows were up and so they turned all the automobile lights on
and Mass uh, uh, can’t think of the other man’s name, it misses me
right now but while he was sitting there in the car, he went to sleep
and one of the pilots came in and was blinded by the lights and ran
into this car that he was in and the propeller decapitated him. Uh,
that was sad.
FRANK BORING:
Why don’t we do that again, but this time now you know that it’s
Pete Wright and its Ken Merritt that’s in the car so…
DOC RICH:
After we gathered up Shilling and his three men we returned to our
base and there was a night flight uh, Ken Merritt, there was no
lights and we had to illuminate the field with automobile lights and
uh, Ken Merritt was setting in the car, one of the cars, went to
sleep and Pete Wright came in for the landing and was blinded by
the light from the cars and it’s a real tragedy, his plane ran into the
other car and decapitated Ken Merritt. It was really a sad,
unfortunate thing, but that was part of the game. I oughta write that
up, shouldn’t I?
�FRANK BORING:
After Pearl Harbor is what we’re talking about, after Christmas
were you transferred around or were you stationed in Kunming?
What happened after Pearl Harbor?
DOC RICH:
Right after Pearl Harbor we moved up to Kunming.
FRANK BORING:
You have your glasses on.
DOC RICH:
Now, where was I?
FRANK BORING:
Um, What did Chennault ask of you to do were you stationed in
Kunming or were you sent around?
DOC RICH:
After Pearl Harbor, we’d all moved up to Kunming and uh, as I
told you before, related an incidence of uh, uh, guided my poor,
copilot. and many other incidents and I was sent down to the front
to relieve Prescott and I was pushed around and also one time I had
to go up to Chungking uh, to stay up there for a while to take care
of a detached group there. Uh, it was quite interesting, but I didn’t
stay up there too long and then they moved me on. Another thing
that was interesting, going up the Kunming river, there was a man
that gathered up all the feces from these, the boat and would ship
the feces up the river and would sell it to the, to the uh, natives
carried it on their shoulder pole to go out to fertilize their…
fertilize their plants. And so he had a dignified name of being the
shit king of Kunming.
FRANK BORING:
You had commented that they should have been able to live, they
should have survived. Do you recall that?
DOC RICH:
I don’t recall that and if I did, uh, uh, Swartz and Faust were sent
down to India and uh, the uh, somewhere the statement came out
that
FRANK BORING:
He’s talking as if he’s talking to the camera. Ok go ahead.
�DOC RICH:
Somewhere along the line the, uh statement came out that I felt
that there were men who should have survived. I do not recall
making that statement however, it is possible. Uh, Uh, I do not
think the treatment in India, although they are good Doctors and so
on, good hospitals, having lived in India since then, uh, sometimes
I question their judgements. There is an arrogance about the Indian
doctors that disturbs me. They are well trained and their capable,
but there is an arrogance that disturbs me. Other than that, right
off, I don’t recall making a statement however it’s very possible
that I did.
FRANK BORING:
Do you recall the incident in which Benny Foshee was injured?
Bob Locke brought him in to you there was other Chinese doctors
in the area treating Chinese and Benny Foshee was brought in.
DOC RICH:
Benny Foshee was not brought in to me as I recall uh, after the
bombing because I went up and made a survey and Benny Foshee
was laying in the compound and one, as I recall one arm totally
blown off and one foot. I did not treat Benny Foshee, he didn’t live
that long, he was killed instantly in a bombing raid.
�
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
Flying Tigers Interviews and Films
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral history
United States--History, Military
China--History, Military
Veterans
China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG.
Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Boring, Frank
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</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
1938/1991
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Fei Hu Films
Christopher, Frank
Gasdick, Joseph
Misenheimer, Charles V.
P.Y. Shu
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video/mp4; application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
English; Chinese
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
video; text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-88
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1938-1945
World War II
Relation
A related resource
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Moving Image
A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation.
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-88_Rich_Doc_1991-05-30_v03
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Richards, Lewis J., M.D.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1991-05-30
Title
A name given to the resource
Lewis "Doc Rich" Richards interview (video and transcript, 3 of 5), 1991
Description
An account of the resource
Interview of Dr. Lewis Richards by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Dr. Lewis J. Richards, or "Doc Rich" as he was known in the American Volunteer Group (AVG), served as the unit's Flight Surgeon. In this tape, Richards describes the conditions he was working under in the field and away from the hospital, in addition to his personal reaction to the news of Pearl Harbor.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Boring, Frank (interviewer)
Christopher, Frank (director)
Fei Hu Films
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral history
United States--History, Military
China--History, Military
Veterans
China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives.
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
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video/mp4
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0c17f91663e8ef12c876076eaa190649.mp4
15fe6516ee543a24e42a76f11f8edcca
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/426275cbdbc20de7aef0b2bf4ace0345.pdf
8e820c0db6fe47da53e300fb3ace8008
PDF Text
Text
Grand Valley State University
Special Collections & University Archives
RHC-88 Fei Hu Films
Flying Tigers Interviews
Interviewer: Frank Boring
Interviewee: Lewis J. Richards, M.D. (known as “Doc Rich”)
Date of Interview: 05-30-1991
Transcriber: Frank Boring
[TAPE 4]
DOC RICH:
You know Pappy set one of those airplanes down in a rice field
and he did it deliberate. I don’t know whether you know it or not, I
probably shouldn’t put it in but he did it deliberate. You ask some
of the ground men and they’ll tell you. He was not the hero he’s
supposed to be. But, you get a columnist to write stuff up you
know, he can glorify sin.
