The University of Akron, University Libraries, Archival Services
The B-26 Marauder Archive

The Marauder Voice

Archives Staff Committed to Accessibility and Good Service

Archival Services of The University of Akron, which includes four full-time staff members and two to three student assistants, continues to maintain its commitment to the B-26 Marauder Collection. Three people are primarily responsible for the preservation, accessibility, and effective use of the collection. Dr. Stan Akers, although now retired from University Libraries, teaches classes part-time for the University and provides guidance on B-26 related inquiries, acquisitions, communications, and cataloging.

Stephen H. Paschen, Senior Archives Associate, was introduced to the B-26 Marauder Archive Advisory Committee during the annual meeting in Akron on June 21, 2002. Steve oversees cataloging, preservation, storage, exhibits, and preparation of finding aids for the B-26 Marauder Collection. He is responsible for responding to all B-26 inquiries as well as directing other Archives staff assisting with research requests. His experience working in the archives for six years is augmented by twelve years of public history work as Curator and later Executive Director of the Summit County Historical Society, also in Akron. He has a Masters degree in American History from The University of Akron, a Masters of Library and Information Science from Kent State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from Iowa State University. Steve, who is a Certified Archivist and a member of the Academy of Certified Archivists, has completed the intensive Modern Archives Institute sponsored by the National Archives and Records Administration, and is active in the Society of Ohio Archivists.

A part-time University faculty member, Steve teaches courses in Museums and Archives for the Department of History and is History Bibliographer for University Libraries. During his career in public history, he has authored and published several books, including Order in the Court: The Courts and the Practice of Law in Akron, 1787-1945, Shootin' the Chutes: Amusement Parks Remembered, and Speaking of Summit: An Oral History Handbook. Steve is also a public history consultant, producing numerous educational programs, exhibits, events, and audiovisual productions for museums and historical societies, as well as preparing and presenting workshops in collections management, administration, oral history, publishing, and many other facets of museum and archival operations.

Student assistant Oliver Corrigan ably provides research assistance. Oliver is a senior majoring in history and has worked for the archives since he was a freshman. His work at the archives includes cataloging and research inquiries for patrons, as well as other tasks performed under the supervision of Steve Paschen and John Miller, who is the director of the Archives. Experience at the archives is valuable not only to Oliver's understanding of research using primary sources, it also provides a good look at the field of public history, one of his interests. His knowledge of history, computer skills, and enthusiasm significantly add to the preservation and accessibility of the B-26 Marauder Archives.

Use of B-26 Collections Continues to Rise

The University of Akron Archival Services staff continues to serve large numbers of patrons addressing inquiries to the B-26 Marauder Collection. A recent statistical study comparing Archives use between 1996 and 2001 revealed several interesting trends not only in the use of this particular collection, but also in patron access to all of the Archives' collections. The rapid growth of the Internet and the spreading use of email as a primary mode of communication have affected the level of access as well as the demand for information from the Archives.

Evidence of these shifts in inquiries is obvious from the data regarding the B-26 Marauder Collection. There were 30 inquiries in 1996 regarding the collection, most of which were by remote users. Five years later, the trend toward more remote inquiries continued, not only for the B-26 collection, for which there were nearly five times as many requests, but also for all other collections. In 1996 65% of all inquiries were remote, a frequency that grew to nearly 80% in 2001.

The study also revealed that on-line searching of some collections finding aids, particularly in the case of the B-26 Marauder Database, greatly increased the number of inquiries. Since the B-26 Marauder Database went on-line in 1996, the number of inquiries regarding the collection grew from 30 to 144 in 2001. Over 20% of the collections consulted in 2001 were listed on-line, with the B-26 Marauder Collection constituting the most-used collection listed on the Archives web site. The B-26 Marauder & Ninth Air Force Association Archives web site has received more than 50,000 hits. Most of these inquiries were made by email, and a majority of the staff responses were by the same mode.

