[Certificate of Retirement to Lieutenant Colonel Charles R. Griggs] (open access)

[Certificate of Retirement to Lieutenant Colonel Charles R. Griggs]

Certificate of retirement from the "Armed Forces of the United States of America" to Lieutenant Colonel Charles R. Griggs. The certificate reads: "To All Who Shall See These Presents, Greeting: This Is To Certify That Lieutenant Colonel Charles R. Griggs...Was Retired From The United States Army." This certificate was signed by the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Edward C. Meyer; there is a letter from W. T. Prescott accompanying the certificate with details of Griggs' status on the retired list.
Date: October 7, 1979
Creator: Meyer, Edward C.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Collection of Gas Ration Stamps Belonging to Earl Bunkley] (open access)

[Collection of Gas Ration Stamps Belonging to Earl Bunkley]

A set of stamps used for gas rationing during the war; the title of the sheet is "Basic Mileage Ration." This sheet belongs to Earl Bunkley of Sweetwater, Texas, he had used three of the stamps on this sheet leaving seven still attached.
Date: 194X
Creator: United States. Office of Price Administration
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Dedication of Marker (open access)

Dedication of Marker

Program from a dedication of the men in Co. E 142nd Infantry 36th Division, names of the men in the company are listed throughout the pages; pages 4 and 5 contain a description of the events that took place during the ceremony. The final page has a black and white image of the memorial that was created in their honor.
Date: May 17, 1986
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Book
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from C. K. Griggs to Charles R. Griggs, March 27, 1945] (open access)

[Letter from C. K. Griggs to Charles R. Griggs, March 27, 1945]

Letter from C. K. Griggs to his son Charles R. Griggs concerning daily life back home; the letter actually is written by Charles' mother as she says "Daddy and I were hot and hostess at the USO for Sunday night." Later she discusses the new lace cloth being made and saying that cloth at home runs "from 10 cents to 25 cents per yard."
Date: March 27, 1945
Creator: Griggs, C. K.
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from C. K. Griggs to his Son, April 12, 1945] (open access)

[Letter from C. K. Griggs to his Son, April 12, 1945]

Letter from C. K. Griggs to his son, Captain in the 49th Armored Infantry Battalion, Charles R. Griggs. Among the other things discussed, Mr. Griggs mentions the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that had happened that evening, and the assumption of the new president Harry Truman.
Date: April 12, 1945
Creator: Griggs, C. K.
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from C. K. Griggs to his Son Charles R. Griggs, April 8, 1945] (open access)

[Letter from C. K. Griggs to his Son Charles R. Griggs, April 8, 1945]

Letter from C. K. Griggs to his son Captain Charles R. Griggs telling him that they are not worrying too strongly about him while he is away; his parents did not want to think they did not care about him. C. K. Griggs describes what is going at home, "Otto Carter is home from the Pacific, he and Lillain Pratt are to be married soon."
Date: April 8, 1945
Creator: Griggs, C. K.
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from E. H. Saulson to Mrs. W. E. Blewett, August 19, 1942] (open access)

[Letter from E. H. Saulson to Mrs. W. E. Blewett, August 19, 1942]

Letter from E. H. Saulson, director of the USO Club, to Mrs. W. E. Blewett in Sweetwater, Texas. Saulson discusses a meeting to be held August 25, 1942; according to him, the purpose of the club is "to help occupy time and perhaps develop some way of building or maintaining their own morale as well as that of their husbands." Also included is the envelope that this letter was delivered in.
Date: August 19, 1942
Creator: Saulson, E. H.
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Ingrid Griggs to Lieutenant Colonel Charles R. Griggs, July 3, 1962] (open access)

[Letter from Ingrid Griggs to Lieutenant Colonel Charles R. Griggs, July 3, 1962]

Letter to Lieutenant Colonel Charles R. Griggs from his wife, Ingrid, back home. Ingrid tells him that she has just finished "painting the upstairs bathroom" and that it was exhausting work. Finally she tells him: "Be sure you don't let your lecherous eyes linger on anybody keep if all for me."
Date: July 3, 1962
Creator: Griggs, Ingrid
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Ingrid Griggs to Lieutenant Colonel Charles R. Griggs, June 15, 1965] (open access)