FRANK BORING:
According to what we’ve read there was a time you told Boyington
he better stop drinking or it would kill him. Do you recall that?
DOC RICH:
I don’t re...ah, ah, at one time, I think some of the pilots did drink
too much and Boyington was the epitome of it. And I cautioned
him to quit drinking but, uh…
DOC RICH:
Ah, I recall some of the pilots, and after all it’s quite
understandable that the pilots would drink heavy after a strenuous
day of fighting they had to have some let down. At that time liquor
was plentiful and uh, it was a relaxation but Boyington oh, he
drank far in excess and I cautioned him repeatedly but trying to tell
a man that he’s an alcoholic, whooo I can handle it, I’m not
drinking too much, but that was one of his weaknesses.
�FRANK BORING:
Do you recall any incidents that you remember distinctly about
Boyington and his drinking whether it was a fight or any incident
that stuck out in your mind?
DOC RICH:
No.
FRANK BORING:
Do you recall Bert Christman?
DOC RICH:
There was a man by name of Bert Christman and I don’t recall him
and I just don’t know what’s happened to him. Uh, a nice fellow, I
just don’t recall Bert Christman at all.
FRANK BORING:
You mentioned Brouk?
DOC RICH:
Um, Brouk was a pilot, no, I take it back Brouk was a ground crew
man. He got shot up with buck shrapnel. I don’t know when he
may have been a pilot at that time. I don’t think so, but anyway
there was shrapnel all through him and we went ahead and took
most of the big pieces of shrapnel out and there was a lot of little
pieces and he says well How about taking them out and I says no
way, I’d have to butcher you .I says you’ll live with them they
won’t hurt you you’ll be a man of iron afterwards.
DOC RICH:
One of the things about Charlie Bond as I recall after he was
burned. We didn’t have the modern experience at that time that we
do in burn treatment and so we, uh, Jepson violet which is the,
which is a dye that we painted these burned areas out with and it
seemed to keep down infection and surprisingly he came out
practically with no scars at all.
FRANK BORING:
Describe being bombed, as in the airplanes shooting, perhaps even
a [?] shot or one of the more violent episodes.
DOC RICH:
Several times we were bombed and there’s big blockbusters that
scare you to death. We made a run one night for the trenches and
uh, uh, I can’t recall the man’s name just now uh, he was with us
�uh, he uh we made a run for the trenches and I got in the trench
and he couldn’t find it and finally he got in there. He says next
time they’ll never catch me on the ground. I’ll be in the air, I’m
safer. Another time, I was in uh, uh, oh…
FRANK BORING:
Wasn’t it Black Mac McGarry?
DOC RICH:
Black Mac McGarry.
DOC RICH:
One time, we were, uh, there was a bombing raid and Black Mac
McGarry, a pilot was there with us and they were dropping the
bombs and boy we had to run for it and he didn’t know, I said
follow me I’ll find the trench and I found the trench and he came
running and actually went clear over the trench. He finally came
back and got in the trench with me and after the jing bow was over
he made the remark you’ll never find me on the ground again, I’ll
be up in the air it’s safer. There’s another incidence when we were
at uh, I can’t think of the name of the town right off. We was out in
the desert and uh, there was an air raid coming and we had to run
for it. And it was a little British sergeant or corporal with me and
we were running hard to get to a culvert uh we finally got in the
culvert and on the way down there though I looked back over my
shoulder and here came a Jap plane strafing and he was about fifty
maybe twenty five yards to our left of us and you could see the
bullets hitting the ground and kicking up the sand from the desert.
If he’d been on course we would have had it. When we got there
we climbed into the culvert and I happened to get in there first and
he came in last and I said let’s get out of here now that it’s over
and I like to never got him out of there. I talked to him I says we
have to get out of here cause all these trucks are lined up over here
and that’s the first thing they are going to strafe and we’re going
get it. Finally I got him out. That was a little hazardous event.
Disturbed me, I mean it made you think. But we didn’t have time
to think. Our thinking wasn’t in our legs it was in our savior.
FRANK BORING:
Do you recall the bombing of Paoshan?
�DOC RICH:
That’s where Benny Foshee was killed, I think, yes.
DOC RICH:
I told you uh, when we were in Paoshan the Japs came over and
bombed Paoshan and they, as I related to you before about the
truck load of ammunition, they put a bomb right through it and that
was also true in the compound out in the open part of it where
Benny Foshee was killed.
FRANK BORING:
What were you doing while the bombing was going on?
DOC RICH:
While the bombing was going on, I was out on the air strip.
DOC RICH:
When we were at the bombing of Paoshan I was always given the
duty of being on the airplane, air strip. And as soon as we heard
that uh, what had happened, it took quite a while to get thru the
traffic on these narrow roads between these rice paddies to get
back to the base and of course all of our ammunition was blown up
and Benny Foshee was gone.
FRANK BORING:
Could you describe for us from the perspective of the air field,
watching the battle the Japanese fighters against the tigers and
watching the Japanese get shot down?
