Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Everett Thelen letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Everett Thelen letters
- Date
- 1943-1945 (inclusive)
- Creator
- Thelen, Everett
- Extent
- 0.06 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Letters.
- Correspondence.
- Family.
- Illinois
- Military correspondence.
- Military life.
- World War, 1939-1945.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, American.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Africa
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Europe
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0594: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Everett Thelen letters, 1943-1945, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Everett Thelen (1915-1993) was born in Rockford, Illinois to Carl Thelen (1874-1953) and Hulda Ekman (1874-1923). He enlisted in the US Army in 1941, serving in Africa and Europe during World War II. Prior to and after the war, Thelen worked as a truck driver. In 1974, Thelen married Mildred M. Carlson Lindquist (1918-2004), and gained three sons – Ronald (b. 1937), Donald (b. 1939), and Steven (1950-2012).
- 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 Everett Thelen letters (dated 1943-1945; 0.06 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises letters sent from Everett to his father, sister, and brother-in-law that document his experiences serving in Africa and Europe with the US Army during World War II. In the letters, Thelen writes about his opinions of where he is stationed, apologies for not being able to tell his family where he is due to censorship, his tally of how long has passed since he last saw his family, going in to local towns and getting food, his appreciation at seeing white men once out of Africa, his daily duties in the camp, and thanks for the packages sent to him by his sister and other friends.
- The Everett Thelen 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
Everett Thelen to family, 1943-1945
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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.