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2017 Annual Dinner Program, The O'Callahan Society, College Of The Holy Cross

O'Callahan Society Annual Dinner Program

Seventeenth annual dinner sponsored by The O'Callahan Society. The keynote speaker is the Honorable Jeh C. Johnson, former Secretary of Homeland Security and General Counsel of the Department of Defense. This year celebrates the women of the Naval ROTC program at the College of the Holy Cross.

World War I At Home And Abroad:, Phillip Stone, Luke Meagher

Library Exhibits

This exhibit features materials about Wofford College and the Spartanburg Community in World War I, and was presented during the centennial year of American entry into World War I.

Messer, George, 1833-1863 (Sc 3138), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scans (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3138. Letters, 16 December 1862, 13 February 1863 and 6-7 June 1863, of George Messer to his wife Lottie in DeWitt County, Illinois, written while camped near Woodsonville in Hart County, Kentucky and at Camp Hobson, Glasgow, Kentucky. He describes his quarters (his “shebang”), a fire in Woodsonville that burned two hospitals, the remnants of a nearby battlefield, local troop movements, illness, and his finances. He also writes of contributing money to send a soldier’s remains home, and comments on his officers and on domestic matters.

Gordon, George W., 1802?-1862 (Sc 3144), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescript (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3144. Letter, 26 December 1861, of Captain George W. Gordon to his children. From Camp Bradley at Clarksville, Tennessee, he writes of his enlistment and command of a company in the 48th Tennessee. Mourning the “unnatural war” that is “desolating the Country,” he remarks on the large numbers of troops massing in Kentucky and the expectation of a “bloody conflict.” His pessimistic letter concludes that men may look only to God for mercy.

Buckner, Simon Bolivar, 1823-1914 (Sc 3143), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3143. Letter, 7 September 1907, of Simon Bolivar Buckner to John H. Weller, former commander of the Orphan Brigade. He suggests that at a forthcoming reunion, the Brigade recommend “the acquiring and improvement” of the birthplace of Jefferson Davis, and notes that an option has already been secured on part of the site. (The Davis Memorial Home movement was subsequently inaugurated at the reunion.)

A Marine Aviators Perspective On The War In Viet Nam, Fred Cone

ERAU Prescott Aviation History Program

Colonel Cone served tours in three Marine Aircraft Wings. His staff responsibilities included aircraft maintenance, logistics, operations, and personnel and on one tour as Chief of Staff of the 2d Marine Air Wing. He also served a tour as the operations officer of the 3rdMarine Division in Okinawa, and a three-year tour in Headquarters Marine Corps in the Requirements and Programs Division. During his Fleet Marine Force Assignments, Colonel Cone flew a total of 21 different types of aircraft and amassed over 8600 flight hours. His combat experience includes nearly 1000 flight hours flown in 844 separate missions over half …

Oklahoma Missile Site: Aiming For The Historic Marker, Landry Brewer

Faculty Articles & Research

Goal: Place a historic marker at the site near Willow, Oklahoma, that housed an Atlas F intercontinental Ballistic Missile 1962-1965.

Southwestern Oklahoma State University issued a press release about my historic marker fundraising endeavor and partnership with the Old Greer County Museum. In addition to the story being broadcast by local radio stations and printed by local newspapers. KFOR NewsChannel 4 in Oklahoma City broadcast a segment during a Wednesday evening newscast that was rebroadcast multiple times through the following weekend. Also, the Old Greer County Museum included the release in its emailed newsletter, and one of the newsletter's readers …

Cloud, Allen Carol, 1930-1982 (Sc 3140), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3140. Letter, 26 September 1951, of Allen Carol Cloud, Jefferson County, Kentucky, to Emma Barnes. Writing during his military service in Seoul, Korea, he declares his love for her and his intention to propose marriage, and regrets a friend's premature disclosure to her of this confidence. He also comments on the poor living conditions of the Korean people.

Change 1 To The History Of The College Of The Holy Cross Naval Rotc Unit, Brendan J. O'Donnell, O'Callahan Society, College Of The Holy Cross

75th Anniversary of NROTC at Holy Cross

This document lists revisions made to the 2016 version of the History of the College of the Holy Cross Naval ROTC Unit. It is intended as a supplement for those who received print copies.

The revised version is available at http://crossworks.holycross.edu/nrotc75/1/.

Revisiting Fredericksburg: Using Provocation To Explore New Questions, Jonathan Tracey

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

To Freeman Tilden, provocation was an essential ingredient to effective interpretation, and I tend to agree with that idea. Both my walking tour at the Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center and the interpretive exhibits at Chatham Manor utilize provocation in different forms, with different challenges and opportunities. Overall, the atmosphere of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park is one that supports and encourages provocative thinking by visitors.