DOC RICH:
I recall one incident when I was on the on the line and the Japs
were making a raid and quite a few of them and uh, the uh, fellows
were in their P-40’s and they were diving on them and I remember
one instance 4, I saw 4 Japanese planes go down at once. All in
flames, that was quite a spectacle. Another incident I recall too, is
when uh, the man setting in the uh, the uh, in the air no, no when
they were in training, every time Conant came in, he wrecked the
plane. He just couldn’t handle the P-40's. They put him in another
plane and made him go up right away and they kept wrecking he
wrecked three planes and finally they gave up on him. But Buster
Keeton was there with me and he was standing there and he says
boy oh, boy, oh boy if Conant came in I came out here if
�somebody had just had a camera. I said Bus what the hell’s
hanging around your neck. And he had his camera hanging there.
He’s never forgotten that and he’s never forgiven me. Uh, I always
called Buster Keeton, I had a nice little nickname for him I called
him lard in a can.
DOC RICH:
Well this was interesting, it was interesting, you know. He says
boy if someone had just had a camera and he came out there with
his camera especially to catch him and he performed, he ruined the
plane and I says what the hell’s hanging around your neck.
DOC RICH:
I forget why it was. He was a little heavy in the butt. And I, I just I
had a nickname for all of them.
FRANK BORING:
What were some of the nicknames you had for the guys?
DOC RICH:
Well, I uh, [?] called Benny Foshee baldy or cue ball cause he was
totally bald and uh, uh, they had different names I can’t recall them
right now.
DOC RICH:
There was a man by the name of Skip Adair that was a sort of a
right hand man to Harvey Greenlaw and to the general. He was a
great big massive fellow. I could never see just a lot what Skip did.
I thought probably he was more sort of a PR man and did a lot of
the little runnings for the general, lot of leg work. Other than that I
was not very familiar with Skip.
FRANK BORING:
How about Boatner Carney?
DOC RICH:
There was a man by the name of Boatner Carney but I just can’t
recall all these incidents. He was quite a character too.
DOC RICH:
There was smuggling done by many of the pilots and the
smuggling in China at that time was acceptable and it still is. The
only thing that’s unacceptable if you get caught. That’s your
stupidity and of course, I think they smuggled a little bit and some
�of them would take CNAC and up there and change it with the
market but uh, that’s life in the Orient and that’s an acceptable part
of it.
DOC RICH:
No they flew us up to, I was flown up to Ch… Chunking I didn’t
drive up there. Big driving I did was coming up the Burma Road
from Rangoon to Loiwing.
DOC RICH:
No.
DOC RICH:
Do you really want that? Olga Greenlaw was a beautiful lady. Uh,
if I think right she was part Russian, uh, luscious, attractive, sexy
and uh, I’m not sure about the rest of her activities. But it’s been
rumored and everyone has their suspicion.
DOC RICH:
Better not. May I ask what they said?
DOC RICH:
Olga Greenlaw. Another incident about Olga Greenlaw she’s a
beautiful lady, sexy, attractive, uh, hard to resist and I’m sure she
trifled a lot on Harvey Greenlaw and uh, there’s no, it’s just purely
rumor but I’m sure that there was indulgence by numerous pilots in
fact I recall once I was called over to see her and she was sick and
I went over to her and here she had, all she had on was a night
gown and you could see clear thru. But cautious me, I know better.
That really struck me, I never forgot it. Cause there’s all for the
asking, but no thank you.
FRANK BORING:
When did you first start hearing rumors about the induction of the
AVG in to the Army?
DOC RICH:
Towards the termination there was Ok. Toward the termination of
our uh, uh, service uh, one of the generals came down and he was
not a, I think it was Bissell if I recall right. It was not popular at all
with uh, Chennault. They were at conflict. But they were going to
show us you are going to get in the army. If you don’t go in the
army, we’ll draft you when we get to the States and quite a few of
�the fellows went in then. The others, uh I was with a group of
fellows who chose to go home. When I got to the other side of
India I got a call from CNAC Charlie Sharp and asking me to uh,
come down to see if I would take a job as a medical director with
Chinese National Aviation Corp. which was a subdivision of pan
America. And Mickey Mickelson and I were roommates and
Mickey he said he was going down and insisted that I come. I said
the men had asked if they could get me. They were quite conscious
of wanting medical care. And I talked to Charlie Sharp and told
him I said well Charlie, I’ve got my fare paid on a ship. I says,
suppose I come down for an interview and I don’t like you and you
don’t like me, what’s going to happen? He said we’ll see that you
get home, and I turned to Mickey and said what’ll you do? And he
said let’s go down and we went down and joined up with CNAC
and I became their medical director and unfortunately Mickey
Mickelson was lost in the uh, flying over the hump.
�
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
Flying Tigers Interviews and Films
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral history
United States--History, Military
China--History, Military
Veterans
China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG.
Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Boring, Frank
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</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
1938/1991
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Fei Hu Films
Christopher, Frank
Gasdick, Joseph
Misenheimer, Charles V.
P.Y. Shu
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video/mp4; application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
English; Chinese
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
video; text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-88
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1938-1945
World War II
Relation
A related resource
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Moving Image
A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation.
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-88_Rich_Doc_1991-05-30_v04
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Richards, Lewis J., M.D.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1991-05-30
Title
A name given to the resource
Lewis "Doc Rich" Richards interview (video and transcript, 4 of 5), 1991
Description
An account of the resource
Interview of Dr. Lewis Richards by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Dr. Lewis J. Richards, or "Doc Rich" as he was known in the American Volunteer Group (AVG), served as the unit's Flight Surgeon. In this tape, Richards describes seeking cover in the trenches during times of bombing and his perspective of the air field while watching the Flying Tigers battle the Japanese.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Boring, Frank (interviewer)
Christopher, Frank (director)
Fei Hu Films
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral history
United States--History, Military
China--History, Military
Veterans
China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives.