Digital Imaging & Advanced Technology Facilitated by Gift

Archival Services will soon be able to produce high-resolution images and photographic prints of B-26 documents and photographs on-site. This is due to generous contributions from Robert and Freda Holliday and others, amounting to nearly $115,000. Increasingly, patrons desire high quality images for publications, web sites, research, and other purposes. The preferred media, rather than traditional photographic formats, is digital imaging. Over the past year, the number of responses involving digital formats, whether on disk, CDROM, or emailed directly to the patron, has steadily increased.

The Archives' equipment for producing archival and duplicated digital images was adequate for these tasks, but there was a need for a better camera and photographic quality printer to stay "ahead of the curve" in digital technology. In particular, large-format items such as maps and oversized photographs, because of their size, level of minute details, and sometimes-fragile condition, require professional equipment to achieve higher resolutions. The Hollidays' gift makes possible the acquisition of professional level equipment to preserve archival quality images and produce photographic prints for use by the archives and its patrons. It is the first step in the Archives' goal of achieving "state of the art" technology.

Thanks to our donors for the foresight to contribute such generous donations to the archives. The preservation and use of the B-26 Marauder Archives will be tremendously boosted by the new equipment provided.

Another Year
By Stan Akers

As I write this, the University is six weeks into the Fall semester of 2002. This is the 132nd time that the University has begun a new academic year since its founding in 1870. Also, 40 years ago this month, I first stepped onto The University of Akron campus as a 17 year old freshman. I never really left. I started working here in 1967, and so far my association with the place has had four phases: as a student, 26 years as an administrator, four years as a librarian, and now almost four years as a retiree. Along the way, there were some interesting other things, such as earning a Master's and a Ph.D., teaching in two different colleges and two interdisciplinary programs, meeting and marrying my best friend and driving force, and of course developing the B-26 and 9th Air Force Archives. It's interesting that all of these things have connected to each other, and how one thing led to another. It's been pretty good, though there are some things such as the now-concluded litigation with the MHS I could have done without.

Since retirement, my life has still centered on the University with two different "jobs." One has been a consultative role in dealing with the practical and legal effects of almost four years of litigation, which was only natural, since I was the person who first argued for the acceptance of the Archives in 1991. The best thing that came out of that, apart from developing and preserving what is still the best collection of B-26 archival materials anywhere, is the things I learned from close association with true heroes of their generation.

The other thing I've been doing since retirement is teaching. For many years I had taught courses in Conflict Resolution through the University's Center for Conflict Management. This past year I turned over those duties to a younger professor who has the enthusiasm and has achieved the financial backing to do some great things with the program. The best thing that happened to me was the first semester after my retirement when I was asked to teach courses in the University Honors Program. The students in this program are in their late teens and early 20s, as might be expected. They're the best we have, all of them were at the top of their high school classes, most were valedictorians, and all of them are receiving scholarships from the University.

It's been an interesting experience spending a good bit of my time dealing with people in their 80s and a lot of it with people in their 20s. I guess I'm sort of the bridge between the generations, being in my 50s. In the last Spring semester, I taught three classes: "World War II and the Human Experience," "Social Movements of the 1960s," and "Mass Media and the Formation of Public Opinion."

Now that things at the Archives are on a more even keel, the day-to-day operation is going to be done by Steve Paschen, my erstwhile associate. Steve is a little younger than me, has Master's degrees in both History and Library Science, and is also a Certified Archivist. I'm still working with him as an Emeritus Faculty member and I still have a phone and a desk at the archives, and I still do the preliminary screening of the research requests that come in. But, Steve is the future of this, and that brings me to my main point.

The constant discussion I've had with World War II veterans since 1991 has been over the role that this facility should have. At one level, it's not too tough to preserve materials; any competent facility can do that. It's not exactly rocket science, and lot of it involves just doing things like keeping it dry and away from light and bugs. The real challenge in a facility such as this, considering that it contains the physical records of what people did in a time of real peril, is to make the historical records available and interpretable to future generations. This is what a University does, and why I feel that our approach is the right one. Other articles will tell you what we've done and what we plan to do. I'd rather discuss why it's important, and for that, let me tell you about my students, the people who are going to be the inheritors of your achievements.

