Descriptive Summary
Scope and Contents of the Collection
Organization and Arrangement
Indexing Terms
Descriptive Summary
Title: Pomona College and the WWII Years Collection
Dates: 2001 April 27 - April
28
Collection number: PC.0050
Extent:
5 Linear Feet
(5 record cartons)
Repository:
Claremont Colleges. Library. Special Collections, The Claremont
Colleges Library, Claremont, CA 91711.
Abstract: The collection includes video
recordings of oral history interviews and panel discussions that took place during the World
War II Symposium, "Focus on a Generation: Pomona College and the WWII Years" over Alumni
Weekend on April 27th and 28th, 2001. The collected video recordings feature Pomona College
alumni discussing civilian life, including life on campus, as well as military and other
experiences during the war years.
Physical Location: Please consult repository.
Language of Material: Languages represented in
collection: English.
Administrative Information
Access
Collection open for research.
Publication Rights
All requests for permission to reproduce or to publish must be submitted in writing to
the Archives.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Pomona College and the WWII Years Collection (PC-0050). Pomona
College Archives, Special Collections, The Claremont Colleges Library, Claremont,
California.
Accruals
Additions to the collection are not anticipated.
Processing Information
Processed by Sean Stanley in 2021. VHS and DVD copies stored separately.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The Pomona College and the WWII Years Collection contains video recordings of oral history
interviews with Pomona College alumni and panel discussions related to topics on World War
II. The Pomona College Alumni Association chose "Focus on a Generation: Pomona College and
the WWII Years" as the subject of its 12th annual Symposium, which was held during Alumni
Weekend on April 27th and 28th, 2001. In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the attack
on Pearl Harbor, alumni from the Classes of 1935 to 1951 participated as panelists,
moderators, and speakers, sharing experiences on the home front as well as abroad in Europe
and the Pacific.
The oral history project was developed as part of the WWII Symposium with a view to reach
wider future audiences. Nearly 100 alumni volunteered to record highlights of civilian life,
including life on the Pomona College campus, as well as military and other experiences
during the war years. Individually and collectively, these videotapes provide a collection
that serves to document the recollections of the World War II generation.
Panel and roundtable discussions featured during the event, included "The Home Front:
Pomona During the War Years and Civilian Efforts;" "WWII Land and Air Battles: Europe and
the Pacific;" "Pomona's Women in Uniform: WAC, WAVES, and Red Cross;" "Pacific Naval
Battles, the Sea War for Europe, and the Occupation of Japan and Germany;" and "History of
Hollywood: Did the Movies Ever Get It Right?" A keynote address, "The Time of One's Life:
Perspectives on the War" was given by Gaines Post, Jr., emeritus professor of history at
Claremont McKenna College. The event's closing session, "Reflections on the WWII
Generation," was led by Verne Orr '37, former Secretary of the Air Force.
Organization and Arrangement
The collection is organized into the following two series:
- Series 1: VHS
- Series 2: DVD
Oral history interviews are arranged chronologically by graduation date and alphabetically
by last name where no graduation date is given. Panel discussion recordings are arranged
alphabetically by title.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library’s online public access catalog.
Subject Terms
Pomona College (Claremont, Calif.)
Alumni and alumnae
College students
World War, 1939-1945
Genre and Form of Materials
Audio-visual materials
Oral histories