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
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video/mp4
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d7915c2a3ec42c4891aed5e38475f20c.mp4
7ecf6c4d10188a0e2f1bad67396aca93
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9e922527f3b1764233b31d81731cd3a4.pdf
76a43d43e46c5b2f4ebc521221de5573
PDF Text
Text
Grand Valley State University
Special Collections & University Archives
RHC-88 Fei Hu Films
Flying Tigers Interviews
Interviewer: Frank Boring
Interviewee: Lewis J. Richards, M.D. (known as “Doc Rich”)
Date of Interview: 05-30-1991
Transcriber: Frank Boring
[TAPE 5]
FRANK BORING:
Why would you resist Olga Greenlaw?
DOC RICH:
When I was asked by Harvey Greenlaw to go over to see Olga
Greenlaw and she was ill. I went over and she wasn’t ill that was
just a come on or an invitation and yea a man could weaken but
that would have been a stupid maneuver especially in my position.
Pilots that’s a little different.
FRANK BORING:
I wonder if you could repeat the comments about Stillwell and his
walking out of the jungle.
DOC RICH:
Uh, Bissell, General Bill Bissell, I did not meet him. He did
threaten the men and coerce them to go into the army then and but
Stillwell decided he would walk out uh, so he walked out with the
nurses from the Burma uh, road uh doctor. Uh to me that was
asinine because here we have a man that the government has much
money invested in and as a general he could have been of great
service. Why he would do this I don’t know, maybe he was tired of
the service and he wanted to get out .Maybe he wanted to make a
name for himself and I’m sure a lot of people thought that was
great but I thought it was the exemplification of stupidity.
DOC RICH:
No, I just can’t recall it at all.
�DOC RICH:
Chennault and I were not too close. He was stubborn and I’m not
exactly soft but I never was very close to uh, Chennault however,
uh, Dr. Gentry who was all army and I was outspoken and I think,
when I stop and think of it at this instant, I wouldn’t be surprised if
Gentry who was probably a roadblock keeping me at a distance.
DOC RICH:
Well I’m pretty well outspoken, in fact uh, it’s my trait. Uh, I play
no cards under the table, I, I straight forward and I , I probably
wouldn’t make a good diplomat., but again on the other hand I
think maybe I could win votes by my candid [?]. And people even
today say, well you may not like Dr. Richards you sure know
where you stand.
DOC RICH:
Well the last months with the AVG, was ah, I couldn’t see a great
deal of change between that and the other months. I had a job to do
and I went to work every morning and was uh, I never missed a
sick call or anything else with one exception. I did get Dengue
fever after I left there. But, uh, I, I couldn’t see any great deal of
difference. The morale of the men was high, uh P. Green and Bob
Prescott’s used that as an example to get a circumcised. And I
always said that the purpose of that was not so much to get
circumcised. I thought that perhaps they were just tired of flying or
didn’t want to fly anymore. This is my candid opinion.
DOC RICH:
Well while I was there, as far as there being big obstacles, uh, with
AVG and the lack of the uh, the ideal, uh, hospitalization. I could
not see them as uh, an obstacle. I look at it as to make do with what
you can. And that’s the way I operated.
DOC RICH:
They were two fine nurses. Uh, Red Petach was a hard worker. Uh,
she was a workhorse. The other one was a may, was head nurse
and she felt that. And the same as Gentry - was the leading doctor I’m in charge and all too much military. But when it came to the
workhorse, Red was the one.
DOC RICH:
None
�DOC RICH:
We had a nice group of (hold on, get settled and comfortable) uh,
uh, uh, medical corps men were good men. In fact they were
excellent. Viverette was a quiet fellow. He knew a lot of things that
went on and he would be a very good one for you to interview. Uh,
he’s close lipped, he kept his mouth shut. Uh, the uh, we, uh, uh,
had two or three others there uh, but Robert Gallagher was
excellent and he was a top chiro man of the bunch. And he came
back and studied medicine and graduated. We also had uh, uh, Carl
Brown did you know of him? And Carl Brown has since come
back. He was a good pilot. He was a brain. He’s got his nose in the
book all the time. He reads incessantly. He came back. He studied
medicine. He also became an anesthesiologist. He is now a
neurologist. And he also took up the law and he has a law degree.
And he is a brain.
DOC RICH:
Now, or afterwards?
FRANK BORING:
Looking at it from your perspective now. Looking back.
DOC RICH:
The AVG was an unusual group. (Go ahead) The AVG group was
an unusual group. They were renegades of course. Uh, probably
many of us were dissatisfied in the service and that’s the reason
they were there. Boyington was the only service man that was
released and he was released because they couldn’t handle him.
Uh, other than that, these men did an excellent job. Surprisingly,
it’s ah, it’s ah, unbelievable the high rank and the station of life
that they have taken. Charlie Holder became a judge that handled
the Manson case. Uh, Prescott, Bob Prescott put in the flying Tiger
Freight Line. Uh, Duke Hedman, was the only man I know of that
was chief pilot of three different airlines. Uh, many of them
became uh, airline pilots for CNAC no not CNAC for commercial
airlines in the states. I have to say one thing, their achievement was
great. Their record after, after they was in the service is something
to be proud of.
