NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID
RG0767.AM: John Edward Stocker, 1924-2006
Diary transcript: 1941-1946
Fairbury, Jefferson County, Nebraska
Size: Two folders
BACKGROUND NOTE
John Edward Stocker, son of Roy and Anna Stocker, was born at Fairbury, Nebraska, on October 27, 1924. He graduated from Fairbury High School and attended Fairbury Junior College for one year. He joined the U.S. Army in May of 1943 and received basic training at Camp Wolters, Texas. He was sent to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland to receive additional training as part of the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP). In October of 1944 he transferred to Camp Barkley, Texas, as part of the Medical Corps. He was discharged from the Army in February of 1946.
John Edward Stocker died on December 26, 2006 and was buried next to his wife, Gabrielle, at Arlington National Cemetery.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The collection consists of a typed transcript of a diary kept by John Edward Stocker. The entries date from 1941 to 1946. The earliest entries (1941-1942) document Stocker’s senior year at Fairbury High School. He describes courses he’s taking, local events attended with friends, local and family news, etc. The entries from the summer of 1942 describe Stocker’s working at the Fairbury Pharmacy. Entries from the fall of 1942 through May of 1943 discuss his time attending Fairbury Junior College, including courses taken, events attended with friends, and descriptions and impressions about his instructors. Entries also document news of World War II, rationing efforts, etc. From May of 1943 through February of 1946 (the end of the diary), Stocker’s entries relate to his service in the U.S. Army during World War II and eventual discharge. He received basic training at Camp Wolters, Texas, and then became part of the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) and was sent to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. From September of 1943 to October of 1944, most of the entries relate to coursework taken at Johns Hopkins, additional military training, and sightseeing around Baltimore as well as trips to Washington DC and New York. In October of 1944 Stocker was transferred to Camp Barkley, Texas, as part of the Medical Corps. The last entry of the diary is dated October 17, 1944. There are a few additional pages at the end of the transcript in two sections entitled, “Thoughts on the End of World War II, Robbins AFB, August 1945,” and “Discharge and return to civilian life…1946.”
One additional item included in the collection is a copy of an article that Stocker wrote while attending Fairbury Junior College. The article is titled, “America’s Share,” and it was published in the American Association of Junior Colleges’ Junior College Journal, May 1943, vol. 13, no. 9.
Subject headings:
Fairbury High School (Fairbury, Neb.)
Fairbury Junior College (Fairbury, Neb.)
Military camps
Military life
Rationing
Stocker, John Edward, 1924-2006
World War II