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J. Holley Watts Collection

 Collection
Identifier: WV 0407

Content Description

J. Holley Watts (b. 1944) of Rockville Centre, New York, served in the American Red Cross Supplemental Recreational Activities Overseas (SRAO) program from 1966 to 1967 and was stationed in Vietnam.

This collection includes a 9 March 2008 oral history transcript; copies of photographs.

Dates

  • 2008 March 09

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright is retained by the creators of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information. Please see our Sensitive Materials Statement.

Biographical / Historical

J. Holley McAleese Watts (b. 1944) of Freeport, New York, served with the American Red Cross in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967. Watts later wrote two books about her experiences as a "Donut Dolly" during the Vietnam War. J. Holley Watts was born in Rockville Centre, New York, and raised in Freeport. She graduated from Baldwin High School in 1962 and enrolled at Villanova University, but later transferred to Rosemont College and graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1966.

When her plans for the Peace Corps didn't work out, Watts volunteered for the American Red Cross and was sent to Vietnam as a member of the SRAO (Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas) program. Watts was primarily stationed in Da Nang, but moved around the country as a part of her recreation and "Donut Dolly" duties.

Upon returning home in September 1967, Watts worked for a short time at Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Virginia. She married Hal Watts and moved with him to California then Michigan, but later divorced.

Watts has worked a wide range of jobs since her return from Vietnam, including as a piano technician and in public radio and TV broadcasting. She has since written two books documenting her experiences in the Vietnam War and co-written a documentary.

Extent

0.21 Linear Feet (1 Folder)

Language of Materials

English

Metadata Rights Declarations

  • License: This record is made available under an Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Creative Commons license.

Condition Description

Condition is good.

Offensive Language Statement

The UNC Greensboro University Libraries collects, preserves, and makes accessible unique and historical materials for learning and research. The nature of historical materials is such that some material may represent positions, norms, and values that are offensive and objectionable. These materials represent the opinions and actions of their creators. By providing access to these records in our reading room and through our digital collections, we recognize that archives and rare books can play a vital role in holding those creators accountable and in helping us learn from the past.

Our finding aids and other collection descriptions may occasionally re-use language provided by creators or former holders of the materials, but we strive to place outdated or offensive terminology in context. That said, we recognize that we may not always make the right decision and welcome feedback from all sources so we can learn and adjust our practices. Please contact us at scua@uncg.edu if you encounter problematic language in our finding aids or other collection description. We will review the language and, as appropriate, update it in a way that balances preservation of the original context with our ongoing commitment to describing materials with respectful and inclusive language.

Processing Information

Processed by Victoria Hinshaw.

Title
J. Holley Watts Collection
Status
Completed
Author
Victoria Hinshaw
Date
September 2022
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
eng

Repository Details

Part of the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives Repository

Contact:
P.O. Box 26170
320 College Ave.
Greensboro NC 27402-6170 US
336-334-5246