AUGUST 2001
BROKAW WARTIME MEMORIES FIND PERMANENT HOME
They arrived under a sweltering noon sun, well worn from their travels south from New York City. Only one of the 44 was declared missing in action.
UPS on Wednesday (June 6) delivered 43 ragged boxes of the nation's wartime memories. They are the first installment of a donation from NBC Nightly News anchorman Tom Brokaw to Florida State University's Institute on World War II and the Human Experience.
"I'm delighted and overwhelmed," said William Oldson,
institute director, as he watched the two-person delivery team
roll three loads of boxes off the elevator on the fourth floor
of the Bellamy Building.
"It's the single largest collection we've had given to us
to date," said Joan Denman, archival manager and senior
archivist.
In fact, Oldson said, Brokaw's donation doubles what the institute has already acquired over the past five years. He said he's hoping to add a full-time assistant just to help thank the estimated 6,000 people who sent their remembrances to Brokaw.
He's already figured out if the institute devotes a half-hour
of time to each person's memory, that adds up to more than a
year's work for somebody.
Wednesday's delivery date" June 6 was also a significant date in World War II. It was 57 years ago that the Allied troops stormed Normandy.
FSU believes the missing box is still en route. (It arrived later.) Most of the boxes will stay closed until the institute moves this summer to a temporary home in the Johnston Building while Bellamy is being renovated.
But curiosity lured Oldson and Denman to open the NBC-labeled box marked No. 1. Inside, Denman found information on seven of nine children in the Knox family of Springfield, Ill., who served in the military; the story of an injured fighter pilot; and dozens of handwritten letters to Brokaw from elderly veterans.
Oldson said about 1,500 WWII veterans die each day now. Many of their trinkets and memoirs sit in dusty attics, destined for the trash bin when the family moves out.
"We feel like we're doing a salvage operation," Oldson said of the institute's work.
Oldson continues to hope for a building that can house the institute's collection.
To donate artifacts and letters to the institute, call 644-9033
or check out the Web site, www.fsu.edu/~ww2/.
- Melanie Yeager, reprinted from the Tallahassee Democrat
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