THE JANUS
Lawrence D. Geller , Archivist William P. Orrick, Archives Project Director Rosena.ry Pryse, Assistant Manning Field - harld War II files ) volunteers William Folev - World War I photographs) Sherry 1 Nibbs, High School Intern
On 1 Septanber 1987 Lawrence D. Geller assumed the newly created position of AFSArchivist under a grant fran the National Historical Publications and Records Ccmnission. He will apply his archival expertise to the further organization of the holdings of AFSArchives, and to the developnent of a records management system for the AFS.
M.A. Degree
Ne;.,rYork university (Graduate Schoo] of Arts and Sciences) History and Governr:ent
1963
Registered Professional Historian, Registration #520, 1985 California Ccmnittee for the Promotion of Histonj, Sacramento, California Public Historv and Administration, Historic Preservation
National EndCMIlleIlt for the Humanities, Washington, D.C. Grant, Division of Research Resources Head, Department of Research and Archives, Hadassah Medical Organization, NewYork City and Jerusalem, Israel. Archivist of Plyrrouth, Massachusetts, 1978-1982. Chairman of the Design Review Board, r¡1unicipal Government of Plyrrouth, !'1assachusetts
1978-1982. Chairman, Historic
Districts
commission, Plyrrouth, Massachusetts,
1969-1972.
EKecuti.veDirector, 'nle Pilgrim Society, P1ynouth, Massachusetts, 1969-1976 Board of Directors, P1yrrOlth OJunty Wildlands Trost, 1970-1974 Member,Federal GoveI'T'Jte11t Plynouth-Pro'JincetcMn 350th Anniversary celebration o:mnission, 1969-1970. AppOinted by Massachusetts Governor Francis Sargent. Menber of COrporation and lbard of Directors, '!he Russell Library, P1yrrouth, Massachusetts, 1980-1982.
NewYork University, Teaching Fellow in American History, Washington Square COllege of Arts and Scierx:::es. Shenarx10ahCOllege, Winchester, Virginia, Chairman of Social SCience Division, 1965-66. JaMeSMadison university, Harrisonburg, Virginia, Assistant Professor of History, 1966-1969. Bridgewater State COllege, Briclqewater, Massachusetts. Visiting Associate Professor of History and later, Visiting lecturer in p.istory, 1969-1976. l-meatonCollege, Norton, M.assachusetts. Visi ting lecturer in MuseumManagerent in the Depart1nent of History, 1975-1976. GermantownAcadarry, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. Chainnan of History Departrrent, 1976-1977.
Elected Resident MEmber,Colonial Society of Massachusetts, Boston, 1970 Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts of England, London, 1975 Elected Memberof the N~ York Academyof Sciences, N~ York City, 1985
In order to be imnediatel y effective as a Department the Archives should be able to ITOVe ahead on three broad fronts: 1.
ProcessirB of the historical archives of AFSin YbrId ~AlarsI and II, and creating descriptive inventories of a ouality that can be published. These will have two purposes: first, as a finding aid to the documents; second, as a public relations program to interest scholars in the research potential of the AFS<x>llections. These aims, and their canpletion, will satisfy the NHPRC and the terms of the grant.
2.
COnservation of the historical collections, and proper t.enperature and humidity <X>ntrols in the Archives. Acid content, which exists in virtually all paper produced for graphic or correspondence purposes since the middle of the 19th Century, is exacerbated by high and fluctuating levels of tEmperature and humidity, which trigger chanical chanqes in paper, leading to deterioration. Air<x>nditioning am humidity controls at a <X>nstant6if> and 50rh are necessary, as is a lal:oratory to restore uniaue and valuable AFSarchives OCM in advanced stages of deterioration. Records mana.g6'1â‚ŹT't of central files: The present program of AFSis generating rrountains of raper annuall v . Iv1.any of these docLm1ents,if no longer in daily use in the offices, have been brought to the Archives. Thev cane to us with no box latx;ls indicating office of origin; there is no folder list, or description, or time span of the documents indicated on the boxes. We lack staff, time and space to put a records manaqrn-entprogram j nto operation at the present time.
Mvreeormendation for the future is the creation of a Central Files Office, wit~ a staff, to handle all transmissions of records cf inter ediate value. Records would be transferred on a regular basis to this office where they would be appraised as to their archival value, and microfiJY.ed. 'TIlereare i.rnt:ortant long range reasons as to why the above three areas (archival processing, scientific conservation, anc. records manag6Tlent)should be attended to at once:
2.
A nonprofit institution that constantly searches for outside sources of incx:rreto fund its prcxJramsshould take advantage of its r6"!1arkableand unique history, and its past association with people of mpans and influence. Its history should J=Drtraythe institution for what it was, and still is, i.e. an Ar.1ericaninstitution that has made a recognized, major contribution to humanity and to the preservation of derrocracy bv its participation in the two WJrld ~vars. In so doing it laid the foundation for its universi ty FellCMShipPrcxJramwhich has broadened, based uJX)nits orginal ideals, into its present intercultural prcxJrams.
