Ruth Lightner Willis Papers
Scope and Contents
Collection contains 274 letters of Ralph Willis to his girlfriend and future wife, Ruth Lightner, while he served in the U.S. Army during World War II and in postwar years. Collection also contains a total of 62 wartime letters of the following U.S. servicemen to Ruth Lightner: Edward Nachtweih, Harry Bratton, Ray Bainter, Donald Cork, John Labbanez, James McCormick, William Karpechi, Henry Rasbenau, Joe Sedletzeck, and Charles Woselik.
Dates
- 1940-1952
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research use.
Conditions Governing Use
For permission to publish, quote from, or reproduce material in this collection, please contact the Archives Reference Desk at archives@mohistory.org . Copyright restrictions may apply. The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright.
Biographical Sketch
St. Louisan Ruth Lightner Willis was the daughter of Bruce and Anna Lightner. In the winter of 1944 she married Staff Sergeant Ralph Willis, who was stationed at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis. Ralph was later stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky; Pine Camp, New York; Fort Dix, New Jersey; and Camp Bowie, Texas, with the 754th Tank Battalion. Ralph was shipped to Australia in March 1941, and returned to the United States in late 1943 or early 1944. In November 1944 he transferred to the 59th Armed Infantry, and in January 1945 he was ordered to France, where he saw action. Ralph and Ruth Willis had two children: Ralph, Jr. and Sharon. Ruth died December 17, 1994, in St. Louis.
Extent
1.25 Cubic Feet ( (3 boxes))
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
The collection is arranged chronologically and by name of author.
Physical and Technical Requirements
There are no physical or technical restrictions.
Donor Information
Papers were purchased from manuscript dealer Charles Apfelbaum in 1999.
Processing Information
Processed by Chris Stein, June 2002.
- Title
- Inventory of Ruth Lightner Willis Papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- EAD by Jaime Bourassa using ArchivesSpace
- Date
- 2017
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Missouri Historical Society Library and Research Center Repository