Guide to the San Jose State College World War I and World War II Collection
Kimberly Koshiyama
SJSU Library Special Collections
& Archives
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Library
San José State
University
One Washington
Square
San José, CA 95192-
0028
Phone: (408) 808-
2062
Fax: (408) 808-2063
Email:
special.collections@sjsu.edu
URL:
http://www.sjlibrary.org/research/special/speci
al_coll/
© 2010
Trustees of the California State University.
All rights reserved.
Guide to the San Jose State College World War I and World War II Collection
Collection number: MSS-2010-05-03
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
San José State University
One Washington Square
San José, CA 95192-0028
Phone: (408) 808-2062
Fax: (408) 808-2063
Email: special.collections@sjsu.edu
URL: http://library.sjsu.edu/sjsu-special-collections/sjsu-special-collections-and-archives
Finding aid funded by the generous support of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
- Processed by:
- Kimberly Koshiyama
- Date Completed:
- 2010
- Encoded by:
- Kimberly Koshiyama
© 2010 Trustees of the California
State University. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: San Jose State College World War I
and World War II Collection
Dates: 1914-1949
Bulk Dates: 1942-1948
Collection number: MSS-
2010-05-03
Creator:
San José
State University
Collection Size:
7 boxes
(11.17 linear feet)
Repository:
San José State University.
Library.
San José, California 95192-0028
Abstract: The San Jose State
College World War I and World War II
Collection, 1914-1949 (bulk 1942-1948),
consists of materials related to students and
faculty who served in the armed forces during
World War I and World War II. The collection
consists of index card files, newspaper
clippings, a USO scrapbook, service ledgers,
and memorial flags. This collection is arranged
into three series: Series I: Military Service
Files, 1914-1918, 1940-1949; Series II: World
War II Memorabilia, 1940s; and Series III:
World War II Scrapbooks and Printed Matter,
1940-1949.
Physical location: For current
information on the location of these materials,
please consult the Library's online
catalog.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Access
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to the San
José State University Library Special
Collections &
Archives. All requests for permission to
publish or quote from manuscripts must be
submitted in writing to
the Director of Special Collections. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of the
Special Collections
& Archives as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply
permission of the
copyright holder, which must also be obtained
by the reader. Copyright restrictions also
apply to digital
reproductions of the original materials. Use of
digital files is restricted to research and
educational purposes.
Preferred Citation
Guide to the San Jose State College World War I and World War II
Collection , MSS-2010-05-03, San José
State University Library Special Collections
& Archives.
Biography / Administrative History
In 1857 the San Francisco Board of Education
established Minns' Evening Normal School for
current and prospective teachers in the city.
Named after its principal, George W. Minns, the
institution was formally established as the
first California State Normal School by the
State Legislature in 1862. A decade later, the
Legislature voted to move the Normal School to
San Jose, and the school relocated to its new
home on Washington Square prior to the fall
term of 1872. After a fire destroyed the Normal
School building in 1880, the Legislature
authorized $200,000 to construct a new building
on the same site. Completed in 1881, the
building was commonly referred to as the Second
State Normal School. After several names and
curriculum changes, Minns' Normal school is now
San Jose State University, offering more than
134 bachelor's and master's degrees with 110
concentrations, and is recognized as one of the
top public universities granting such degrees
in the West.
Scope and Content of Collection
The San Jose State College World War I and
World War II Collection, 1914-1949 (bulk 1942-
1948), consists of materials related to
students and faculty who served in the armed
forces during World War I and World War II. The
collection consists of index card files,
newspaper clippings, a USO scrapbook, service
ledgers, and memorial flags.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into three
series: Series I: Military Service Files, 1914
-1918, 1940-1949; Series II: World War II
Memorabilia, 1940s; and Series III: World War
II Scrapbooks and Printed Matter, 1940-1949.
Subject Headings
The following terms have been used to index
the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
San José State
University -- Students -- History
San
José State University -- Faculty --
History
San
José State University -- History
San
Jose State Normal School -- History
San
Jose State Teachers College --
History
San
Jose State College -- History
Education, Higher -- California
-- San Jose
World
War, 1914-1918 -- History
World
War, 1939-1945 -- History
Bibliography
Gilbert, Benjamin F, and Charles Burdick.
Washington Square, 1857-1979: The History of San José State University. San José: San José State University, 1980.
Walsh, James P.
San José State University: An Interpretive History, 1950-2000. San José: San José State University, 2003.
Related Material
In Memory of San Jose State Gold Star
Students of World War II. D736 .I53 1994.
(Self-published, 1994).
San José State University Campus Buildings
Records, MSS-2010-02-03, San José State
University Library Special Collections and
Archives.
Series I:
Military Service Files
1914-1918, 1940-1949
Physical Description: 2 boxes
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series documents San Jose State College
students and faculty who served in the armed
forces during World War I and World War II. The
series is comprised of biographical index cards
that include individual names, place of birth,
rank/branch of service, military training
locations, date of service discharge, and death
dates.
Arrangement
The index card files are arranged
alphabetically by surname, and box two includes
categories related to women in service, gold
stars, and prisoners.
Box 1
Student and Faculty Index Cards, WWI and WWII
1914-1949
Box 2
Student and Faculty Index Cards, WWII
1940-1949
Series II:
World War II Memorabilia
1940's
Physical Description: 3 boxes
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series contains four memorial flags
created in honor of San Jose State College
students and faculty who served in the armed
forces in World War II. During the war, a blue
star was stenciled on a flag whenever a member
of the SJSC community entered the armed forces.
Each of the more than 4,500 stars is identified
with an individual's name. A gold star,
superimposed on the appropriate blue star,
marks each sacrifice of life. In total, there
are 204 gold stars on the flags. The large gold
star on "Flag One" memorializes President
Franklin Roosevelt. In addition, the series
includes four ledgers that list the names of
each student or faculty member honored on the
memorial flags.
For many years, the flags were preserved in
the Spartan Memorial Chapel located on the SJSC
campus. The chapel serves as a monument to the
two hundred SJSC service members killed in
WWII. Funded by financial contributions from
alumni, students, faculty and friends of the
university, the chapel's construction began in
1949 and was completed in 1952. The Memorial
Chapel is still in existence today, and is
commonly utilized for events such as weddings
and initiations for student organizations on
campus.
Arrangement
This series is arranged by format.
Box 3
World War II Memorial Flags (2)
1940s
Box 4
World War II Memorial Flags (2)
1940s
Box 5
World War II Service Ledgers (4)
1940s
Series III:
World War II Scrapbooks and Printed
Matter
1940-1949
Physical Description: 2 boxes
Series Scope and Content Summary
The materials in this series include a
United Service Organizations (USO) scrapbook
documenting various social events and
gatherings held on the SJSC campus in the
1940s, as well as a guest book with signatures
of service men and women who attended Sunday
evening Open Houses at the Student Union in
1944 and 1945. In addition, the series includes
a Handbook for Americans (Rand McNally and
Company, 1943), which contains information
regarding the President of the United States,
the Monroe Doctrine, and the United States
Constitution. The series also includes a
mimeographed document with indexed lists of
SJSC faculty and students in the armed forces,
the names of individuals listed as gold stars
on the memorial flags, and information
pertaining to the Memorial Chapel.
Arrangement
This series is arranged by format.
Box 6
USO Scrapbook,
Handbook for Americans, Mimeographed document - SJSC Students and Faculty in WWII
1940-1949
Box 7
Servicemen's Guest Book
1944-1945