William Earl Green, 1925-1945 [RG2025.AM]

NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID

RG2025.AM:  William Earl Green, 1925-1945

Papers:  1917-1968

Lincoln, Lancaster County, Neb.:  Student, Artist, Military Serviceman

Size:  2.0 cu.ft.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

William Earl Green was born May 8, 1925, in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was the third of four children born to Mr. and Mrs. Roy M. Green. Nineteen years and nine months later, February 27, 1945, Bill died of wounds received while fighting with the United States Army on the Siegfried Line during World War II. He was buried in the American Cemetery, Namm, Luxembourg. Bill was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart Medals for valor in the service of his country.

Prior to entering the service, he had been a student at the University of Nebraska (1942-1943), studying vertebrate paleontology. In August and September, 1941, Bill participated in a field conference on the tertiary and pleistocene of Nebraska, sponsored by the American Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Bill was also an adept artist, having taken lessons from Terry Townsend, then a commercial artist in Miller and Paine’s advertising department. He continued to study with Mrs. A. R. Edminston. Linoleum prints were Bill’s favorite items during his junior high school days, however during his Army service, he moved into more sophisticated pencil drawings.

Following his death in 1945, the Green family created a scholarship fund at the University of Nebraska in Bill’s name to serve as a perpetual memorial to their beloved son and brother. A portion of the funds provided to establish this memorial were from savings Bill had accumulated for his education. The William E. Green Paleontology Memorial Scholarship has given other young people interested in this field the opportunity to fulfill an education so highly prized by William Green.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

This collection of the papers of William E. Green is organized into the following series:

Series 1 – Scrapbook pages, 1925-1968

Series 2 – Personal papers, 1917-1968

Subseries 1: School related papers, 1937-1943

Subseries 2: Artwork, undated

Subseries 3: Natural history related papers, ca. 1917-1968

Subseries 4: Boy Scout memorabilia, 1937-1939

Series 3 – Correspondence, 1942-1964

Subseries 1: Correspondence from William Green to his mother, 1942-1945

Subseries 2: Correspondence from others to Green family, 1944-1964

Series 4 – Awards and commendations, 1945

Series 5 – Army training manuals and books

The materials in this collection relate to the life and death of William E. Green. The scrapbook pages in Series 1 come out of two scrapbooks made by Bill’s mother, Norma. These pages are filled with various items including Bill’s birth certificate, photographs, poetry, artwork, church records, and correspondence relating to Bill’s military service. Series 2 contains more of these types of items including school projects, report cards, paleontology publications, Boy Scout memorabilia, and a wide sampling of Bill’s artwork. The majority of the correspondence in Series 3 comes from Bill himself. This correspondence contained in Subseries 1, vividly portrays his service in the Army. Additional correspondence comes from friends and government officials in Subseries 2, regarding Bill’s death. The remainder of the correspondence pertains to the memorial scholarship fund established in Bill’s name at the University of Nebraska. Series 4 contains the award certificates and commendations awarded posthumously to Bill. Finally, Series 5 contains army training manuals and regimental history books on the 76th Infantry Division, and the 304th Infantry.

Note: Portions of the William E. Green acquisition including uniforms were transferred to the Collections Department. Additional photographs have also been transferred to the photo component [RG2025.PH].

DESCRIPTION

Series 1 – Scrapbook pages, 1925-1968

Box 1

Folder

1. 1. 1925-1940

1. 1. 1940-1943

1. 1. 1943-1944

1. 1. 1944-1968

Series 2 – Personal papers, 1917-1968

Subseries 1: School related papers, ca. 1937-1943

Box 2

Folder

1. 1. Report cards, 1937-1943

1. 1. School projects, ca. 1934-1935

1. 1. School projects, undated

1. 1. Astronomy scrapbook, undated

Subseries 2: Artwork, undated

1. 1. Artwork, undated

1. 1. Artwork, undated

1. 1. Artwork, undated (see OB018)

1. 1. Artwork, undated (see OD051)

Subseries 3: Natural history related papers, ca. 1917-1968

1. 1. Paleontology publications, 1917-1968

1. 1. American Museum of Natural History, certificate of membership, 1940 (see OB018)

Subseries 4: Boy Scout memorabilia, 1937-1939

1. 1. Membership cards, procedure manuals, 1937-1939

Series 3 – Correspondence, 1942-1964

Subseries 1: Correspondence from William Green to his mother, 1942-1945

Box 3

Folder

1. 1. 1942

1. 1. 1943

1. 1. 1944, Jan.-May

1. 1. 1944, June-Sept.

1. 1. 1944, Oct.-Dec.

1. 1. 1945

1. 1. Undated

1. 1. Examples of interesting envelopes, 1944-1945

Subseries 2: Correspondence from others to Green family, 1944-1964

1. 1. Correspondence from friends regarding death of William Green, 1945-1947

1. 1. Correspondence from US Government regarding death of William Green, 1945-1956

1. 1. Correspondence regarding allotment checks of William Green, ca. 1944-1954

1. 1. Correspondence regarding William E. Green Paleontology Memorial Scholarship, 1945-1964

Series 4 – Awards and commendations, 1945

1. 1. Certificate of recognition of service from State of Nebraska, undated
      
      Gold Star Citation, 1945
      
      Purple Heart Citation, 1945

1. 1. Certificate of recognition from Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1945 (see OB018)

Series 5 – Army training manuals and books

Box 4

Folder

1. 1. Civil Defense, army training manuals, 1943-1944

1. 1. History of the 76th Infantry Division

1. 1. The 304th Infantry

 

ADDED ENTRIES:

Artists

Boy Scouts of America

Green Family

Green, William Earl, 1925-1945

Military service

Natural history

University of Nebraska

World War, 1939-1945

 

07-23-2007   Revised TMM/tmm