Garfield, William E., 1924-2005

Content Description Correspondence, letters sent and received, 1938-1980; Family correspondence, letters sent and received, 1893-1958; Miscellany, including Harvard University and Columbia University exam booklets, diploma, children's drawings, 1942-1980; Photographs including family and others, 1940-1980; Legal papers, 1939-1989. Scope and Contents The collection consists of letters primarily written to and from William E. Garfield, his mother Elizabeth Scot Garfield, and his younger sister Nancy Garfield Risdon, as well as letters from other family and friends including other service members. Legal documents and notes related to a property easement dispute in the 1980s are also included.Series I, letters sent, are letters mainly written from William to his mother Elizabeth. The letters from 1942-May 1943 focus on Bill's first year at Harvard, his acclimation to the academic rigor and college community, as well as the growth of friendships with his roommates. The letters written from Bill during the war portray his homesickness during boot camp, his adaptation and frustration with military life and his daily work routines. Several wartime letters in the collection show evidence of military censorship. Included in the letters to his mother is a description of a battle, believed to be the Battle of Surigao Strait in October 1944. Additionally, Bill writes of his boat handling and navigation skills, his time spent at sea in a...