Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Roscoe Smith letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Roscoe Smith letters
- Date
- 1943 (inclusive)
- Creator
- Smith, Roscoe
- Extent
- 0.25 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Letters.
- Correspondence.
- Love-letters
- Military correspondence.
- Family.
- Marriage
- Military life.
- Basic training (Military education)
- World War, 1939-1945.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, American.
- Health
- Military hospitals.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0584: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Roscoe Smith letters, 1943, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Roscoe Smith (1914-1983) was born in West Virginia to Roscoe Smith (1880-1937) and Lottie B. Smith (1893-1937). He married Georgia Blake (1918-1982) in the mid-1930s. Smith enlisted in the US Air Force during World War II and served for a few months in 1943 before being discharged. Prior to his service, Smith worked as a machine operator for ACF and Co. No other biographical information available.
- 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 Roscoe Smith letters (dated 1943; 0.25 cubic feet; 5 folders) comprises letters from Roscoe Smith to his wife Georgia in West Virginia that document the homesickness he experienced while in the military during World War II. The majority of the letters detail Smith's experiences in military hospitals, going in and out for issues with his throat until his tonsils are eventually removed. He also talks about the training that they go through in boot camp, the meals they are given, encountering friends in the service, going out for drinks in their free time, missing his wife, and his desire to either be discharged or have a permanent position where he can have his wife move to him.
- The Roscoe Smith letters collection is 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.
Contents of the Collection
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.
