Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Daniel Durbin letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Daniel Durbin letters
- Date
- 1943-1944 (inclusive)
- Creator
- Durbin, Daniel
- Extent
- 0.01 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Letters.
- Correspondence.
- Family.
- Military life.
- Air pilots.
- Air pilots, Military
- Basic training (Military education)
- Occupational training.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0633: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Daniel Durbin letters, 1943-1944, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Daniel R. Durbin, Jr. (1924-1994) was born in Covington, Kentucky to Daniel Durbin, Sr. (1898-1982) and Martha McClintock (1899-1985). He attended Western Kentucky University and Berea College until joining the military during World War II. Durbin served in two branches, the Army from 1942 to 1944 and the Air Force in 1944-1945 and 1951-1952. 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 Daniel Durbin letters (dated 1943-1944; 0.01 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises letters sent from Daniel to his parents that document his service in the Army Air Forces during World War II. In the letters, Daniel details his flight training from his very first ride in an airplane, to his first solo flight, to earning his wings and officially becoming a pilot. He discusses the different kinds of training they go through to become skilled pilots, what the washout (or failure) rate is of cadets in training, the different kinds of planes he flies over the course of his training, and finally what he flies and duties are after earning his wings.
- The Daniel Durbin 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
Daniel Durbin, Jr. to parents, 1943-1944
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.