In each of these classes I had between 15 and 18 students, and they were with me for two hours a week for 16 weeks. That's a small enough group to allow people to really get to know each other. It's also a requirement that the Honors Program has that these students must take three of these "colloquia" as part of their degree requirements. That requirement is over and above the normal degree requirements for any major, so these students are taking three extra courses. Given that these are required courses, they can be a problem in developing student motivation, and I've been fortunate in having some good topics to work with, not the least of which is World War II.

The real question I had to face was what to include, and we concentrated on the "human" aspects, not the battles and diplomacy, though there was some foundation laid on those aspects. We didn't spend too much time on military hardware, though I did show them a tape on the B-26. We talked a lot about the role of the citizen soldier, the effect the War had on people in the Services and on the Homefront, popular music of the time, rationing, films, and the effect all this shared experience had on the people, and then what they did with their lives in the years after the War in building the Nation.

One of the obvious problems in teaching about this time period is that it was 55-60 years ago. That might not seem too long to you who were there, but try to remember what it was like when you were growing up and somebody told you about the Spanish-American War or World War I. This can be a difficult course to teach unless you find things in it that people can relate to. What's important is that so many things changed because of World War II.

I have been fortunate in being able to bring World War II veterans to the class to discuss not just their military exploits, but their hopes, fears and dreams as young people about the same age as these students. Because of our holdings at the Archive, I can demonstrate actual ideas embodied in things like letters home, pay records, ration books, unit citations and personal accounts. I'm sure that some of my guests were a little nervous about being there, but they made a contribution to the students' understanding greater than any discussion from me would have.

One time, over a weekend, I was thinking out loud with my wife Sarah and I said I wish there was a way to make the whole ration system "real" the next week. Sarah came up with the idea of actually cooking something for them using an authentic wartime recipe that would follow the ration plans of the time. The concoction was something probably familiar to anybody that was there at the time, Refrigerator Sticky Buns, which are really interesting in that they made liberal use of items that were readily available, such as corn syrup, and economized on eggs and butter. Also, they were designed to be prepared the night before, sit in the fridge, and then baked first thing in the morning, which was a really good thing to the harried war worker. More to the point, they're really good tasting.

Sarah made them for the class, and the class ate them, and it was one of the things they really remembered best. Probably we wouldn't have had the same results with other Wartime favorites involving Vienna sausages and Spam, but it did bring a few things home to them.

The focus of a university is not on the past, but on the future. While history may be interesting, its true value lies in guiding future actions based on an understanding of our shared values from the past, and the materials in our Archives are tantalizing primary documents that project those shared values in a way that few other things can. That's why it's important. I can assure you that your materials are making a difference to today's students and that ideas are being transferred from one generation to another.

Profile: Robert "Bob" Lucas

Robert E. Lucas, after growing up in Jacksonville, Florida, entered the service of his country in the 124th Infantry, Florida National Guard in November 1940. Early in the war, the spring of 1942, his was picked for Aviation Cadet School, where he learned to fly the B-26.

When he was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross in January 1945 it was the culmination of service that included 65 combat missions for the 387th Bombardment Group in Europe. The DFC was awarded for "Extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight against the enemy in the European Theater of operations." On 20 October 1944, Captain Lucas led a pathfinder flight in poor weather against heavy anti-aircraft fire to guide a bombing mission in which an important railway bridge was destroyed in occupied territory. Despite very poor visibility and fierce enemy opposition Capt. Lucas was determined to complete the mission. He navigated accurately and led the flight to the target and successfully completed the mission.

After the war he remained in the reserves while attending the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he earned both bachelors and masters degrees in Aeronautical Engineering. He returned to active duty during the Korean Conflict, during which he served in the Air Research and Development Command (ARDC). His successful service career included stints in the ARDC in Europe and the Armed Forces Staff College.

Among the significant donations made by Mary B. Lucas, Bob's wife, are a four-star World War II Service Flag originally displayed by Robert Lucas' mother in Jacksonville, Florida during the War, as well as the original sheet music of "The Army Air Corps Song" (1939).

Questions and Answers

Many of you have asked questions about the litigation between the MHS and the University and what it means for the future. Let's try to put out the simple answers to those questions here, and then let's put the matter behind us and get back to work on preserving and projecting the ideas contained in your Archives.