�DOC RICH:
In terms of Chinese history, the AVG, I think has been paid the
highest tribute of any fighter group there. I’m sure that if it hadn’t
been for the AVG, China would have fallen. Had the uh, Japs had
knowledge of the small group that was there, they could have come
in and destroyed us. They did not have the knowledge. Uh, the
great credit that belongs to these men as the pilots was from their
own ability to handle a P40. And also too, I have to give credit to
the radio service. I think that we do not give enough credit to them.
Bill Williams was in charge of it. And they always knew which
direction the Japs were coming in to make a raid. And how did
they know it? Because of the underground Chinese with their
radios would see the planes coming back way back. Would call in
ahead. And that is another factor that contributes greatly to success
and I think have not been given the credit they should have. It was
remarkable. Uh, the only, Chi… uh, the Japanese could never
figure out how did it and once they got wise they came in and went
and then turned off course and went somewhere else and they got
thru that time. But they only got thru the one time.
DOC RICH:
During the time of the AVG, I think I, my personal
accomplishment, I gave much to the men, I helped them. I enjoyed
the uh, the excitement. Uh, I think uh, probably if I’d of come back
and joined the army I would have been ahead. I’d of probably been
dead. But I would have probably been ahead because I would have
got a good pension. And none of us got any pensions. Uh, Uh, I
still would have probably done the same thing, but we can all look
back and see different roads that we could have and should have
taken. But other than that, it was an adventure, it was an
experience. Uh, I get ah, ah, a lot of glory and honor but ah, that
means nothing to me, I don’t need boosting.
DOC RICH:
Well, I’m proud of it. Being called a Flying Tiger, uh, I’m quite
proud of it. Uh, uh, it was a group that was unusual. Even
Churchill made the remark and if the Flying Tigers had not been
there, China would have fallen. There’s no doubt in my mind about
it. Uh, I’ve enjoyed every bit of it. The excitement, the challenge
�and everything else. I do think uh, that uh, we paid a price by
losing, not getting a pension. But after all, we it was our choice, we
were a bunch of renegades and that’s what you have to do.
FRANK BORING:
That was excellent.
DOC RICH:
Was it really? How did it compare?
�
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
Flying Tigers Interviews and Films
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral history
United States--History, Military
China--History, Military
Veterans
China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG.
Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Boring, Frank
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</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
1938/1991
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Fei Hu Films
Christopher, Frank
Gasdick, Joseph
Misenheimer, Charles V.
P.Y. Shu
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video/mp4; application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
English; Chinese
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
video; text
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-88
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1938-1945
World War II
Relation
A related resource
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Moving Image
A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation.
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-88_Rich_Doc_1991-05-30_v05
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Richards, Lewis J., M.D.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1991-05-30
Title
A name given to the resource
Lewis "Doc Rich" Richards interview (video and transcript, 5 of 5), 1991
Description
An account of the resource
Interview of Dr. Lewis Richards by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Dr. Lewis J. Richards, or "Doc Rich" as he was known in the American Volunteer Group (AVG), served as the unit's Flight Surgeon. In this tape, Richards discusses the last months of the AVG and his reflection on the achievements of the Flying Tigers.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Boring, Frank (interviewer)
Christopher, Frank (director)
Fei Hu Films
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral history
United States--History, Military
China--History, Military
Veterans
China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives.
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
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video/mp4
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0bc7fa6eb4ca89cba0a4aedce13b0c78.jpg
f6a45ccf5113063d9af4815f03c4bb86
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
Decorated Publishers' Bindings
Subject
The topic of the resource
Book covers
Covers (Illustration)
Graphic arts
Publishers and publishing
Pictorial bindings
Description
An account of the resource
From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Seidman Rare Books Collection
Michigan Novels Collection
Regional Historical Collection
Lincoln and the Civil War Collection
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
2017-08-30
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <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
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-01
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.
Source
Seidman Rare Books. PR4612 .M67 1910
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-01_Bindings0236
Title
A name given to the resource
Lewis Carroll in Wonderland and at Home
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Richards, Amy (Designer)
Description
An account of the resource
Binding of Lewis Carroll in Wonderland and at Home, by Belle Moses, published by D. Appleton and Company, 1910.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Book covers
Covers (Illustration)
Graphic arts
Publishers and publishing
Pictorial bindings
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>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1910
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/a09448911958f69f463178f71ac43c13.jpg
a52dbd593b80e33d00a801c5a561980f
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
Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023
Description
An account of the resource
Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183).
Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023.
Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1960-2011
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a>
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
In Copyright
Subject
The topic of the resource
Photographs
Photography -- United States
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
RHC-183
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Image
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
image/jpeg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
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
RHC-183_M150-0021a
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Gilbert, Douglas R.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1972-06/1972-08
Title
A name given to the resource
Lewis Close near Kiln Lane, Oxford, England
Description
An account of the resource
Black and white photograph of a street view of "Lewis Close," the cul-de-sac near C.S. Lewis's house known as The Kilns in the Headington residential suburb of Oxford, England. Scanned from the negative.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Headington (Oxford, England)
Oxford (England)
Roads--England--Oxford
Black-and-white photography
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</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
Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
1970s
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/af0b45072ea74df20c2c99665f2e9c72.jpg
4f6baafbcbaa0818083380e42eebf240
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
Faces of Grand Valley
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
University Communications
Description
An account of the resource
A non-comprehensive collection of photographs of Grand Valley faculty, staff, administrators, board members, friends, and alumni. Photos collected by University Communications for use in promotion and information sharing about Grand Valley with the wider community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1960s - 1990s
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
GV012-03. University Communications. Vita Files
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
In Copryight
Subject
The topic of the resource
Grand Valley State University
College administrators
College teachers
Colleges and universities -- Faculty
Michigan
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
GV012-03
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Language
A language of the resource
eng
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
LewisBrian_Photo01
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Communications
Title
A name given to the resource
Lewis, Brian
Description
An account of the resource
Brian Lewis, Health Sciences
Subject
The topic of the resource
Grand Valley State University – History
College teachers
Universities and colleges – Faculty
Michigan
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Communications. Vita Files, 1968-2016 (GV012-03)
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
In Copyright
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
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f4de5bbced1c27b902b5fdf9519b2dea.jpg
f562b69c24c6a714d753295a3af9443f
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
Faces of Grand Valley
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
University Communications
Description
An account of the resource
A non-comprehensive collection of photographs of Grand Valley faculty, staff, administrators, board members, friends, and alumni. Photos collected by University Communications for use in promotion and information sharing about Grand Valley with the wider community.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1960s - 1990s
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
GV012-03. University Communications. Vita Files
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
In Copryight
Subject
The topic of the resource
Grand Valley State University
College administrators
College teachers
Colleges and universities -- Faculty
Michigan
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
GV012-03
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
image/jpeg
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Language
A language of the resource
eng
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
LewisBrian_Photo02
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Grand Valley State University. University Communications
Title
A name given to the resource
Lewis, Brian
Description
An account of the resource
Brian Lewis, Health Sciences
Subject
The topic of the resource
Grand Valley State University – History
College teachers
Universities and colleges – Faculty
Michigan
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
University Communications. Vita Files, 1968-2016 (GV012-03)
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
In Copyright
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
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d7525c086c1487aea149225a1ff8b4cb.mp4
854dbfec8d31f6e3bdb3d558935a32c3
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f9ab29220c9d261c82d9aa90e02172b2.pdf
79d81bbb2d03a33b4f09aed75f927e05
PDF Text
Text
Grand Valley State University
Veterans History Project Interview
Robert W. Lewis
Korean War
Total Time: (00:51:49)
Pre-Enlistment (00:44)
He was drafted into the service at age 23.
He was working as a parking lot attendant when he was drafted, and he was not
happy about it.
Training (01:37)
He attended basic training at Fort Belvoir, WV, and spent 8 weeks there. He also
spent time training for the combat engineers while he was there.
(02:55) They marched and went to the rifle range during basic. They also worked
practicing demolition. He was originally assigned to a demolition crew.
(03:35) He took his basic training and engineer training at the same base, but in
different sections.
In engineering training, he learned a number of things, including demolitions.
(04:38) During basic training, they were housed in barracks.
Active Duty (05:07)
They were sent across the Pacific Ocean on large boats, with up to 40000 men on
board.
(05:41) He landed at Pusan, Korea. They were put on smaller boats in Japan after
they crossed the Pacific. In Japan, they were sent to Camp Drake, where the men
were sorted and assigned to units. They boarded trains after they were sorted, and
took those to boats, which they boarded for Korea.
(08:48) They were put on trains to Seoul, Korea and then boarded trucks to
Wijanbu, Korea, there he was assigned to the 14th Combat Engineers.
They repaired and build roads in the area.
(10:15) While there, they were housed in larger squad tents
(10:20) The terrain in the area was mountainous. He remembers the people living
in small paper-mache houses.
(12:20) He arrived in Japan in January 1952 and continued on to Korea in the
same month.
(13:50) Wijanbu was the base of operations for the 14th Combat Engineers.
(15:01) He saw some combat from a distance.
There were some British and Australians that were stationed near them.
(16:20) They were also located next to a MASH unit.
(16:35) They started building bridges in the summer of 1952. The first bridge they
built called X-Ray, and was 92 pontoons long. The second bridge they built was
called Windsor Bridge. After the construction of Windsor (which was partly of
�
his design) he was promoted to sergeant. He was a bridge foreman, and had
around 40 men working for him.
(19:55) They built floating pontoon bridges and wooden bent bridges.
(21:32) He was around a mile and a half from the front.
(22:25) They generally stayed within a thirty mile radius.
(23:58) Their unit was also involved in building the Spoonville Bridge.
(22:35) They were up on the front on two occasions building bunkers and
machine gun nests for the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Marines.
(24:30) He was able to go to Tokyo on leave. He shopped while he was there.
(25:10) He earned about $300 a month, and he sent around half of it home.
During free time, they would often play cards or wrestle, and he was able to
communicate home by writing letters.
(27:05) While building the Spoonville Bridge, a new lieutenant decided that they
were going to work on the bridge at night by searchlight. While they were
working, they came under a mortar attack during which he was injured in the
mouth. This got the 2nd Lieutenant fired. This was one of the few time they were
fired upon or felt threatened with attack.
(31:40) They were provided generators for power, and had outdoor toilets. They
got to go to battalion headquarters once a month for a shower.
(33:55) They were the 14th Combat Engineer Battalion of the 1116th Regiment of
the 8th Army.
