Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Stanley J. Reese letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Stanley J. Reese letters
- Date
- 1937-1945 (inclusive)
- Creator
- Reese, Stanley J., 1918-1994
- Extent
- 0.1 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- African Americans -- Military service.
- African Americans -- United States
- Family.
- Letters.
- Ohio
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0054: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Stanley J. Reese letters, 1937-1945, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Stanley J. "Duke" Reese was a black U.S. soldier during World War II. He was born April 24, 1918 in Dayton, Ohio, the son of Stanley B (b. 1894) and Cora S. Reese (b. 1900). He had a younger brother, Theodore S. "Ted" Reese (1929-2004). Stanley Reese attended The Ohio State University in the late 1930s and got into trouble with the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences for skipping classes. While stationed at Fort mcClellan, Alabama he married Katherine "Kat" Murphy (1919-2000) on May 29, 1941, and they had three children, one son and two daughters. By the end of the war Stanley attained the rank of corporal and was stationed in Manilla, Philippines. Stanley Reese died on April 22, 1994 two days before his 70th birthday.
- 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 Stanley J. Reese letters (dated 1937-1945; 0.1 cubic feet; 2 folders) comprise correspondence that documents family and professional life for African-Americans in Ohio in the 1930s and 1940s. The letters discuss, among other topics, a spat between Stanley's parents and his wife, a cigarette shortage in Dayton, and a Black Nurses Association party.
- The Stanley J. Reese 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
Letters, 1937-1945
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.
