Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Helmut Keienburg and Joan Wildtraut letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Helmut Keienburg and Joan Wildtraut letters
- Date
- 1942-1948 (inclusive)
- Creator
- Keienburg, Helmut
- Extent
- 0.03 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Employment -- Germany.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Aftermath -- 1940-1950.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0510: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Helmut Keienburg and Joan Wildtraut letters, 1942-1948, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Helmut Keienburg lived in Geselenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, no other biographical information available. Joan Wildtraut (1931-1988) was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Raymon Wildtraut (1910-1975) and Elizabeth Derfler (b. 1910). Between 1948 and 1951, Joan married Henry J. Schanmier (1929-1998), and together the couple had a daughter, Marjorie (1951-2001).
- American Letters collector Wade Hall (1934-2015) was a native of Union Springs, Alabama. Starting in 1962, he lived in Louisville, where he taught English and chaired the English and Humanities/Arts programs at Kentucky Southern College and Bellarmine University. He also taught at the University of Illinois and the University of Florida. He held degrees from Troy State University (B.S.), the University of Alabama (M.A.), and the University of Illinois (Ph.D.). He served for two years in the U.S. Army in the mid-fifties. Dr. Hall was the author of books, monographs, articles, plays, and reviews relating to Kentucky, Alabama, and Southern history and literature. His most recent books include A Visit with Harlan Hubbard; High Upon a Hill: A History of Bellarmine College; A Song in Native Pastures: Randy Atcher's Life in Country Music; and Waters of Life from Conecuh Ridge.
- Scope and Content
- The Helmut Keienburg and Joan Wildtraut letters (dated 1946-1948; 0.03 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise six letters from Helmut to Joan that document life in British-controlled western Germany after the end of World War II. Helmut wrote about his excitement at being connected with American relatives, food and clothing rations, the inflation of money, finding employment, attending school, hopes that another war will not break out with Russia, limitations on sending and receiving packages, and his desire to go to America and meet Joan and her family. Attached to a few of the letters are photographs of a city Helmut visited and activities with friends.
- The Helmut Keienburg and Joan Wildtraut letters are part of the Wade Hall Collection of American Letters, which includes correspondence and diaries from all over North America covering the time period of the Civil to Korean Wars. The materials were collected by Wade Hall and document everyday men and women.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Table of Contents
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
