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John Glenn: World War II and Beyond
Amanda Tedrick

Խ University graduate Amanda Tedrick ’23 created an Archival Display “John Glenn: World War II and Beyond,” which is on display in the University Library through the end of November.

Amanda completed a Summer 2023 internship in the Social and Historical Խ University Archives, focusing on the archival records regarding Խ student involvement in World War II.  “The internship was a great opportunity to work with archival documents, and it was especially interesting reading the letters of soldiers and family members,” she said. A History major with minors in English and Communication, Amanda was a member of Student Senate and Delta Gamma Theta.

During her internship, Amanda worked with the “Record of Service in World War II” questionnaires that were sent to Խ students and alumni following the war. Questions included rank, service locations, major battles, injuries, and other information. Each service member now has an individual file – soon to be available in the publicly-searchable database for the archives – containing the questionnaire and related letters and newspaper clippings, including correspondence from the families of fallen soldiers. Amanda also began compiling a more detailed database for these World War II records to help support genealogical and historical research. Future interns will continue this project.

Amanda installed a library display of the archive’s material pertaining to New Concord’s John H. Glenn, Jr. ’43 (1921-2016), from World War II through his 1957 “Project Bullet” record-breaking transcontinental flight. He would later go on to become a pioneering Mercury 7 and space shuttle Discovery astronaut, four-term United States senator, and civic leader.

The archival display contains:

  • John Glenn’s Application for Civilian Pilot Training (1941)
  • John Glenn’s Pilot Flight Test Report (1941)
  • World War II-era John Glenn article from the Խ College Alumni Bulletin “Marine Flyer Interviewed”
  • John Glenn letter to Dwight Balentine, Alumni Secretary of Խ College, 1944
  • John Glenn’s World War II Record of Service (no date)
  • Western Union telegram from World War I Flying Ace Eddie Rickenbacker to Խ President J. Knox Montgomery, congratulating John Glenn and apologizing for being unable to attend a celebratory dinner following the “Project Bullet” flight
  • Multiple commemorative John Glenn items, donated to the archive by Kim ’93G and Craig Spillman

“John Glenn: World War II and Beyond” may be viewed during the Library’s regular operating hours, 7:45 a.m. - 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 7:45 a.m. - 7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday, and 1 - 10 p.m. Sunday.

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