Tag Archives: 1940’s

A Day in the Life: August 25

Archives give us a chance to look at the world in a lot of different ways, through lenses big and small. Today, we take a cross section of life on this date, August 25, across the decades. From 1840 to … Continue reading

Life in the mines: Desegregated labor unions

Normally, we do a post on labor unions for labor day, but it seemed appropriate to bring up the subject for Black History Month, too. African Americans in Birmingham-area mines and industrial plants were often important leaders in efforts to … Continue reading

A Slice of Life: The Helen Cline Papers

Who is Helen Cline? In the grand scheme of things, she’s not an important person from our nation’s past, but in a way she is: she is an example of the millions of “ordinary” people who make the world go … Continue reading

Campus Rewind: Alabama Union Building

Before there was the Ferguson Center, there was the Alabama Union building. Now known as Reese Phifer Hall, housing the College of Communication and Information Sciences, the building served as the student union for forty years, from its construction in … Continue reading

Sorority Rush 2013

Sorority rush is upon us here at UA. Today we revisit images of rushes past. (Alpha Gamma Delta Rush Tea, 1943) (1957) (1958) (Alpha Delta Pi rush, ca. 1965) (ca. 1965 — Do you know which sorority this is? Let … Continue reading

Emmett Dendy WWII Air Mission Diary

One of our newest collections was donated by Emmett Dendy, a ball turret gunner in World War II. In the spring of 1945, he recorded 22 air missions in an Air Force Souvenir Handybook. Below is a typical entry: This … Continue reading

Campus Rewind: Morgan Hall

Morgan Hall has been sitting in its corner of the UA Quad for about 100 years, and various Digital Collections in Acumen document its use over the years. According to the University website, Morgan Hall was named for John Tyler … Continue reading

WWII Letters of Capt. Sumner Danforth Davis

Among our many interesting “small” collections is a book of letters from a soldier in World War II. U.S. Army Captain Sumner Danforth Davis, a doctor with the Medical Detachment of the 306th Infantry Regiment, 77th (Liberty) Division, served in … Continue reading

Please Write Soon

We often think of Valentine’s Day when we think of February, but that month can be hard for people separated from their loved ones. Whether at home or abroad, soldiers have always found it difficult to be days, weeks, months … Continue reading

A Day in the Life: November 28

On this date, through the years… * 1860. Alabama. Hugh Davis laments the political tumult of his day, which in hindsight we recognize as the prelude to Civil War. Davis writes: “Revolution. Fire. Precipitation. Slaughter. How rapidly, how fearfully the … Continue reading