(34:29) There were no holidays while he was in Korea. R & R was decided by a
roster, which allowed the men to be sent to Japan for 5 days. He went 2 times. He
was sent home 2 months after his second visit.
(36:47) Because of his rank, he had very few friends while he was over there. He
turned down a field commission as 2nd Lieutenant so he could go home.
(40:35) He was assigned a Jeep, but that was taken away and he would ride
around in trucks.
He didn’t stay in contact with the men from his unit.
(42:40) His views on life changed because of the contact he had with the dead and
injured soldiers on the roads he built.
(45:00) They were occasionally shelled, and they did dig foxholes at their camp
and the worksites.
(46:05) They also built their own camp when they arrived. They moved only one
time, and it was only a short distance.
(48:55) He was able to go home when he received 36 points. He had 42 points
when he finally left.
Post-Service (50:40)
He had to readjust some after he returned home.
When he got back, he worked on the railroad.
�
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
LewisR
Title
A name given to the resource
Lewis, Robert W. (Interview outline and video), 2008
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Lewis, Robert W.
Description
An account of the resource
Robert Lewis was drafted into the Army at age 26 and served in the Korean War. Upon being drafted, he joined the Army engineers and worked building bridges in Korea near the front lines. He also worked building foxholes and firing positions for the Marines.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Post, Kollen (Interviewer)
Caledonia High School (Caledonia, Mich.)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral history
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
United States--History, Military
Michigan--History, Military
Veterans
Video recordings
Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American
United States. Army
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
2008-05-30
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/90f699c24b3c59117d7660abe600c30b.pdf
60bb1a0266dcc62cadad682dbd172df5
PDF Text
Text
••••••
••••••••••••••••••••••
• f - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - • •
••
·OnGOING LGBT CONFERENCE
••
·-• LGBT & LEADERSHIP I.
••
·••
m
·-•
•••
GRAND RIVER ROOM
•••
• • PRESENTED BY: U-rvashi Vaid
••t
••
·I
executive director of Arc us Foundation
•
• t
•
• t
Attorney Urvashi Vaid is the Executive Director of Arcus
Foundation and former Director of the National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force. She is author of the book, Virtual
Equality: The Mainstreaming of Gay and Lesbian Liberation
and was named one of Out Magazine's 50 most influential
leaders in April 2009.
•
I •
• t
•
• t
•
•••
• 1
•
• I
••
Co-sponsored by: Office of Multicultural Affairs, Inclusion
and Equity Division, the Women's Center, Human Resources
For special accommodations, please call 616-331-2530.
~~
LIB
10 0
Approved
r~~•n
Pi'i'N"iY1==~
-.
~ -..r
1
•
•
•
•
I
••••
• •
•
••
·····················-
�
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_2010_OnGoing-LGBT-Conference-LGBT-&-Leadership.pdf
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2010-02-16
Title
A name given to the resource
LGBT & Leadership
Description
An account of the resource
Poster with a synopsis on the topic, and information of the event, including the place, time and date. Part of the LGBT OnGoing Conference series.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Sexual minorities
Community centers
Leadership
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/5a12f9a1a2070b5e7750278300f924f5.pdf
a316db0b71d52953688ed8f503ff2070
PDF Text
Text
Sponsored by: LGBT Resource Center & G.I.F.T. (Gays In Faith Together)
OnGOING CONFERENCE
• •
iri
Please come join us to hear Stephanie
Sandberg, creator of the play, Seven Passages:
Stories of Gay Christians, as she shares
insight gained through the play and addresses
the spiritual violence encountered by the
LGBT community.
Come meet Stephanie before the play debuts
at GVSU January 22-24.
Please contact us if you require special
assisstance or accomodations.
www.gvsu.edu/LGBT
•
I
�
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_2009_OnGoing-LGBT-Conference-LGBT-&-Spirituality-Poster.pdf
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2009-01-13
Title
A name given to the resource
LGBT & Spiriituality
Description
An account of the resource
Poster with a synopsis on the topic, and information of the event, including the place, time and date. The 2009 LGBT & Spirituality event of the LGBT OnGoing Conference series.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Sexual minorities
Community centers
Spirituality
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/edd1c3a4330a1244abc4d6192384365e.pdf
30489dac86c7032537daabb52e80464d
PDF Text
Text
Johnny Jenkins
Program Manager for Arcus Foundation and
ard- inning beat poet pre ent
urce Ce nt r at
3 1-2530
�
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_2009_OnGoing-LGBT-Conference-Johnny-Jenkins-Poster
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2009-04-09
Title
A name given to the resource
LGBT Culture: West Michigan and Beyond
Description
An account of the resource
Poster with a synopsis on the topic, and information of the event, including the place, time and date. The 2009 Community & Culture event of the LGBT OnGoing Conference series.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Sexual minorities
Community centers
Gay culture
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/7ab2f6ab733f32e9e7a2b64310c4ade7.pdf
21488f77a8443f0eb9903f902510b80a
PDF Text
Text
EDITORIAL------------
LGBT grant
Through its programs and services,
the LGBT Resource Center has
become an integral part of the campus
community and deserves its due.
A recent $150,000 grant awarded to the center through
the Arcu Foundation of Kalamazoo is a te, tam nt to
the importan of th c nt r as an du ·ational and so ial
r sour· for th local ·ommunity.
