World War II: A Symposium Sessions Recordings, WWII 186

[Tape Numbers], 1995 World War II: A Symposium Recordings, WWII 186, WWII Papers, Military Collection, State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, N.C.

The collection is composed of nine original audiocassette tapes containing the recordings of sessions given at the World War II: A Symposium, held at the McKimmon Center at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C., from September 21-23, 1995. The symposium was hosted by the North Carolina Department of Archives and History, the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association, and the Federation of North Carolina Historical Societies, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Moderators for the sessions include: John L. Bell, Sossomon Professor of History at Western Carolina University; David M. Crowe, Professor of History at Elon College; Nancy A. Hewitt, Professor of History at Duke University; James R. Leutze, Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington; Phillip McGuire, Professor of History at Fayetteville State University; keynote speaker Charles P. Roland, Alumni Professor of History emeritus at the University of Kentucky; and Kristin M. Szylvian, Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Applied History Program at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. The session panelists were largely former World War II U.S. military service individuals were involved in the events being discussed.

Sessions included on the recordings are (in order): Keynote Speaker: "A Combat Infantryman Remembers World War II," September 21; "The War in Europe," September 22; "The War in the Pacific," September 22; "The Holocaust," and September 22; "Women and the Home Front," September 23; and "Military Camps and Wartime Industry in North Carolina," September 23. The September 22 late afternoon session entitled "The Impact of World War II on African Americans" was not retained with the rest of the recordings in the collection when donated to the State Archives of North Carolina. The collection includes an original symposium program.

The collection is arranged based on the original numbering of the audiocassette tapes in numerical order from 1 to 11. Each tape matches the chronological order of the symposium sessions over three days.

The following is a description of each of the sessions of the World War II: A Symposium, along with the time, date, titles, and participants in the sessions:

Opening keynote talk on September 21, 1995, at 7 P.M. by Professor Charles P. Roland of the University of Kentucky, entitled "A Combat Infantryman Remembers World War II."

Opening session: the morning session from 9:00 A.M.-10:30 A.M. on September 22, 1995, entitled "The War in Europe," moderated by John L. Bell of Western Carolina University. Panelists included the following: James R. Blue, U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division (served in WWII at the Normandy invasion, in Holland, and the Battle of the Bulge); Ernie Greup, U.S. Army 26th Infantry Division (served in WWII in France); C. J. "Buddy" Jones, U.S. Army 1st Infantry Division (served in WWII in Sicily, Italy; Normandy invasion; Belgium; Germany; and Czechoslovakia); and Rom F. Moser, U.S. Army Air Forces 15th Air Force B-24 pilot (served in WWII in Italy). Speaker Millard P. Burt of Wilson County, who served in Europe in WWII in the 30th Division, U.S. Army, also spoke (but was not on the speakers' list for this session).

Morning session from 11:00 A.M.-12:30 P.M. on September 22, 1995, entitled "The War in the Pacific," moderated by James R. Leutze of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Panelists included the following: Rufus Geddie Herring [unable to attend symposium], U.S. Navy Medal of Honor recipient (served in WWII at the campaigns of the Marshall, Marianas, and Ryukyu Islands); L. H. Johnson Jr., U.S. Army 11th Airborne Division (served in WWII at New Guinea, Leyte, Luzon, and Japan); Richard W. Sawyer Jr., U.S. Navy attached to the 6th Marine Division (served in WWII at the Battle of Okinawa); and Norma P. Shaver, Women's Army Corps serving with MacArthur's U.S. Forces in the Far East Headquarters.

Afternoon session from 2:00 P.M.-3:30 P.M. on September 22, 1995, entitled "The Holocaust," moderated by David M. Crowe of Elon College. Panelists included the following: Gizella Abramson, North Carolina Council on the Holocaust; Rober L. Rowe, U.S. Army Combat Engineers (served in WWII in France, Belgium, and Germany); Henry Vogelhut, North Carolina Council on the Holocaust; and Rubia Vogelhut, North Carolina Council on the Holocaust.

Afternoon session from 4:00 P.M.-5:30 P.M. on September 22, 1995, entitled "The Impact of World War II on African Americans," moderated by Phillip McGuire of Fayetteville State University. Panelists included the following: James O. Blount Sr., U.S. Army Coast Artillery (stationed in WWII in North Carolina and California); Willard E. Griffin, U.S. Navy (served in WWII at Normandy, Okinawa, and Philippines); Julius Moore, U.S. Army (served in WWII at Anzio and Po Valley, Italy); and Harold Webb, U.S. Army Air Corps (served in WWII as an aviation cadet at Tuskegee, Alabama).

Morning session from 9:00 A.M.-10:30 A.M. on September 23, 1995, entitled "Women and the Home Front," moderated by Nancy A. Hewitt of Duke University. Panelists included the following: Kathryn Page Cloud, who was a WWII civilian employee of the U.S. Army Air Force Technical Training Command; Dixie King Kennedy, a daughter of U.S. Army soldier and of a female defense worker in WWII; and Mrs. Walton W. Smith, a WWII British War Bride.

Morning session from 11:00 A.M.-12:30 P.M. on September 23, 1995, entitled "Military Camps and Wartime Industry in North Carolina," moderated by Kristin M. Szylvian of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Panelists included the following: Grace J. Russ, who worked at in WWII at Camp Davis, N.C., N.C. Shipbuilding Company, and the Selective Service Administration; Edd R. Wynn, U.S. Army Air Corps (stationed in WWII at Seymour Johnson Field, and Greensboro Overseas Replacement Depot); and David A. Stallman, author of A History of Camp Davis and Operation Bumblebee.

The collection was donated to the Military Collection at the State Archives of North Carolina by Jo Anne Williford of the North Carolina Division of Archives and History and the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association, sometime after the September 1995 event. Williford was a member of the symposium's program committee. There is no contract of gift for these materials, as they were created as departmental records for the North Carolina Division of Archives and History as a department-sponsored event.