'TIlechronological line of AFSdevelopnent was therefore predictable and understandable, based, as it was, on its history. IX:> people whc:rn the institution wishes to influence knowanvthinq about this development? IX:> manypeople here on the staff knowmuchabcut it? Is the history of AFSbeinq effectively praroted to achieve institutional goals? The needs of the Archives Program ent.'IIreratedabove should lead to an Archives-MuseunSttrly Center into which, and through which, people whovisit the institution should pass on the way to doing their current business. Any newbuilding, any renovation of existing space, should architecturally place the history of AFSat its physical and visible center. Institutional publications of a historical nature, and of the present programs, should be available therp• 'TIleArchival Program and the Museum,if effectively pramllgated, should not be seen as an adjunct to the present international-intercultural pro::Jrams, but at its heart. L. D. Geller NHPRC Archivist
On 7th Novenber last Art HeMeand Ed Masbackmet ''lith Bob Applewhite and Bill Orrick to discuss Jody's project for getting Veterans' benefits for ,AFS drivers. It will be raner'lbered that Art and Ed were aptX)inted by the AFSBoard of Directors to act as liaison between the Board and Jody in this connection. 'Ihey were greatly encouraged by the progress made and are planning to meet again soon with Jody. 'TIlereis still work to be done and we understand that Jody would welcxme volunteer help fran the drivers in his vicinity. He is in Florida and his address is P.o. Box 20,555, St. Petersburg, Florida 33742.
we have received serne seventy-odd responses to our cmestionnaire concerning a Drivers' ~union. The returns carre fran 27 states and 2 foreign co.mtries. SUggestions a1xJut the reunion were as diverse as you might expect fran a representative groop of AFSmen.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
7. 8.
1.
Miniroa.lfonnal program. AFSH0 reception, archives photo:rraphs and material, nearby dinner, rrore r6'1iniseences. I.i1st one I attended ,..rasin the '50's. Great fun to catch up. love to see a repeat. Should be more than a Saturdav afternoon cocktail party. HON a1xJutFriday night arrivals, leave SUnday? Like the one in NewYork City just after W.W.II. More than just gocx:1 ole boys laughing at each other's jokes. Use it to further Jody Brinton's goals. Invite politicians, also sare Poles, British, Canadians with whan we served. Black tie dinner, wear miniature rredals, scottish piper to pipe us into dinner, and to play following a prayer for fallen cx::.mrades. Dinner, speakers, anything pertinent fran Archives.
6. 7. 8. 9.
Midwest location. One day's journey fran Pochester. 567 Coy - cane to Big Sky Country - fish, swlirt, golf - see God's Country. Paris - in the Spring, of course. There is a decent Sheraton at Gettysburg. Chan Keller used to study this battle while I was driving bim around Italy. NewYork City too expensive. San Francisco is ideal. Central location like Chicago. Location that offers good accommodationand activities, e.g. golf, tennis,
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Whenother manbers of ME1 are present. Give me tv.70 ITDnthsor ITDrenotice. Wereally ouqht to do this while what's left of us are still kicking. November1988 will be 70th anniversary of ~!.W.JAnnistice. vk:>uldonly be interested in an India/Burma reunion. An aevance mailing of naMeSand addresses to enable individual oontacts. Area of service reunion, i.e. IB, MEtypes. I'm 93 years old and too old for a reunion. (He's not. Wekna-.rsareone who
2. 3. 4. 5.
kno..vshim!).
IDcation - NeI.,r York City 39 Mid-Atlantic 7
West 9 South 6
Mid-West
6
New England
5
National 3E Regional 28
etc.
It is apparent that a) there is considerable support for a national reunion, in or near NewYork City, in the Spring or Fall, with a prcxrraPlfor two days which includes roth plenty of time for reminiscing and sane, but not too much, formal speaking, discussion, films, etc., and b) for those who do not wish to travel too far, regional reunions alo~J the san~ ljnes as above. Nowfor the follow-up. Are there those arrongyou who.•. JOuldvolunteer (what could be more in the AI'S traditon?) to organize reunions? The suggestion of gathering sane of your friends by unit seems to be a good one. To make it easier to find drivers who live near enough to you to attend a reunion without too much travelling we are enclosj.ng a list bv State and Zip Code, as well as by alphabet.