[Letter from Ingrid Griggs to Lieutenant Colonel Charles R. Griggs, June 15, 1965]

Letter from Ingrid Griggs to her husband Lieutenant Colonel Charles R. Griggs regarding daily life back home, recently they had a picnic with a church group. She says that her and the kids are going to visit her sister as her husband is "working 96 hours a week."
Date: June 15, 1965
Creator: Griggs, Ingrid
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Ingrid Griggs to Lieutenant Colonel Charles R. Griggs, June 23, 1965] (open access)

[Letter from Ingrid Griggs to Lieutenant Colonel Charles R. Griggs, June 23, 1965]

Letter from Ingrid Griggs to her husband Lieutenant Colonel Charles R. Griggs regarding daily life back home and that she had to use a check to get a birthday present for James. Ingrid also notes that she has made $15 by mowing yards, and paid someone to take out a lot of trash cans.
Date: June 23, 1965
Creator: Griggs, Ingrid
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Mr. and Mrs. C. K. Griggs to Captain Charles R. Griggs, April 7, 1945] (open access)

[Letter from Mr. and Mrs. C. K. Griggs to Captain Charles R. Griggs, April 7, 1945]

Letter from Mr. and Mrs. C. K. Griggs to their son Captain Charles R. Griggs discussing the house work that they have done recently including replacing fence posts, and wondering if they should get a barbecue pit. They also tell Charles that they do not worry about him as they "had the assurance of God [that he] would take care of you."
Date: April 7, 1945
Creator: Griggs, Mrs. C. K.
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Mr. and Mrs. C. K. Griggs to Charles R. Griggs, April 17, 1945] (open access)

[Letter from Mr. and Mrs. C. K. Griggs to Charles R. Griggs, April 17, 1945]

Letter from Mr. and Mrs. C. K. Griggs to their son Captain Charles R. Griggs of the 49th Armored Infantry Battalion. The letter mostly talks about the death of their grandfather who died suddenly, Mr. Griggs had been away in Big Spring as it happened. The rest of the letter talks about the grandfather's dislike for smoking and drinking; finally Mrs. Griggs says that they pray for her son's safety as well as the rest of the boys.
Date: April 17, 1945
Creator: Griggs, Mrs. C. K.
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Mrs. C. K. Griggs to Captain Charles R. Griggs, March 28, 1945] (open access)

[Letter from Mrs. C. K. Griggs to Captain Charles R. Griggs, March 28, 1945]

Letter from the parents of Captain Charles R. Griggs concerning their recent efforts in spring cleaning their home: "I started spring house cleaning, the xxxx living room and [dining] room have been finished." Mrs. Griggs also would like her china from France but "it was bought when sets of six were made, now I need eight."
Date: March 28, 1945
Creator: Griggs, Mrs. C. K.
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Mrs. C. K. Griggs to his Son Charles R. Griggs, April 19, 1945] (open access)

[Letter from Mrs. C. K. Griggs to his Son Charles R. Griggs, April 19, 1945]

Letter from Mrs. C. K. Griggs to Gharles R. Griggs regarding daily life back home in Sweetwater, Texas; Mrs. Griggs tells that "190 Sweetwater people donated blood." She mentions the marriage between Otto Carter and Lillian Pratt, as well as her and Mr. C. K. Griggs' attempts at getting the yard in better shape.
Date: April 19, 1945
Creator: Griggs, Mrs. C. K.
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter to Captain Charles R. Griggs from his Parents, March 15, 1945] (open access)

[Letter to Captain Charles R. Griggs from his Parents, March 15, 1945]

Letter to Charles R. Griggs from his parents wishing him a happy Easter while he is overseas. The bulk of the letter discusses daily life back home in Texas, including their work on the house and yard; at the end they ask Charles to send them the address of a boy in his company that is without parents as they would "like to be mother and dad to him." The back of the letter has a quote that reads: "My Easter prayer for you is this: That you may have a goodly part Of all the beauty of the day - Its joy, its hope, its peace of heart!"
Date: March 15, 1945
Creator: Griggs, C. K. & Griggs, Mrs. C. K.
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Majorie Forester's War Ration Book Two] (open access)

