Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Joe Guess papers
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Joe Guess papers
- Date
- 1963-1965 (inclusive)
- Creator
- Guess, Joe F., Jr., 1942-2017
- Extent
- 0.45 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Letters.
- Military records
- Soldiers -- Correspondence
- Vietnam War, 1961-1975
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0129: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Joe Guess papers, 1963-1965, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Joe F. Guess Jr. (1942-2017) was born in Louisville, Kentucky to Joe F. Guess (1913-1972) and India Sykes Guess (1915-1992). He decided to enter the US Army in 1964 after failing a semester at Georgetown College. Joe completed his training at Fort Knox and then stationed at Camp Casey in Korea from May 1964 to May 1965, guarding the Demilitarized Zone. After returning to the United States in 1965, he spent his final year in the Army at Fort Jackson in South Carolina.
- 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 Joe Guess papers (dated 1963-1965; 0.45 cubic feet; 1 box) comprise letters, photographs, newspaper clippings, orders and assignments, and certificates that document the experiences of a Kentucky soldier in Korea during the Vietnam War. The letters are between Guess and his parents, mainly discussing his frustration with his Army unit while deployed, difficulties with pay, the transition into US participation on the ground in the Vietnam War, fear of going to Vietnam, and his observations on new draftees entering training. The photographs show a few aspects of Camp Casey and events that occurred there between 1964 and 1965. The newspaper clippings highlight the evolution of the Korean War and US involvement, along with athletic activities soldiers participated in. The orders and assignments document the different tasks assigned to Guess and his unit while in Korea and the standards they were to uphold. The certificates detail trainings and education completed by Guess in the Army, included with the certificates are passes and permission cards, Korean currency, menus, and receipts.
- The Joe Guess papers 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
Correspondence, 1963-1965
1963
1964 February-March
1964 April
1964 May
1964 June
1964 July
1964 August
1964 September
1964 October
1964 November
1964 December
1965 January
1965 February
1965 March
1965 May-October
Army orders and assignments, 1963-1965
Photos, postcards, and newspaper clippings, 1964-1965, undated
Receipts, reports, and passes, 1964-1965, undated
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.