"How many lawsuits were filed by the MHS?"

Two. One was against the University seeking transfer of the materials to the MHS, the other was filed against The University of Akron Foundation seeking the TIME funds. Because of Ohio law, the first suit was filed in the Ohio Court of Claims and the second was in the Summit County Courts. As a result, the University retained one law firm for the materials suit and was also assisted by the Ohio Attorney General's office, and the Foundation retained another law firm for the TIME suit.

"Didn't this cost a lot for legal fees, and who paid for it?"

Yes, four years of litigation involving two law firms did cost a considerable sum of money. However, the fees were not paid by any TIME funds, but rather came from the operating budgets of the parties involved. It's a valid point that this money could have been better spent on developing the Archives, and a great deal of time was lost because of that.

"How much TIME money was transferred, and who's was it?"

The TIME suit never went to formal trial, but as a result of Court ordered mediation, the figure of $193,000 was reached as a settlement figure. The reasoning was quite complicated, but basically it represented the money contributed prior to the MHS decision to separate from the University plus some interest. Over the years, a great deal of interest was produced and the University Foundation retained what it felt was a fair proportion of that.

The point is that this is purely a financial settlement, and it doesn't represent anybody's particular contribution. Had the case gone to a full trial, legal expenses on both sides would have been considerable, and further resources, monetary and physical, would have been consumed in the process.

"What happened to the materials?"

As we have consistently stated, our position was that the donors of the materials should decide where the materials should go. Therefore, there were three possibilities. If the donor asked that the materials be returned to him or her, they were. If the donor asked that they go to the Pima Air & Space Museum and certified that to either the MHS or the University, the materials were transferred to the MHS who will transfer them to Pima. If the donor asked that the materials remain at the University, they did. If no donor could be located, it was transferred.

The settlement agreement, which was put in the form of a court order, directed also that the MHS had the right to copy materials staying at the University and the University had the right to copy materials being transferred, subject to the proviso that there would be a statement saying that the material had been copied from the holdings of the opposite archives.

"How much did the University copy?"

While we could have copied everything that was transferred, we chose not to do so in many cases. Anything that was covered by a donor's statement that it should be transferred was not copied. We did this because we assumed that the donor had made a conscious choice, and we wanted to honor that choice. Those materials were transferred, and the catalog description has been removed from our web site and on-line catalog. It will be up to Pima and the MHS to make the existence of those materials known in their own cataloging efforts. We did copy a considerable amount of material from donors that indicated no preference or could not be located, simply because we felt a moral obligation to do so. Those materials will remain in our catalog and website with a statement that the original is at the Pima Air & Space Museum.

"So, what happens now?"

At Akron, we can now go back to doing what we were doing, which is projecting the history of those associated with the Martin B-26 Marauder in World War II. We are still in a position to do it, though frankly our holdings on some units have been severely curtailed as a result of the transfers. However, that was a decision that the donors made, and we accept that.

"What about the future?"

Please remember that this collection is still large, and it is made known by the world wide web presence. Research requests reach us every day, and we are still answering them. The way that historical research is done pretty much dictates that writers will use what materials they can find, and they can readily access our holdings. That argues for the possibility of more scholarship in the future on the B-26 and its people simply because the materials are there and accessible, and they are held by a major research oriented university.

"How are you going to do this without the TIME endowment?"

First, it should be pointed out that until the MHS made the decision to separate from the University, we never used any of the TIME funds, earnings or principal. Following the filing of the two suits, we did begin to use some of the earnings for actual archival operations, but we have never touched the principal.

Second, we should again emphasize that the money was never the point of this collection. Over the years, the University has spent over $300,000 of its own money on the collection, plus tens of thousands of dollars in litigation expenses. We felt in 1991, and we still feel, that this is a significant collection and the archives is something that the University needs to do. We made the commitment, and we still feel it.

"Aren't you supposed to be asking us for money?"

We probably should, and we'd appreciate any contributions you wish to make. Since the announcement of the settlement of litigation, money had begun to come in. Please keep in mind that we will continue our progress in any event, but additional funds will make it happen faster and better. For more information on new developments in the Archives, please read the article about digital imaging and advanced technology on page 2 of this newsletter. If you would like to contribute financially, please send your tax-deductible contribution to:

The University of Akron Foundation
C/O William Girard
Development Office
Akron, OH 44325-2603

"What do you need apart from money?"

