Here We Are

https://gvsuspecialcollections.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/to-the-letter-episode-4.mp3 Episode 4 is here! In this episode, we take a step away from Joe and Agnes’ story to meet one of Agnes’ friends, Alice Gelisle. This is the only letter we have from Alice, but we felt it was so packed with good information we didn’t want to miss it! In her letter, Alice discusses all the facets of her life–working in a factory, playing basketball, rationing, fashion, and going to dances. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did. To the Letter is a podcast brought to you in collaboration with University Libraries, Professor Len O’Kelly, and a few talented GVSU Communications students. Alice Gelisle was voiced by student Katie Newville. Special thanks to Marcia Lee for joining us! Alice’s letter is available below: Click to view slideshow. Letter to Agnes Van Der Weide from Alice Gelisle, sent Jan. 22, 1944 Did you enjoy hearing Alice’s perspective? Let us know! Send questions and comments to rupinskl@gvsu.edu or leave us a review on iTunes! We can’t wait to hear from you! Filed under: Podcast Tagged: 1940s, Correspondence, Podcast, Veterans, Women, Women in WWII, World War II

https://gvsuspecialcollections.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/to-the-letter-episode-3-final-mix.mp3 Episode 3 is all about reading other people’s mail. Many thanks to Lynn Heidelbaugh, a curator at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, for speaking to us about the logistics of the postal system in WWII. Lynn is incredibly knowledgeable about all the complexities of how mail and packages traveled overseas, how censorship worked, and the development of Victory mail, or “V-mail”. If you’re interested in learning more about war and the mail, we highly recommend checking out the National Postal Museum’s latest exhibit-that Lynn worked on!- My Fellow Soldiers: Letters from World War I. To the Letter is a podcast brought to you in collaboration with University Libraries, Professor Len O’Kelly, and a few talented GVSU Communications students. Joe Olexa is voiced by student Logan Church. Letters featured in Episode 3 are available below: Click to view slideshow. Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, Jan. 24, 1944 Click to view slideshow. Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, March 4, 1944 Click to view slideshow. Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, March 7, 1944 Click to view slideshow. Letter from Joe Olexa to Agnes Van Der Weide, March 15, 1944 And as promised, here’s an example of both the full V-Mail sheet and the shrunk down version that would have been what Agnes actually received. Letter to Agnes, sent Sept. 14, 1943 V-Mail Instructions and envelope on reverse of letter V-Mail sent to Agnes, Sept. 15, 1943 via V-Mail The final V-Mail is in black and white and is only a fraction of the size of the original. Questions about the mail? V-mail? Military dentists? Have thoughts about the broken engagement? Let us know! Send questions and comments to rupinskl@gvsu.edu or leave us a review on iTunes! We can’t wait to hear from you!   Filed under: Podcast Tagged: Podcast, Veterans, World War II

https://gvsuspecialcollections.files.wordpress.com/2017/09/to-the-letter-2-final-mix.mp3 It’s here! After several technical difficulties, we’re so happy to release Episode 2 of the podcast: Building a Relationship. In this episode, we take a trip through 1942 to dive into the developing relationship between Joe Olexa and Agnes Van Der Weide. To the Letter is a podcast brought to you in collaboration with University Libraries, Professor Len O’Kelly, and a few talented GVSU Communications students. Joe Olexa is voiced by student Logan Church. Special thanks to Archivist for Collection Management, Annie Benefiel, who makes a guest appearance to explain how we got these letters, what we’re doing to preserve them, and strategies to preserve your own family letters! Letters featured in Episode 2 are available below: Click to view slideshow. Letter to Agnes Van Der Weide, sent by Joe Olexa on May 8, 1942. Click to view slideshow. Letter to Agnes Van Der Weide, sent by Joe Olexa on May 13, 1942. Click to view slideshow. Letter to Agnes Van Der Weide, sent by Joe Olexa on May 16, 1942. Click to view slideshow. Letter to Agnes Van Der Weide, sent by Joe Olexa on June 25, 1942. Click to view slideshow. Letter to Agnes Van Der Weide, sent by Joe Olexa on July 11, 1942. What do you think of the budding relationship between Joe and Agnes? Let us know! Send questions and comments to rupinskl@gvsu.edu. We can’t wait to hear from you! Filed under: Podcast Tagged: Podcast, Veterans, World War II

https://gvsuspecialcollections.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/library-podcast-episode-1-final.mp3 We’re so pleased to announce the launch of a new venture here at Special Collections and University Archives – a podcast! We’re trying something a little different, and we hope you will listen! To the Letter is a podcast brought to you in collaboration with University Libraries, Professor Len O’Kelly, and a few talented GVSU Communications students. On this podcast, we bring correspondence from GVSU’s Special Collections alive. In each episode you will hear (in their own words!) letters written by the people who lived through history and the stories behind them. Join us as we dive into the story of a young soldier’s relationships and experiences during World War II… Letters featured in Episode 1 are available below:   Click to view slideshow. Letter to Agnes Van Der Weide, sent by Joe Olexa on July 25, 1941. Click to view slideshow. Letter to Agnes Van Der Weide, sent by Joe Olexa on August 23, 1941.  Click to view slideshow. Letter to Agnes Van Der Weide, sent by Joe Olexa on September 1, 1941 Bonus! Joe’s note to the Postmaster, Dec. 5, 1943 Have you ever been to Whalom Park? Heard “Amen” as a name? Let us know! Send questions, comments, and feedback to rupinskl@gvsu.edu. We can’t wait to hear from you! Filed under: Podcast Tagged: Podcast, Veterans, World War II