Institute on World War II and the Human Experience

The exhibit, “Rendezvous with Destiny: Florida and WWII,” opened Tuesday — the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor — at the Capitol Museum.

FSU's World War II Institute partners with Capitol Museum to explore Florida's role in war The exhibit, “Rendezvous with Destiny: Florida and WWII,” opened Tuesday — the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor — at the Capitol Museum.

The Institute wants to congratulate Gabriela Maduro, a former Intern who played a pivotal role in cataloging the Hasterlik-Hine collection. Gabriela was recently awarded an English Language Teaching Assistantship through the Austrian Ministry of Education, Science, and Research. This is a prestigious award administered by Fulbright Austria. Congratulations Gabriela!

To learn more about the Hasterlik-Hein collection Gabriela catalogued, visit: https://fsu.digital.flvc.org/islandora/search/?type=edismax&collection=fsu%3Awwiihasterlikhinecoll

Congratulations to Beatrice Dain for receiving the Undergraduate Tony DiBenedetto Student Employee of the Year Award! She was recognized for her outstanding work with the Institute.

FSU Career Center recognizes student employees in annual ceremony - Florida State University News The Florida State University Career Center hosted its seventh annual Student Employee of the Year (SEOTY) award ceremony Friday, April 16, to recognize the positive impact student employees continue to have on the university community. “This ceremony aims to highlight the invaluable contributions ...

The Institute would like to highlight Brandon McCray, our dedicated Marketing Intern. Brandon is a senior majoring in Media and Communications Studies. An interesting fact about Brandon is that he has a twin brother that also attends FSU! Brandon has been behind all of the posts from the Institute you have seen on social media this semester. He has worked tirelessly to showcase valuable collections in our holdings. Brandon graduates this semester, and his post-grad plans include attending graduate school in Communications or Marketing.

Thank you for all your hard work, Brandon!

The Institute would like to highlight Beatrice Dain, our Senior Undergraduate Assistant. This semester Beatrice has been working on the Hazel Bowman collection. Bowman spent two years (1943-1945) in India and Burma working with the American Red Cross. She attended Florida State College for Women and was known for being one of the first three women admitted into the University of Florida Law School.

Additionally, Beatrice has finished digitizing data for the André Lauwrensius and Carol Lee Johnson van Assenderp collection. André was a well-known Dutch colonial administrator in Indonesia and Suriname from 1932-1946.

Thanks for your excellent work, Beatrice!

Happy Homecoming Week!

This Institute collection contains personal letters, photographs, and military papers from Calista Louise Bliler. Bliler was an established author and teacher before she joined the WAVES. She served as the first female ranking officer for the WAVES at the U.S Naval Air Station in Dallas, Texas.

Learn More: https://archives.lib.fsu.edu/repositories/6/resources/109

An interesting article on the role of women in WW2. Check it out.

Women’s World War II achievements remembered ahead of anniversary The Department of Defense pays tribute each year to the women who pushed gender-defined barriers. They fought for what they believed in and in doing so paved the way for the women who came after them,

This Institute collection contains interviews, photographs, memorabilia, and an oral history cassette tape from Willie Mae Williams. Williams was a well-respected member of the Women’s Army Auxillary Corps. Her collection gives us insight into the experience of women in the WAC.

Listen To Her Oral History: https://ww2.fsu.edu/collections/women-war-home-and-service-world-war-ii/army/willie-mae-williams

This Institute collection contains letters, photographs, books, and interviews from Gertrude Margaritte Ivory Bertram. She was a prominent African American nurse who served in the U.S Army. Bertram’s collection is significant because it gives us a glimpse into the unique experience of women and African Americans during WW2.

Learn More: https://archives.lib.fsu.edu/repositories/6/resources/466

Great news for veterans looking to receive the COVID19 vaccine! The “Saves Lives Act” would order the Department of Veteran Affairs to vaccinate any veteran, even if he or she is not eligible for VA health care. Under the bill, more caregivers would be eligible for a vaccine through the VA. This includes spouses of veterans and veterans living abroad.

Bipartisan bill introduced in effort to expand vaccine access for vets & families U.S. SENATE - Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-Mont.), U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-Ark.), Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal

This Institute collection contains letters, photographs, and military artifacts from Laura Mae Jackson DuFore. She served with the Women’s Army Auxillary Corps during World War II. Dufore’s collection also contains her autobiography A Life So Full, which provides insight into the female experience during the war.

Learn More: https://archives.lib.fsu.edu/repositories/6/resources/81