Provocation Through Accessibility At Special Collections At Musselman Library, Chloe Parrella

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

Gettysburg College Special Collections is a place where the worlds of archiving, preservation, and interpretation intersect. In the climate-controlled stacks, shelves lined with volume after volume attest to the centuries of history that the college has witnessed. It is the role of the current staff and interns to disseminate the seemingly infinite artifacts, manuscripts, and other primary sources that come through the door to those who travel to Special Collections to learn, discover, and enrich themselves. As Freeman Tilden wrote, “Information, as such, is not interpretation. Interpretation is revelation based upon information”. However, interpretation is not something that should be …

Designing Simplicity To Achieve Technological Improvement: The General Electric J79 Turbojet Engine; Innovations, Achievements And Effects, Matt C. Brimer

Theses

With the beginning of powered, manned flight, the piston engine drove a propeller or multiple propellers to provide the thrust for lift required to overcome the forces of drag and gravity for flight. As aircraft speeds gradually increased over time, the power needed to overcome the aerodynamic inefficiencies of the propeller to greater speeds and altitudes were quickly realized as a hindrance to the potential of aircraft. With the turbojet engine, this new mechanism and subsequent aerodynamic changes revolutionized aircraft to increased speeds and altitude never before achievable with a piston engine. The United States, after acquiring further and more …

In Gettysburg, The Confederacy Won, Scott Hancock

Africana Studies Faculty Publications

Almost every day, I ride my bicycle past some of the over 1,300 statues and monuments commemorating the Civil War in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where I live. They are everywhere. None of them are of black people.

The Battle of Gettysburg, fought over three days in July of 1863, is often considered the turning point of a war fought over the fate of slavery in America. Black people ultimately were the reason why over 165,000 soldiers came to this Pennsylvania town in the first place. But on the battlefield, as far as the physical memorials, they disappear. (excerpt)

Concord’S Wayside: Home Of What?, Olivia Ortman

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

This summer, I have had the privilege of interning at Minute Man NHP in Concord, Massachusetts. My primary station here is the Wayside: Home of Authors. Right about now, you might be wondering what the Wayside is. That’s alright, I didn’t know what the house was until just this summer. The Wayside was the home of Louisa May Alcott, Nathanial Hawthorne, and Harriet Lothrop (or Margaret Sydney) – all prominent authors in the 19th century. This house also stood witness to the “shot heard round the world” and provided brief shelter to a fugitive slave. This house is a gold …

An Artist As Soldier: Seeking Refuge In Love And Art, Barbara S. Heisler

Gettysburg College Faculty Books

At the center of this book are the World War II letters (Feldpostbriefe) of a German artist and art teacher to his wife. While Bernhard Epple’s letters to his wife, Gudrun, address many of the topics usually found in war letters (food, lodging conditions, the weather, problems with the mail service, requests for favors from home), they are unusual in two respects. Each letter is lovingly decorated with a drawing and the letters make few references to the war itself. In addition to many personal communications and expressions of love for his wife and children, Epple writes about …

Choosing Your Battles: Provoking The Public At Fredericksburg And Spotsylvania National Military Park, Abby M. Currier

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

During training to be an intern at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, our instructors continuously stressed the importance of reading our audience. Whether we were greeting visitors at the front desk or leading walking tours, our job was to always watch the visitors and gauge what they are interested in. For me, this was initially very frustrating. I prefer to deal with concrete things instead of making judgement calls. It all sounded pretty wishy washy and that I would somehow ‘know’ what the visitor wanted just by looking at them. Needless to say, I was not convinced.

Should We Banish Robert E. Lee & His Confederate Friends? Let's Talk., Allen C. Guelzo

Civil War Era Studies Faculty Publications

After 152 years, Robert E. Lee is back in the headlines. But not in any way he could have imagined.

The “Unite the Right” forces descended on Charlottesville, Va., to protest calls for the removal of an equestrian statue of Lee that has been sitting in a city park since 1924. The larger question, however, was about whether the famous Confederate general was also a symbol of white supremacy.

The same issues were in play in May when a statue of Lee was removed from Lee Circle in New Orleans. There are also more than two dozen streets and schools …

Making The Most Of Interpretative Tours At Fredericksburg And Spotslyvania National Military Park, Julia K. Deros

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

Freeman Tilden argues that the purpose of good interpretation is to inspire people to want to discover and learn for themselves in order to gain an understanding and appreciation for what they see. After having experienced the challenges of interpreting the battlefields at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, I agree that provocation is important to good interpretation.

A Different Sort Of Park: Interpreting Pow Experiences At Andersonville National Historic Site, Andrew Knight

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

Unlike many other historic sites, Andersonville does not fit neatly into any one box. It is not a battlefield, although we still interpret the experience of soldiers and the ideas they fought for. It is not a historic home or building; the only original parts of the site left are earthworks. Andersonville is a Civil War site but tells a story common to every war. Andersonville National Cemetery contains the remains of American soldiers from every American war except for 1812. Unlike any other National Cemetery entrusted to the National Park Service (except for Andrew Johnson National Historic Site) Andersonville …

Interpreting The Life And Times Of Maggie Walker, Lucy A. Marks

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

As a part of my orientation as an intern at Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site, I was told that 90% of visitors who come into the site have a very limited knowledge of who Maggie L. Walker was and what she had accomplished in her 70 years of life. Equipped with that information I felt a heightened sense of responsibility for the overall quality and accuracy of my tour of her home. In my opinion, Mrs. Walker is one of the most extraordinary people in history, a big claim to make, but this claim speaks for itself even in …