For the Kean University community, the Nancy Thompson World War
II letters are the gift that keeps on giving. Discovered in the University
Archives in 2013, the correspondence between the librarian at Kean’s
predecessor, Newark State Teachers College, and 185 students serving
in the war, has been a rich source of historical information about WWII,
New Jersey, and Kean University. Most recently, the letters inspired a
student-curated exhibition, Newark State Teachers College Goes to War,
at the Nancy Dryfoos Gallery.
“The exhibit communicated the breadth of cultural and social change
as experienced on a college campus during the war,” said Associate
Professor Elizabeth Hyde, Ph.D. “It was also a way to explore the role of
women. By the time you get to 1943 and ’44, there are virtually no male
students on campus. Women are thrust into new roles on campus and
in aiding the military effort.”
NEWARK STATE TEACHERS COLLEGE
GOES TO WAR
Nancy Thompson's Letters on Display in her Eponymous Library
Working with the Thompson letters, history honors students have
presented in the highly selective “Posters on the Hill” in Washington,
D.C. and at regional honors conferences, as well as developed curricula
for high school and middle school students. In collaboration with Kean
students and faculty in the Computer Science and Design Programs,
they are also developing a digital, interactive, map that will track the
movements of the servicemen and servicewomen during the war.
“We are aware that outcomes do matter, so we see opportunities like
these as tremendous training for graduate study and law school, but
also the job market,” said Associate Professor Jonathan Mercantini, Ph.D.
While working on the project, these current students found themselves
connecting with an earlier generation of Kean University students.
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