Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Mary Eff (Wilson) McCracken letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Mary Eff (Wilson) McCracken letters
- Date
- 1942-1947 (inclusive)
- Creator
- McCracken, Mary Eff (Wilson), 1920-2007
- Extent
- 0.83 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Georgetown College
- Letters.
- Love-letters
- Marriage -- United States
- World War, 1939-1945.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Pacific Ocean
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0090: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Mary Eff (Wilson) McCracken letters, 1942-1947, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Mary Eff (Wilson) McCracken (1920-2007) was born in Mayfield, Kentucky to John E. Wilson (1878-1941) and Eleanor Wilson (1886-1976). She attended Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky where she met her future husband, Robert L. McCracken (1916-2001) who was also a student there. In November 1941, Robert enlisted in the U.S. Navy, beginning as Storekeeper Third Class at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center but by November 1942, he was accepted into the Officers Candidate School at Fort Schuyler, New York. After completing OCS, he was sent to Norton Heights, Connecticut to Communications School and then assigned to the USS Croatan (CVE-25), an escort carrier stationed in the North Atlantic protecting convoys. During his time in the service, he reached the rank of lieutenant. On February 23, 1943, Robert and Mary were married while Robert was on leave, and then on July 15, 1945 Mary gave birth to their son, John, while Robert was out at sea. After the war, Robert found work as a registration officer with the Veterans' Administration in Lexington, Kentucky, before being transferred to Louisville, Kentucky. He later worked as a claims manager for Blue Shield and then Blue Cross.
- 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 Mary Eff (Wilson) McCracken letters (dated 1942-1947; 0.83 cubic feet; 2 boxes) comprise letters between the McCrackens and friends that document college life at Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky; daily activities for navy seamen; and the difficulties of long distance relationship during World War II. The majority of the letters are from Robert to Mary that discuss boredom at training camp and at sea, going to the USO, seeing various shows, movie, and performers; the pros and cons of getting married during the war, and the various incidents that occur while living and working on a ship. Some letters from Mary to Robert discuss daily life at home during the war and later how she felt during her pregnancy and subsequent motherhood. Additionally, there are letters from college friends to Mary that talk about the various happenings on Georgetown's campus involving hers and Robert's sorority and fraternity, Lambda Chi and Kappa Alpha.
- The Mary Eff (Wilson) McCracken 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
- The 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.
Contents of the Collection
Mary Eff McCracken letters, 1942 July
Mary Eff McCracken letters, 1942 August-September
Mary Eff McCracken letters, 1942 October-November
Mary Eff McCracken letters, 1942 December
Mary Eff McCracken letters, 1943 January
Mary Eff McCracken letters, 1943 February-October
Mary Eff McCracken letters, 1944 January
Mary Eff McCracken letters, 1944 December
Mary Eff McCracken letters, 1945 January
Mary Eff McCracken letters, 1945 February
Mary Eff McCracken letters, 1945 March
Mary Eff McCracken letters, 1945 April
Mary Eff McCracken letters, 1945 May
Mary Eff McCracken letters, 1945 June
Mary Eff McCracken letters, 1945 July
Mary Eff McCracken letters, 1945 August
Mary Eff McCracken letters, 1945 September-October
Mary Eff McCracken letters, 1946 January-February
Mary Eff McCracken letters, 1946 March-April
Mary Eff McCracken letters, 1946 November-December
Mary Eff McCracken letters, 1947 January
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.
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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.