\Alehave heard of two reunions that took place locally during the sumner. The first was organized on the 19th August by Paul Kimball, ME16, and was held at the Marriott Hotel in Boston. Those present were Henry Bon.'1er,ME16, and his wife Irma, Brook Davis, ME16, and his wife Sally, JI..rtHowe,ME2, and his wife :Oeg,Bill WJods, ME20, and, of course, Paul. Percy r;ilbert, !-'IE 16, and George Lyon, ME8, ME16, IB 54, were also invited but were unable to attend. Apparently they all had a very good ti..'TIeand were extremely happy to see each other again. The second reunion was held by Len Guttman, IB 57, at his hane on 18th September. Bud Selz, .ME37, FE 3, .Kirk Browning, ME32, F!<.8, and John Glenn, IE 57, attended. Also invited were Forrest Williams, ME37, IB 57, and Fairfield Hoban, IB 57, but they could not cane. This too was a very enjoyable event and they all hope to meet again next year - in Turkey! l.vecongratulate Paul Kimball and Len Guttman on their initiative, hear that other AFSreunions have been held throughout the country.
and hope to
Through the courtesy of Joe Pynchon of Hawaii we I1OIt! have an address for Ji..'TI DJughty, and we have movedto put him in touch with the writer who is so interested in his exploits with the British Special Raiding Forces in the Aegean in 1944. he hope the resulting article - or book - will soon be published. Wereceived a letter fran the President of the Southern California Orders and Medals Society askina for details of the AFSservice of ~ajor RaYmond M. t1itche 11, t-1E 39. He was a.•. !arded the Order of the British mpire (ORE)for outstandlng courage during the Italian campaign, and this organization has cane into possession of this decoration and the other medals earned by Major l'1it.chell. ''Je were able to send thart particulars of his service and a copv of his OBFcitation. Three years ago this Society approached us with a reouest for details of the AFSservice of John E. L. Earle, ME32, FR 4, and we supplied them with copies of his records and details o-f his award of the Croix de Guerre. It is gratifying to knowthet this californian Society is preserving and presenting to the public info:rrrlation regarding these two men, and through then making )r~llown the contribution mooebv the AFSdrivers in wartime.
The Archives are OCJ.N well on their way to canpleting a full descriptive inventory of all the correspondence, manuscripts, and other documentation pertaining to Worldwar 1. COpiesof this inventory will be sent to all the drivers. This will be followed by inventories of the artifacts, memorabilia, paintings, photographs and diaries of WorldWar I, and then similar lists will be madeof all we possess of Worldh1arII. All the books will also be classified and catalogued. Those of you whohave visited us lately will realize what a gargantuan task this is, and that it will not be accanplished in a day. Whenccrnplete, ho.vever, these inventories will be welCQl1e in universities, libraries, and other institutions, not only in the United states but throughout the world, for the use of scholars and historians. As each inventory is finished we will distribute copies to the drivers. After all, that's where it all started!
The Archives have in their possession several very fine paintings, many by well knONn painters whowere also AFSdrivers, such as WaldoPeirce. Unfortunately a numberof then have been damagedand all of then need cleaning. Wehave called in an expert fran the AmericanInstitute of Conservators to examine th61l and he is going to let us kOCJ.N what it will cost to clean, and in sane cases, repair them. Wehope we will be able to, afford this quite necessary expense when the time canes.
Blerancourt is dear to the hearts of the AFSdrivers of World Wars I and II, and to those of us at AFSwho knCMthat without those drivers we VJOuld not be here. ArmeMJrgan restored the ruined seventeenth century Chateau de Blerancourt after the First VbrId War as a museumdedicated to Franco-Arrerican Cooperation, and in 1927 presented it to the French (',overnrrent. Ten years later another wing was rebuilt and this was given over to rrerrorabilia of the various Arrerican organizations who had hel~ France during Vbrld War 1. A large pa.rt of this wing is devoted to the AFS, and is stocked with rrarories of the drivers of tha.t War, including one of the original Medel A Ford ambulances, riddled with gashes made by shrar:nel and bullets, striking evidence of the dangers the drivers defied to evacuate the VJOunded.At the dedication of this wing in september 1938 a bust of A. Piatt Andrewwas unveiled. After \'brld War II trore souvenirs were sent to Blerancourt and in 1964 a Msrrorial Garden was dedicated to all the AFSdrivers. A tablet inscr~ with the naIn3Sof those who died while serving in l:xJthWars was unveiled. The bust of A. Piatt Andrewwas troved to the garden and placed opposite the tablet. In CCtober 1969 a bust of Stephen Galatti was dedicated at Blerancourt. Stephen Galatti, who inaugurated the AFSscholarship programs as we knCMthem today, may be said to be the stepping stone between the AFSdrivers and the present-day students. It is appropriate to say, therefore, that with the placing of Stephen Galatti' s bust Blerancourt joined the hands of the drivers to those of the students, and it is to these students that this museumwill in future belong, bringing added prestige to their association with AFS. Blerancourt is near the town of Soissons -- approximately 60 miles fran Paris. It is an easy drive through pleasant country, and it is hoped that any rrenber of AFSwho visits France will take the tirre to visit the museum. Copies of a simple map showing the route between Paris and Blerancourt are available in AFSArchives.
Rosanary Pryse ]IFS
Archives