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Jerome K. Doolan California Shipbuilding Corporation Photograph Albums
067
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Title: Jerome K. Doolan California Shipbuilding Corporation Photograph Albums
Dates: 1941-1945
Collection Number: 067
Creator/Collector:
California Shipbuilding Corporation
Extent: 3 oversize flat boxes (3.25 linear feet)
Repository:
Loyola Marymount University, Department of Archives and Special Collections, William H. Hannon Library
Los Angeles, California 90045-2659
Abstract: The Jerome K. Doolan California Shipbuilding Corporation Photograph Albums (067) records photographically the history of this
important United States shipyard in World War II.
Language of Material: English
Collection is open to research under the terms of use of the Department of Archives and Special Collections, Loyola Marymount
University.
Materials in the Department of Archives and Special Collections may be subject to copyright. Unless explicitly stated otherwise,
Loyola Marymount University does not claim ownership of the copyright of any materials in its collections. The user or publisher
must secure permission to publish from the copyright owner. Loyola Marymount University does not assume any responsibility
for infringement of copyright or of publication rights held by the original author or artists or his/her heirs, assigns, or
executors.
Jerome K. Doolan California Shipbuilding Corporation Photograph Albums . Loyola Marymount University, Department of Archives
and Special Collections, William H. Hannon Library
Accession number 2003.84
Biography/Administrative History
A former chair of the board of regents at Loyola Marymount University (1964-1970), Jerome K. Doolan (1897-1990)was first the
general manager and then the vice-president of the California Shipbuilding Corporation during its war years and later was
senior vice-president and director of the Bechtel Corporation.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Jerome K. Doolan California Shipbuilding Corporation Photograph Albums (067) consists of three oversize flat boxes containing
five photograph albums. Located approximately twenty-five miles south of downtown Los Angeles at Terminal Island, in the
Long Beach and San Pedro area, the California Shipbuilding Corporation was responsible for building Liberty and Victory ships,
essential for the United States Merchant Marine’s efforts to supply U.S. armed forces during World War II. The albums record
the shipyards' initial construction in 1941 to the launching of various ships from that date through 1945. Reflecting the
shipyard’s proximity to Los Angles, numerous Hollywood stars were present at the launching and christening ships in the albums.
These include Claudette Colbert, Leo Carrillo, Irene Dunne, Deanna Durbin, Clark Gable, and Robert Montgomery (the latter
two are in uniform). Also included are Hattie McDaniel and Marion Anderson at the launching of the Booker T. Washington, the
first prominent United States ship named after an African-American and the first to have an integrated crew under an African-American
skipper (Hugh Mulzac). Political personages appear as well: Vice-President Henry Wallace, Lord Halifax, and Aurora Quezon,
for example. Rene Gagnon and John H. Bradley, two of the Marine and Navy personnel who raised the American flag on Iwo Jima,
also appear, undoubtedly as part of their participation to raise bonds for the war. The albums also record the participation
of women in the war effort, especially as welders in the shipyard. The California Shipbuilding Corporation produced the albums;
each album has a title page noting the dates and general theme of the subject of the album. The provenance of the albums
is unknown, but they probably came to LMU through Jerome K. Doolan (1897-1990); his name is stamped on the cover of the albums.
Shipbuilding industry -- California -- Los Angeles
World War, 1939-1945 -- California
World War, 1939-1945 -- Civilians
World War, 1939-1945 -- Women -- California -- Los Angeles
World War, 1939-1945 -- Manpower -- California -- Los Angeles
Doolan, Jerome K. (1897-1990)
California Shipbuilding Corporation
Photograph albums