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Molly Thavenet Scrapbook

 Collection
Identifier: WV 0429

Scope and Contents

The scrapbook contains correspondence, ephemera, photographs, newsletters, official military communications and records, and clippings primarily related to Thavenet's service in the WAAC and WAC, primarily with the Army Air Forces from 1943 to 1945.

The correspondence is from Thavenet to her family describing her experiences in the service. There are also letters to Thavenet from family and friends from home and fellow WACs, as well as post-war correspondence up to 1950. Included are clippings from the Rhode Island newspaper The Westerly Sun of Thavenet's letters to the editor about her experiences stationed in Italy, as well as clippings about the WAC and other military topics. There are also WAC song sheets, bulletins, programs for plays and religious services, including four copies from 1945 of The Coronet, the newsletter for the WACs serving with the 15th Army Air Force. The scrapbook also includes souvenirs from her sightseeing travels around the southeastern United States in 1943 and Europe in 1945, including Rome, Venice, Capri, Pompeii, Pisa, Florence, Czechoslovakia, Palestine, and Switzerland.

Dates

  • 1940-1950

Creator

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 Note

Molly Thavenet was raised in Providence, Rhode Island, and worked as a secretary at Narragansett Electric Company in Waverly, Rhode Island, before enlisting in the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC). Thavenet reported for basic training on 4 June 1943 at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, and then was assigned to the 162nd WAC Headquarters Company, 4th WAC Transportation Company at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia.

In November 1943, Thavenet was transferred to Naples, Italy, as a stenographer to the Adjutant General Personnel Section of the Production Base Support (AGPBS). In April 1944, Thavenet was transferred to the 6720 WAC Headquarters Platoon with the 15th Army Air Force in Bari, Italy, where she worked with the reassignments of combat crews.

After returning to the United States in October 1945, Thavenet was discharged from the WAC with the rank of sergeant, and moved to Providence, Rhode Island.

Extent

0.80 Linear Feet (2 manuscript boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Metadata Rights Declarations

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

Method of Acquisition

Purchased in May 2008.

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 Beth Ann Koelsch, February 2009.

Title
Molly Thavenet Scrapbook
Status
Completed
Author
Beth Ann Koelsch
Date
2009
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