[Majorie Forester's War Ration Book Two]

War Ration Book Two belonging to Marjorie N. Forester of Roscoe, Texas; there are no more food stamps left in the book as they have all been used.
Date: 1942
Creator: United States. Office of Price Administration
Object Type: Book
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Marjorie N. Forester's Ration Book Identification Stub and Application Card] (open access)

[Marjorie N. Forester's Ration Book Identification Stub and Application Card]

Ration book application and identification stub belongingto Marjorie N. Forester in Roscoe, Texas. The identification stub has instructions that read: "After completing this application, tear off this stub and be sure to keep it until you get your war ration book no. 3." The application says it must be mailed between June 1 and June 10, 1943.
Date: June 9, 1943
Creator: United States. Office of Price Administration
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Rena Fay Stone Sherman, September 15, 2000 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Rena Fay Stone Sherman, September 15, 2000

Interview with Rena Fay Stone Sherman, descendant of Kerr County settlers and local business owner from Kerrville, Texas. Mrs. Sherman describes some of her family history, local history, and her two antique businesses. She also discusses her family's ranch.
Date: September 15, 2000
Creator: Bethel, Ann & Sherman, Rena Fay Stone
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Rosa Lea Fullwood Meek Dickerson, February 27, 2000 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Rosa Lea Fullwood Meek Dickerson, February 27, 2000

Interview with Rosa Lea Fullwood Meek Dickerson, former pilot from Kerrville, Texas. Mrs. Dickerson describes her early interest in airplanes and tells stories from her days with the WWII Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), flying different types of aircraft to bases all over the United States. She includes the history of WASP, its formation, and dissolution. Her flying stories detail plane crashes and near-death experiences, including the sabotage of planes at the airport in Enid, OK by a German National. Mrs. Dickerson also talks about running a flying service in the Kerrville airport with her husband, Carl Meek, during the early days of aviation after WWII.
Date: February 27, 2000
Creator: Snodgrass, Clarabelle; Bethel, Ann & Dickerson, Rosa Lea Fullwood Meek
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Portrait of Fred H. Leonard in Uniform]

Portrait of Fred H. Leonard with a uniform drawn on. The text on the bottom of the picture has information concerning his role in the military, his birth and death dates/locations, and the medals he won: "Fred H. Leonard, Co E. 27th Inf. Div. Born June 6, 1908, Roscoe, Texas Killed on Jan. 12, 1943 at [Guadalcanal] Purple Heart, Parents M. L. Leonards Roscoe, TX."
Date: unknown
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Portrait of Jose A. Alcala]

Portrait of Jose A. Alcala wearing his military uniform. The bottom of the photograph has details of his role, birth and death dates, and places: "Organization ATC, Born in Sweetwater, Texas 1921 Killed in Sydney, Australia 1945."
Date: unknown
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Portrait of Petty Officer James F. Leach]

Portrait of Petty Officer James F. Leach in his uniform. The text on the bottom of the picture contains information about his rank, and a description of how he was killed and where: "P/O James F. Leach born March 30th, 1914 Co. Pilot C 47 Died in airplane crash on Isle of Corsica Jan. 23rd, 1945, Flying from Algiers to his home base in Florence, Italy."
Date: unknown
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Portrait of Sergeant Tom P. Glass]

Portrait of Sergeant Tom P. Glass posing in his military uniform. The text on the bottom of the photograph contains information about his birth and death dates/locations: "Tom P. Glass Sgt. Troop G. 112th [Cavalry] Born Sweetwater Jan 1920 Killed New Guinea Aug. 1944."
Date: unknown
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Purchase Receipt for W. E. Forester, March 21, 1944] (open access)

[Purchase Receipt for W. E. Forester, March 21, 1944]

Purchase receipt issued to W. E. Forester after he purchased a gas stove. The receipt has information about Forester's address, number of items bought, the type of stove he bought, and is signed by James M. Kyle in the bottom right corner.
Date: March 21, 1944
Creator: United States. Office of Price Administration
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History