The papers contain correspondence and various documents relating to William F. Conner. The papers are arranged into two series: Correspondence and Subject Files. The Correspondence series is arranged chronologically (1942-1980); the Subject Files series is arranged alphabetically by topic (1894-2016). The collection dates from 1894 to 2016 with the bulk of collection dating from 1943 to 1950. Please note from the folder list that there are numerous gaps in the papers. For example, there is no correspondence from 1947 and there are no documents from 1895 to 1934.

Most of the letters in the Correspondence series are between Margaret (Margo) and Bill, mostly written by Bill while he was in the U. S. Army and upon occasions during their marriage when Margaret was in St. Louis for family matters. Initially, Bill and Margaret corresponded as friends; they did not date in high school or become romantically involved until about October 1945. Margaret was briefly engaged to someone else during this time and the letters follow the budding romance with Bill. Later letters, after the birth of their first child in 1948, relate more details about Bill’s routine at the University of Chicago and at Juniata College. Margaret shared her experiences at home with family, friends, and with their daughter, Catherine. The couple often shared a few lines of devotion in their letters as they did not like being apart and discussed planning their family. They also discussed family planning since Bill was still in school during the first years of their marriage. Around 1951, they returned to St. Louis to live.

Among the early letters is a short series of correspondence in the spring of 1943 relating to Bill’s dilemma about claiming conscientious objector status if he was drafted. The Selective Service and Training Act of 1940 allowed men to serve in noncombative military roles, however, men refusing to serve in the military could either serve in the Civilian Public Service for non-military work or, if they refused the two prior options, they were sent to prison. Margaret and Bill’s friend, Sidney Hurwitz (14 March 1943), both wrote their opinions on the topic (B1/f.1).

There is little family correspondence with either Bill’s parents or Margaret’s parents. Bill wrote to his parents before he reported for service in 1943. His father, Elmer F. Conner, wrote three letters after he and his wife moved to Florida. The first two relate to Bill and Margaret purchasing the family home at 13 Enfield in 1968 and the last letter congratulates Bill on passing the bar exam in 1971.

There are a few scattered letters from Bill’s friends in the Correspondence series. Sidney Hurwitz married Rhoda and was a lifelong friend, served as best man at Bill’s wedding, and was a social worker in St. Louis and in St. Paul, Minnesota (B/1f.1, 10, 13). Buddy Goodman was Sid Hurwitz’s cousin who also grew up in University City. There are not many letters from Goodman but he is mentioned in a few letters (B1/f.1). Hollis McCawley (Mac) Suits of Kirkwood was Bill’s roommate at the University of Chicago and was owner of Suits Laundry. Suits wrote a few letters after Bill was married (B1/f.11, 13). In 1945 and 1946 there are a few letters from friends Bill met in the Army.

In 1964, Bill underwent a psychological appraisal with Nathan Kohn and Associates with a focus on his vocational choices. There are several letters from this firm from 1964 to November 1967 (B1/f.13). In the fall of 1967, Bill entered law school at St. Louis University.

The Subject Files series is comprised mostly of documents relating to William F. Conner from a copy of his birth certificate to the police reports relating to his death in 2016. There are diplomas, grade reports, and notes from Hanley Junior High School, University City Senior High School, the University of Chicago, and from the St. Louis University School of Law. In addition, there are certificates relating to Conner’s law career.

Documents relating to Conner’s military career include certificates of training completion, discharge, and notes on conscientious objection. There are several miscellaneous documents which include an infant insurance policy, a union card (1942), the Conners’ newspaper wedding announcement, a writing club membership card, Conner’s resume (c.1972), and Missouri Bar membership cards (2015-16) (B2/f.4). There are files for four homes owned by the Conner’s, one of which was owned by Bill’s parents.

Only two files in this series relate to someone other than Bill Conner. The first contains a copy of Elmer Conner’s birth certificate, a photo of Laura Conner dated 1965, and Laura’s death certificate (B2/f.14). The second contains items about McCawley Suits with receipts from Hollis E. Suits Family Laundry (1400 Russell Blvd.). Suits was a fan of Austrian composer Anton Bruckner and sent cards to friends and family celebrating the composer’s birthday complete with promotional buttons. There are also newsclippings about Suits’ quest to bring Bruckner to the public’s attention (B2/f.19).