Oral history interview with Iliff D. Richardson, February 22, 1997

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Transcript of an interview with Iliff D. Richardson, a Navy veteran, concerning his experiences as a guerrilla fighter in the Philippine Islands during World War II. Richardson discusses his assignment to patrol-torpedo boats in the Philippines, 1941; orders from General Douglas A. MacArthur to establish a clandestine radio network to maintain communications with Commander Southwest Pacific after his evacuation from Corregidor; his role in plotting Japanese minefields in Leyte Gulf prior to MacArthur's return in 1944; pre-invasion weather reporting from Leyte to MacArthur's headquarters; dealings with Filipino guerrillas; transfer to stateside duty and his work with the Industrial Incentives Division of the Navy Department; and the sale of rights to the book about his adventures, "American Guerrilla in the Philippines."
Date: February 22, 1997
Creator: Alexander, William J.; Richardson, Rick & Richardson, Iliff, David, 1918-2001
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Anne Pearsall Karr, June 22, 1997

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Transcript of an interview with Anne Pearsall Karr from Elgin, Illinois, concerning her experiences on the home front during World War II. Karr discusses her youth in Elgin, Illinois; effects of Depression on Pearsall family; college at Iowa State; courtship with Kenneth Karr, her future husband; reaction to Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor; changes on Iowa State campus after American entry into World War II; wartime rationing and Victory Gardens; effects on Pearsall family having a son and daughter in military service; her marriage to Kenneth Karr, early 1944; housing shortage in Corpus Christi, Texas, during World War II; birth of their daughter; wartime entertainment; experiences as a military wife; attitudes toward the Japanese; husband's training as a naval air cadet at Corpus Christi Naval Air Station. Appendix includes various photographs [5] pages.
Date: June 22, 1997
Creator: Jackson, Sarah C. & Karr, Anne Pearsall, 1923-
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Warren Whitson, Jr., November 22, 1995

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Warren Whitson, Jr., a businessman and an Army Air Corps veteran (493rd Bomb Group, 860th Bomb Squadron, 8th Air Force), concerning his experiences as a B-17 pilot in the European Theater during World War II. Whitson discusses his pre-flight and flight training in 1943, his assignment to the 493rd Bomb Group, 860th Bomb Squadron at Stone, England, the characteristics of the B-17G, his first mission in Berlin, problems with flak, tactics to counter German radar, his engine trouble and crash landing in eastern Germany, his rescue by Russian troops, his trip by C-47 back to England via Poltava, Tehran, Cairo, Tripoli, and Dijon, his assignment to a new crew, being shot down by German fighter planes on his seventeenth mission, his brief experiences as a POW, and his liberation by British troops.
Date: November 22, 1995
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Whitson, Warren, Jr.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library

[Woman next to WASP Statue]

Photograph of a woman sitting on the edge of a fountain at Avenger Field, in the middle of which is a statue commemorating the WASPs. The woman is wearing sunglasses, a green blouse, and black pants.
Date: [1993-05-22..]
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Memorial plaques with names of WASPs]

Photograph of a memorial with plaques featuring the names of WASP graduates and trainees.
Date: [1993-05-22..]
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[WASP Statue at Avenger Field]

Photograph of the memorial WASP statue at Avenger Field Airport, with a plaque reading "March 11, 1944: 'To The Best Women Pilots In The World' - General H. H. 'Hap' Arnold." Behind it is a brick building.
Date: [1993-05-22..]
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[WASP Memorial at Avenger Field Airport]

Photograph of the WASP memorial at Avenger Field Airport, featuring a statue of a WASP in a fountain and two walls with plaques listing all WASP trainees and graduates. Behind it is a brick building housing the Dickson Center for Engineering Technologies.
Date: [1993-05-22..]
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Crowd by WASP Statue at Avenger Field]

Photograph of a crowd of people around the WASP Memorial statue at Avenger Airport in Sweetwater.
Date: [1993-05-22..]
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[WASP Memorial at Avenger Field Airport]

Photograph of the WASP memorial at Avenger Field Airport, featuring a statue of a WASP in a fountain and two walls with plaques listing all WASP trainees and graduates. Behind it is a brick building housing the Dickson Center for Engineering Technologies.
Date: [1993-05-22..]
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Women Airforce Service Pilots Statue]

Photograph of a statue commemorating the Women Airforce Service Pilots at Avenger Field. The figure portrays a woman in flying gear striding forward with her head looking to the sky.
Date: [1993-05-22..]
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Michael R. Winn to Charlyne Creger, November 22, 1999] (open access)

[Letter from Michael R. Winn to Charlyne Creger, November 22, 1999]

