Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
Gift, 2000.
Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
Clarence J. Rogier (1912-1998) was born in Bandon, Indiana to Eugene Rogier (1872-1947) and Mary A. Delaisse (1878-1966); he had two older brothers, William (1900-1989) and Francis (1905-1929). In May 1942, Rogier enlisted in the US Army, going through basic training at Camp Wallace, Texas, and then sent to the replacement center at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. He was a member of Battery B, 62nd Coast Artillery (Anti-Aircraft) and took part in the invasion of North Africa in November of 1942 and the invasion of Sicily in July 1943. In 1944, Rogier returned to the United States for emergency leave due to his father being ill, then back to Camp Stewart in Georgia and Camp Van Dorn in Mississippi, before being deployed a second time to Europe in August 1944. In September 1944, Rogier was officially recorded as captured by the German army in France and spent eight months in prisoner of war camp, Stalag II-B. After his discharge from the Army, Rogier returned to life as a farmer in Indiana.
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
2009ms132.0165: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Clarence J. Rogier letters, 1942-1945, 1970, University of Kentucky Special Collections
The Clarence J. Rogier letters (dated 1942-1945, 1970; 0.35 cubic feet; 1 box) comprise letters between Clarence Rogier and his family that document his experience as a soldier overseas in North Africa, Sicily, and Europe during World War II. The majority of the letters are from Rogier to his parents and brother, detailing his experience through basic and the various movements made prior to his initial deployment to North Africa. Rogier asks often about the happenings on the family farm, interested in the quality of the crops and the sale of various livestock. In November 1944, the letters turn to being more from his family to Rogier and other relatives, mainly discussing whether they had heard from him and relief from finding out he was in a prisoner of war camp and no longer missing in action. While in the camp, Rogier talks about how well he is being fed and taken care of, helping other soldiers who are ill, the weather, and how he hopes to get letters from his family soon. Additionally, there are the sides of a Red Cross food package included in the collection.
The Clarence J. Rogier 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.
The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.