Collections

82 letters to Geraldine Andersen mostly from her husband, K.F. (Kristian Frederick) Andersen, who went by Andy. The bulk of the letters are from World War II, but there are a few from friends in 1948 after the Andy's death.

Papers of the Ladwig family. They document the professional and personal lives of medical and teaching professionals in West Virginia in the early twentieth century, includng Dr. Otto Ladwig (1875-1968), his wife Calora Hardway Ladwig (1882-1974), and Margaret and Gertrude Hardway, Calora's sisters. The Ladwigs lived in Harrison and Randolph counties and were active in itinerant logging communities such as Evenwood. There are correspondence, publications, deeds, certificates, and photos of the Ladwig and Hardway families.

Diary, 1938-1942, of Lawrence F. Ludtke of Oakland, California. In daily entries Ludtke talks about the different jobs he held, like clerk and accountant, and the at times difficult search for jobs. He also mentions his parents and wife, daily chores and social activities. In March 1942 Ludtke got drafted into the U.S. Marines and reported for training to the U.S. Marine base in San Diego. He describes his training and the various jobs, like 'super' and checking car tags, etc. he held at the Alameda Naval Air Station in California after missing the qualification to be marksman. Some entries include comments on WW II events.

The Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr. papers consist primarily of the following:

• Unpublished memoirs and accompanying documents
• Photograph albums and scrapbooks dating from Shepherd's years as a VMI cadet, as Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, and from his service as President of the Inter-American Defense Board
• An interview with Shepherd conducted by the archivist of the MacArthur Library regarding Shepherd's role during the Korean War, assault at Inchon
• Correspondence
• Clippings
• Certificates and resolutions
• Printed material

The Leonard T. Gerow papers consist of documents and photographs (approximately 120 items) from the military career of United States Army General Gerow. The collection includes correspondence with General Dwight D. Eisenhower, autobiographical material, speeches (1945 to 1948), and photographs. Material complementary to this collection is in Gerow's student/alumni file, which is located in the VMI Archives.

Ten letters and seven postcards, 1940-1945 from concentration camp prisoners in Germany. Letters contain the name of the detainee, date of birth, and prisoner number. The majority of the letters were written on official camp stationary which contained the rules and warnings (in German) of what was allowed to be included in correspondence addressed to the detainees.

Letters from friends Joe, Margie, Jean, and Sue asking about life in the army. Mentions life in high school, work experiences, and asks when Craig is coming home.