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World War II Resources in the Norwich Archives: University Records

Overview

The focus of these selections are materials reflecting Norwich University's operations during the war and not the broader or more individual contributions of specific students, alumni, faculty or staff.

Collections that are not available online are usually described in a linked guide or "finding aid" but otherwise require researchers to visit or contact the Norwich Archives to access.

University Publications

Index to NU's student and alumni newspapers

  • Check under "World War Two" for your quickest path to newspaper stories and other coverage of specific alumni and operations during the war

 

Norwich University Record (alumni newspaper), 1939-1950

Norwich Guidon (student newspaper), 1939-1950 (digital selection includes only 1939-1946)

The Fledgling (student newspaper of Army Air Forces cadets), 1943-1944

Presidents' annual reports, 1939-1950 (digital selection contains only 1945-1949)

University catalogs, 1939-1950 (digital selection is incomplete)

War Whoop (student yearbook), 1939-1950 (not available online)

  • See "Memorial Edition" from 1947 for an overview of wartime operations and biographies of alumni killed in action

 

*Publications from about 1945-1950 document the return of veterans to campus and include information summarizing wartime operations

Photographs

Norwich University Photograph Collection

  • 71 boxes and 20 oversize drawers (144 linear feet)
  • Includes images of students, alumni, athletics, buildings, and military training during World War II
  • The bulk of the collection is not available online

Selection of photographs available online

Records of University Presidents

Porter Hartwell Adams Papers:

  • 3 boxes (3 linear feet)
  • Contains limited "Norwich materials," 1934-1940, retained by Porter Adams in his capacity as Norwich's president, 1934-1939
  • The collection is not available online

John Martin Thomas Records:

  • 3 boxes (3 linear feet)
  • Consists of correspondence and other records of Norwich's acting president (from 1937-1939) and president (from 1939-1944)
  • The collection is not available online

Homer Levi Dodge Records:

  • 10 boxes (10 linear feet)
  • Primarily documents the activities of Norwich's president, 1944-1950, including the end of war-time programs and post-war return of veterans to campus
  • The collection is not available online

Records of Other Administrators

Board of Trustees Records:

  • 29 Boxes (29 linear feet)
  • Contains minutes of Norwich University Board of Trustees meetings during the war and the "Between Us" newsletter, 1944-1950, created by Homer Dodge
  • The collection is not available online

Charles Newell Barber Records:

  • 4 boxes (4 linear feet)
  • Consists of records of Norwich's  treasurer and superintendent of buildings and grounds, 1934-1952, including those related the AAF, ASTP, and ASTRP programs during the war and to programs associated with returning veterans
  • The collection is not available online

Arthur Ellsworth Winslow Records:

  • 4 boxes (4 linear feet)
  • Files retained by Norwich's dean, 1932-1945, documenting academics broadly as well as within war-time programs such as AAF, ASTP, ASTRP, and ESMWT.
  • The collection is not available online; however, names of AAF and ASTP / ASTRP students reflected in these records are also indexed in a separate spreadsheet

Records from the Office of the Commandant:

  • 8 boxes (8 linear feet)
  • Contains materials reflecting Norwich military training and organization during the war period, including orders, cadet handbooks, and rules and regulations
  • The bulk of the collection is not available online

Other Records

Biographical Files Collection:

  • Includes obituaries and other biographical information compiled by Norwich university staff about Norwich alumni and affiliates. Files are only searchable by name and are primarily only available for deceased individuals. 
  • The bulk of the collection is not available online

Event Ephemera Collection:

  • 2.5 drawers (4.5 linear feet)
  • Includes programs and ephemera from events at Norwich during World War II, including typescripts of visitors' speeches
  • The bulk of the collection is not available online

Commencement Ephemera Collection:

  • 2 drawers (2 linear feet)
  • Consists specifically of programs from commencement, commissioning, and convocation ceremonies, including during the war period
  • The bulk of the collection is not available online