With issues such as immi ,ration and t ·rrorism
saturating th n ws, th term ""diversity,, i , adopting an
ever more negative connotation. Linking diversity to
difference and difference to danger has been a historical
mistak for th U.S. and many nations throughout the
world.
Organizations and offic s such as th LGB'I R sour·
Center ar vital to ·ombaling this domino '.'ff ·t. By
e.mphasizing the progr ·' and advantag mad pos ·ibl
through an understanding and appreciation of div r ity,
such organizations keep society moving forward.
The LGBT Resource Center has hosted dozens of
programs to educate the campus community on various
issues affecting the LGBT community and served as the
support system for an untold number struggling to find
and accept their identity.
Such an offi is a vital n:,sour 'l for many who find
them elves social pariahs in an area that prid · it ·elf on
its "conse_rvative" nature. To make any impact, however
small, in a community with fervent religious, political
and social barriers to that issue is a feat that must be
recognized.
Though only a few years old, the LGBT Resource
Center has had much success in the GVSU community
and with the assistance of the grant, will be able to
continue its efforts to educate and unite people, but on a
larger scale.
The $150,000 grant will allow the ~enter to enhance
its social justice training efforts, build statewide ·
resources and increase community collaborations and
partnerships.
Many at GVSU will remember whe~ the mere idea of
a universit office su porting ,:.,GBT issues was absurd.
umor as 1t t e ew ear y attempts to start such an
office were a, ed b univer ity donors who opposed the
idea.
o \. a full-fledged office soon to partner " ith similar
offi e acros the state one is hard pressed to argue the
LGBT Resource Center has not had some success.
Thi uccess is due largely to the support of the GVSU
community. Personal opinion on LGBT issues aside, the
basic purpose of the center is one that can be shared by
all at GVSU: pursuing education to promote a culture of
respect for and inclusion of all members.
�
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_2010-01-14_Lanthorn_Grant-Opinion_Newspaper.pdf
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2010
Title
A name given to the resource
LGBT Grant
Description
An account of the resource
Newspaper article describing a grant awarded to GVSU's LBGT Resource Center from the Arcus Foundation of Kalamazoo.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Community centers
Sexual minorities
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/2613cbc6583996f7fb40888ea7908e35.pdf
a15501e64e986b01a4d084732b2914a2
PDF Text
Text
The LGBT1 RES<DUROE CENTE
Grand VolleYJ State Universit
pleased o be a sponsor of
bGBT Hist ry onth.
@
GRANDVALLEY
STATE lJNivERSITY
LGBT RESOURCE CENTER
�
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_2010_Ad
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2010
Title
A name given to the resource
LGBT History Month
Description
An account of the resource
Advertisement on LGBT History Month programming made possible with a grant from the Arcus Foundation Gay and Lesbian Fund.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Sexual minorities
Community centers
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/aad607f35e5ceaecb8cccd0dbea2c158.pdf
7a5a8fc12e8fb0e8ff3909bf8be7a8d8
PDF Text
Text
I
@
GRANDVAU..EY
SrATE lJNrvERSITY
[IBl
l1QQj
Approved
Sponsored by the LGBT Resource Center
Please visit www.gvsu.edu/lgbt for more information
Please contact us if you require special assistance or accommodations.
�
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_2008-2009_OnGoing-LGBT-Conference-HIV-AIDS-Poster
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
LGBT OnGoing Conference Special Feature: HIV/AIDS
Description
An account of the resource
Poster with a synopsis on the topic, and information of the event, including the place, time and date.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Sexual minorities
Community centers
HIV/AIDS awareness
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/9ecfdf8e4e75e5b74733848a87d11499.pdf
613bb95e1b8b37c3b3a3630e000dc32e
PDF Text
Text
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender
RESOURCE CENTER
www.gvsu.edu/lgbtrc
The LGBT Resource Center's mission is to
educate, support, and empower students
to lead authentic I ives, to cha I lenge
gender and sexuality stereotypes, and
to work for social justice.
GRANDVALLEY
STATE UNIVERSIT~
�
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_2010_Center-Exhibit-Sign
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2010
Title
A name given to the resource
LGBT Resource Center
Description
An account of the resource
Advertisement outlining the mission of the LGBT Center.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Sexual minorities
Community centers
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/9dea26896bff0ba9c11d7d3dcc5b5283.pdf
80adcc233e78df374fb4913e63dd3ac2
PDF Text
Text
LESBIAN I GAY I BISEXUAL I TRANSGENDER
Information, Contacts, Referrals,
Conversation, a Gathering Space
for everyone
Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 1Qom - 4pm
I Wed:
1pm - 4pm
Location: Rm. 233 - Lake Ontario Hall
Email: lgbtcenter@gvsu.edu
Phone: (6 16) 331-2530
Website: www.gvsu.edu/lgbt
�
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_Resource-Center-Flyer_002
Title
A name given to the resource
LGBT Resource Center
Description
An account of the resource
Information and resources offered at the center.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Sexual minorities
Community centers
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/a6e0a5e5bb6dd64e37dc69a43e004715.pdf
c9f257fdc865da703944bca206319f49
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
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_2009_First-Annual-Community-Reception
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2009-06-18
Title
A name given to the resource
LGBT Resource Center First Annual Community Reception
Description
An account of the resource
Flyer of the first year reception for the LGBT Resource Center. Includes date and time.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Sexual minorities
Community centers
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