Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Guide to the World War II San Diego State College Servicemen's Correspondence Collection
MS-0369
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Collection Title: World War II San Diego State College Servicemen's Correspondence Collection
Dates: 1941-1946
Identification: MS-0369
Creator:
Post, Lauren Chester, 1899-1976
Physical Description: 4.59 linear ft
Language of Materials:
English
Repository:
Special Collections & University Archives
5500 Campanile Dr. MC 8050
San Diego, CA, 92182-8050
URL: http://library.sdsu.edu/scua
Email: askscua@mail.sdsu.edu
Phone: 619-594-6791
Note:
Other Information:
Additional information may be found at http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/nas/streaming/dept/scua/SPECCOLL/Collections/WWIIServicemensCorrespondence/AztecNewsletterComplete.pdf
A native of Rayne, Louisiana, Lauren Post was professor of geography at San Diego State from 1937-1969. He was educated at
the University of California and Louisiana State University, and taught at San Francisco State and at Louisiana State before
coming to San Diego State. Post is remembered for his
Aztec News Letter in which he corresponded with Aztec servicemen and women during World War II.
Immediately after Pearl Harbor and as the War progressed, Aztec students were soon scattered all over the globe, disconnected
and separated from their college, their friends, their loved ones, and their former lives. In the spring of 1942, Dr. Post,
a veteran of World War I, decided to try a "news service experiment" intended to provide information about the locations of
current and former Aztecs dispersed around the world. The
Aztec News Letter thus became a crucial lifeline throughout the War for Aztec servicemen and women facing difficulty and danger wherever they
were stationed. Lauded as one of the first of its kind in the nation, the
Aztec News Letter premiered in May of 1942 and was released monthly until its 48th issue in March of 1946. By then, The
Aztec News Letter circulated to more than 3,000 service and home front readers. The project and the letters that made it possible would forever
characterize the Aztec spirit during wartime. Not only are the letters historically significant; they also offer a unique
perspective about San Diego State during a global crisis.
This Collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
San Diego State College--Alumni and alumnae--Correspondence
San Diego State University--Faculty--Correspondence
Personal Papers
Adams, Jane Ford--Correspondence
Adams, John R., 1900-1994--Correspondence
Post, Lauren C.--Correspondence
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
The copyright interests in these materials have not been transferred to San Diego State University. Copyright resides with
the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. The nature of historical archival and manuscript collections
is such that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine. Requests for permission to publish must be
submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. When granted, permission
is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission
of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish. Materials from our collections are made available
for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including
but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.
This collection is open for research.
Identification of item, folder title, box number, World War II San Diego State Servicemen's Correspondance Collection, Special
Collections and University Archives, Library and Information Access, San Diego State University.
John Adams Papers, 1919-1987 (Series 4: Personal)
Lauren C. Post Papers, 1917-1977
Omega Xi Newsletter, 1943-1945 (Uncataloged Periodicals, Series: University Archives)
The Aztec News Letter, 1942-1946
Information about related materials is available at https://ibase.sdsu.edu/view-item?key=R3siTiI6MTcsIlAiOnsiaXRlbV90eXBlcyI6Mn19&pg=17&WINID=1429728069277#y1I6MkZYtUIAAAFM4m8D7w/271454
This collection consists of ten boxes of correspondence received from servicemen, servicewomen, and their families during
the Second World War. The collection contains letters sent to Lauren Post for his information in compiling the
San Diego State College Service Men's News Letter, which later changed its name to
The Aztec News Letter. Many of the letters contain red pencil markings, indicating that a specific line or paragraph was to be included in the
newsletter. By the end of the War,
The Aztec News Letter was circulated to over 3,000 service and homefront readers.
The collection has over 5,000 individual letters, the vast majority handwritten originals, arranged chronologically by year
then alphabetically within folders according to the last name of the author. Some letters with no dates, partial or unreadable
names, or that were unsigned are at the end of the collection. A full run of the
Aztec News Letter is also part of the collection. Also of interest in the collection is a World War II servicemen's guest book. Between 1943
and 1945, the guest book was kept in the campus cafeteria so that returning servicemen could sign the guest book and write
short messages about their experiences abroad and about their happiness returning to campus.
A comprehensive database of the correspondence has been prepared with searchable fields, including Last Name, First Name,
Date, Location, Keywords, Notes, and Letter Content Description: ibase.sdsu.edu