Guide to the World War II San Diego State College Servicemen's Correspondence Collection
© Copyright 2008 Special Collections & University Archives. All rights reserved.
2008-01-14
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
Guide to the World War II San Diego State College Servicemen's Correspondence Collection
1941/1945
Special Collections & University Archives
Overview of the Collection
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
Biographical Information:
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.
Access Terms
This Collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Corporate Name:
San Diego State College--Alumni and alumnae--Correspondence
San Diego State University--Faculty--Correspondence
Genre/Form of Material:
Personal Papers
Personal Name:
Adams, Jane Ford--Correspondence
Adams, John R., 1900-1994--Correspondence
Post, Lauren C.--Correspondence
Topical Term:
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Use:
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.
Conditions Governing Access:
This collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation:
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.
Related Materials:
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
Scope and Contents
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
Box 10, Folder 2
Unidentified / Partial Names
Box 10, Folder 5
Correspondence from Lauren C. Post
1944
Box 10, Folder 6
Correspondence from the Office of Censorship
1943-1944
Box 10, Folder 7
Correspondence from Veterans' Organizations
1945
Box 10, Folder 8
Correspondence to Mrs. Byrne of the Aztec Alumni Newsletter
1946
Box 10, Folder 9
Correspondence with Edward C. Graves, Librarian at Humboldt re: Humboldt's newsletter
January 1944
Box 10, Folder 10
Correspondence from the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA)
January 31, 1945
Box 10, Folder 11
List of Potential News Letter Recipients
Box 10, Folder 13
News Letter Address Postcard
Box 10, Folder 15
"Slightly Under the Weather" Poem by Don Fields
Box 10, Folder 17
Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) Personnel Sheets
c. 1944
Box 10, Folder 18
Aztec News Letter
May 6, 1943 - November 1, 1943
Box 10, Folder 19
Aztec News Letter
December 1943 - March 1, 1945
Box 10, Folder 20
Aztec News Letter
April 1, 1945 - March 1, 1946
Box 10, Folder 21
Aztec News Letter (Bound)
May 1942 - December 1944
Box 10, Folder 22
Aztec News Letter (Duplicates)
May 1945 - March 1946
Box 11, Folder 1
Aztec Servicemen's Guest Book
1943-1945
Box 11, Folder 2
Aztec Servicemen's Guest Book
1943-1945
