The Project
Earlier this year I asked my boss in the Drake University Archives if I could do a display. She gave me a list to choose from and I decided to the do Veteran’s Day display.
When I asked to curate the 2018 Veteran’s Day Display I knew I had to make it special. In the United States, we celebrate Veteran’s Day but the rest of the world celebrates armistice day, in favor of the ending of the world wars. This year is the 100th anniversary of the armistice that brought an end to World War One.
To that end, I decided to place a special emphasis on soldiers, associated with Drake, who fought. The only identifiable soldier was Charles Howard, a Second Lieutenant, who flew over France in 1918. The rest of the display focusing on World War One includes articles from the Drake Delphic of soldiers going off to war. As well as a reminder of the anniversary of the end of the war to end all wars, printed on a photo of red poppies. I chose this photo in particular as poppies are the symbol of remembrance of World War One.
What is in the Display
The rest of the display includes photos of notable persons and artifacts from the archives. The photos include Neal Smith, James Bowman, Paul F. Morrison, Tom Harkin, Alexander G. Downing, and Sir Francis Marion Drake. The artifacts include enrollment numbers of veterans from 1948, a photo of the first military drill from 1887, a photo of the trailer village from after World War Two, an ROTC cap, and a poem by R. C. Henderson. These artifacts were chosen with the idea of all veterans in mind, whether it was to demonstrate would be soldiers or a reminder of what waits for them when they come back. The manuscript in particular, though not written by a soldier, bears in mind what the soldier goes through and serves as a reminder of why we choose to honor veterans on this day.
Location of the Display
Feel free to visit the display in person. It is right outside the Archives on the Second floor of the Cowles Library.
Way to go!