Letter from Micharl R. Winn to Charlyne Creger thanking her for participating in the Veterans Day Program during the week of November 7-13, 1999.
Date: November 22, 1999
Creator: Winn, Michael R.
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History

[WASP Plaque]

Photograph of what appears to be a historical marker plaque with a few paragraphs of the history of WASP. The plaque begins, "Women Airforce Service Pilots Jacqueline Cochran, one of the most famous women pilots of the twentieth century..." A note written on the back of the photo reads, "Sweetwater Tex 22 May 93".
Date: May 22, 1993
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[WASP Statue in Courtyard]

Photograph of a green statue of a WASP posed on a pedestal in the center of a small fountain or well. A courtyard area with trees and buildings can be seen in the background. The handwritten note on the back of the photo reads, "Sweetwater Tex 22 May 93".
Date: May 22, 1993
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[WASP Statue]

Photograph of a green statue of a WASP placed on a pedestal in the center of a small outdoor fountain. The handwritten note on the back of the photo reads, "Sweetwater Tex 22 May 93".
Date: May 22, 1993
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Two Women on a Bed]

Photograph of two older women sitting on a bed and smiling at the camera. The women on the left can be seen wearing a yellow shirt and the woman on the right can be seen wearing a colorful shirt with black fringe. A note written on the back of the photo reads, "50th WASP Reunion 22 May 93", along with the name "Vi Thurn" and "Vi" written on the edge of the back.
Date: May 22, 1993
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[WASP Graduate Names #2]

Photograph of a stone plaque located at Sweetwater with several WASP graduate names engraved in its surface. A handwritten note in blue pen ink on the back of the photo reads, "Sweetwater Tex 22 May 93".
Date: May 22, 1993
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Woman with WASP Statue]

Photograph of a woman in a blue shirt standing in front of a statue of a female pilot. A brick wall can be seen in the background. A note handwritten on the back of the photo reads, "Sweetwater Tex 22 May 93".
Date: May 22, 1993
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Handshake at Reunion]

Photograph of Janet Reno, seen in red to the right, shaking Rose Lee's hand, left, at the 50th WASP Reunion amidst a crowd of others.. A handwritten note on the back reads, "50th WASP Reunion 22 May 93 Janet -Rose Lee".
Date: May 22, 1993
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Clipping: Veteran Pilot Sculpts Spirit of Flying for Women] (open access)

[Clipping: Veteran Pilot Sculpts Spirit of Flying for Women]

Newspaper clipping about a former WASP and flight instructor who began sculpted bronze statue to memorialize all Women Airforce Service Pilots.
Date: May 22, 1993
Creator: Fulton, Loretta
Object Type: Clipping
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Agenda: WASP Meeting, February 22, 1990] (open access)

[Agenda: WASP Meeting, February 22, 1990]

Agenda for the WASP listing action items and discussion points for the February 22, 1990 meeting.
Date: February 22, 1990
Creator: Women Airforce Service Pilots (U.S.)
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
73rd Texas Legislature, Regular Session, House Concurrent Resolution 120 (open access)

73rd Texas Legislature, Regular Session, House Concurrent Resolution 120

Texas House Concurrent Resolution bill signed by Governor Ann Richards commending the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II for their service to their country on the occasion of their 50th anniversary.
Date: May 22, 1993
Creator: Texas. Legislature. House of Representatives.
Object Type: Legislative Document
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Minutes: WASP Committee Meeting, October 22, 1992] (open access)

[Minutes: WASP Committee Meeting, October 22, 1992]

Minutes for the WASP Committee meeting including estimated memorial costs, fundraising, and a proposed reunion agenda.
Date: October 22, 1992
Creator: Women Airforce Service Pilots (U.S.)
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Obituary for Reuben J. Lasee]

Newspaper clipping of the obituary of Reuben J. Lasee, detailing his service in the 12th Armored Tank Battalion, and his surviving relatives.
Date: June 22, 1991
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

Oral History Interview with Richard Donley, February 22, 1997

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Interview with Navy veteran Richard Donley. The interview includes Donley's personal experiences about the Mediterranean Theater during World War II, boot camp, Fleet Torpedo School, encounters with German "F-lighter" armed barges and E-boats, various assignments, and combat against enemy destroyers. Donley also talks about screening operations for the invasions of Sicily and Salerno, operations along the coasts of northern Italy and southern France and the interdiction of German barge traffic, torpedo problems, commando and intelligence operations, returning to the States, his reassignment to the Motor Torpedo Boats Training Center, and transferring to Samar, Philippines.
Date: February 22, 1997
Creator: Alexander, William J. & Donley, Richard
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library