NBC news anchor, Tom Brokaw's 1998 publication of his best-selling book, The Greatest Generation, encouraged thousands of World War II veterans and civilians to share their memories of the war era. His office was flooded with letters, memoirs and photographs. Many of these he used in his subsequent books, but he soon realized that this collection needed a permanent home where it could be properly preserved and used in the classroom and by future generations. The Institute on World War II & the Human Experience is deeply honored to have been chosen as the repository for Mr. Brokaw’s collection.

By establishing THE TOM BROKAW COLLECTION, the Institute not only assures the preservation of these materials, but also recognizes the tremendous work that Mr. Brokaw, NBC, and Random House have done in commemorating those who served and educating people in the importance of preserving their letters, photos, memoirs, and other memorabilia.

When the Institute received THE TOM BROKAW COLLECTION on June 6, 2001, it became our largest collection to date, encompassing nearly 100 boxes of materials from approximately 6,000 individuals.

Tom Brokaw was the commencement speaker at Florida State University to the 2006 graduating class on Saturday, April 29, 2006.  The transcript is available to read on line, you can also see the video of Tom Brokaw awarded the honorary doctorate of humane letters and hear his commencement speech.