Search results | Digital Grinnell

Title: Marietta Bonnett to Lucille Ley - December 11, 1944
Description: Marietta talks about her daughter and how she wishes her husband could have met the baby before he passed while serving. Through another pilot Marietta was able to find out the circumstances of Bennie's death. She tells Lucille about how she received a medal in his name and hopes Lucille has heard from Jimmy.
Date Created: 1944
PID: grinnell:26504

Title: Mary Grothouse to Lucille Ley - November 27, 1944
Description: Mary, another mother with a son reported as missing, writes to Lucille to tell her she has not yet recieved her son Kenneth's personal items. She writes that her other son in England communicated with some of the boys from Kenneth's base who have high hopes the crew will return. Finally Mary relates to Lucille how her family has changed since the start of the war.
Date Created: 1944
PID: grinnell:26514

Title: Mrs. H. L. Luke to Lucille Ley - December 7, 1944
Description: Mrs. Luke confirms that George is in the picture Lucille sent to her, and expresses her grief at the prospect of never seeing George again. She tells Lucille she has received George's Purple Heart and will soon receive George's Air Medal and Oak Leaf Clusters in the mail. She sends Lucille's photograph back and says she will pay for a copy to be made. She passes along the news from a Mr. Smith that there are special troops looking for the missing soldiers, whom she prays are safe.
Date Created: 1944
PID: grinnell:26519

Title: Mrs. H. L. Luke to Lucille Ley - November 20, 1944
Description: Mrs. Luke thanks Lucille for her letter and for the additional information Lucille was able to provide about the circumstances of her stepson George's death. She requests a copy of one of Lucille's photographs. She says she is glad to know some of the crew of the plane is still missing and not officially pronounced dead, and she hopes for good news soon. Mrs. Luke describes her internal struggle with her hatred for the Germans. She tells Lucille a little about George, about her own children, and about George's older brother who was also killed in action.
Date Created: 1944
PID: grinnell:26518

Title: Page County Court House, Clarinda, Iowa, Page County Courthouse
Description: Looking northwest at the two story Italianate, gothic building which was built at a cost of $86,500 in 1887. The building was gutted in a fire in 1991 and the restored courthouse (including clock tower) was rededicated in 1994. Located at 112 E. Main Street, Clarinda, Page County, Iowa, and listed in the National Register for Historic Places. Number 48108.
Date Created: 1944
PID: grinnell:14563

Title: Post Hospital, Fort Des Moines, Des Moines, Iowa
Description: Looking at the post hospital which housed many veterans after World War II. Fort Des Moines was established in 1901 on 640 acres, several miles south of downtown Des Moines. In 1917 the first officer candidate class of African Americans in US military history, trained at Fort Des Moines, and received commissions. Also in 1917 a training camp for black medical personnel began, and in 1918 the fort was used for the treatment of World War I casualties. In 1933-34 it was used as a Civilian Conservation Corps camp. With the entry of the United States into World War II, the fort was used as a training center for women, for service in the Army's Women's Army Corps. After the war, the fort housed veteran soldiers for a time, and was turned over to the city in the early 1950s. Much of the original 640-acre base was sold off for development as the city grew. A number of the fort's buildings still stand, mainly on the southern and eastern edges of the parade ground. These buildings, including barracks, quarters, and stables, are now used for a variety of civic and commercial purposes. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. 1944 postmark. Number 12AT398. Series B11.
Date Created: 1944
PID: grinnell:16136

Title: Ruth Ley to Jimmy Ley - February 1, 1944
Description: Ruth talks about her husband's job and the health of her son, Dave. She then starts to write about family friends and the well being of their children. Currently, Sue is in the hospital with pneumonia. Ruth mentions how proud everyone is that Jimmy is recieveing both the Air Medal and the Oak Leaf Cluster, but is sad that he couldn't return home for his furlough.
Date Created: 1944
PID: grinnell:26502

Title: Ruth Ley to Jimmy Ley - February 17, 1944
Description: Ruth complains about a toothache from a bad cavity and chats about a shopping trip with friends. She then writes about her brother Vic who was able to connect with an old college buddy who is also in service in the Pacific. After explaining how ecstatic Vic was, she tells Jimmy that David has sent him a valentine.
Date Created: 1944
PID: grinnell:26503