Basically, we need all the materials we can get, and those can be your personal accounts if you haven't already sent them in, photos, diaries, letters, memorabilia. Anything that will help to illuminate the World War II experience for future researchers will assist us in fulfilling our mission, and will assure your place in history. If you have materials to donate, please send them to:

Archival Services
Polsky Building
Akron, OH 44325-1702

You can e-mail us at archives@uakron.edu

B-26 Marauder Archives Acquisitions

Three important new collections were recently received by Archival Services: John H. van Schaiek sent two copies of his book, "Memories of the B-26 Marauder in 1942 and 1943"; on behalf of the Washington Area Marauder Men (WAMM) Albert E. Baxter donated two boxes of documents and photographs of the B-26 Marauder Memorials information; and three boxes of publications, documents, and photographs were contributed by Liz Wilson Vlaming on behalf of the Samuel G. Wilson Estate.

The van Schaiek book consists of excerpts from a longer work in progress entitled "Surviving Against the Odds: A Bomber Pilot's Memories form World War II in the Solomons and Elsewhere." Van Schaiek was a captain in the 70th Bomb Squadron (M), of the 13th Air Force. The book is a personal account, relating van Schaiek's experiences beginning with the announcement of the Pearl Harbor attack, continuing through his training period, and including time spent serving in the Pacific Theater.

Through Secretary Albert E. Baxter, WAMM recently donated two boxes of documents and photographs along with copies of the Memorials Guide from the Martin B-26 Marauder Memorials project begun in 1994.

The Samuel G. Wilson Estate collection included two dozen books on B-26 and World War II-related topics as well as photographs, histories, war diaries, rosters, and other 17th Bomb Group materials.

Thanks to the generous donors who placed these materials at The B-26 Marauder Archives at The University of Akron, the collections will continue to be a vital source for researchers around the world. The staff is presently cataloging and preparing the above collections for research use.

9/11/2002
By Sarah Akers

One year ago, it was a bright, sunny day, still warm, still summer. Today it is cool, overcast, and a brisk wind flutters and snaps the flags in the hands of the ROTC honor guard.

The crowd stands before the new Arts & Sciences Building. Last year it was only a shell. Now it holds classrooms, offices, and labs, and teems with the life of The University of Akron. President Proenza rises to speak, the wind catching his hair, his emotions catching his voice. The memorial service is simple, so simple. There is music from the Brass Choir, from a single classical guitar. There are poems - my critical sense tells me that they are rather bad poems, mostly, but still I find myself wiping away tears. And, there is silence.

Twice in the forty-five minutes, at the times when the towers fell, the sirens sound, and the church bells ring - St. Bernard's, Zion Lutheran, First Congregational, First Methodist - all join the chorus. And then, there is silence. It seems much longer than a minute, each time. Finally, one trumpet, with another echoing it, plays Taps. The colors are retired, the honor guard marches away. The crowd disperses.

It is the crowd that has moved me the most. I look around me and see the University family. Faculty and staff members. People from Physical Facilities and full professors. Secretaries. Librarians. University police and firefighters in dress uniforms. And the kids. Mostly, the kids.

There are thousands of them. Our students, all races, all nationalities, both genders. Some are pretty scruffy looking, yes. They look like what there are, college students. They stand there, quiet, respectful, contemplative. There are tears. They sing "America the Beautiful" when the Brass Choir plays. A white girl leans her head against the shoulder of another girl, who is black. They are both weeping. Another girl's cell phone rings in her book bag. The other kids look at her severely while she all but strangles it in her haste to turn it off. Not one of them says a word in the whole forty-five minutes of the ceremony.

Think about it. Thousands of college students, gathered for forty-five minutes for what is essentially a secular church service. They don't have to be there. No one is taking attendance, there is no grade being given, no extra credit to be had. They are here because they are decent caring, human beings, because they are trying to come to grips with a frightening adult world, a world they will have to lead some day. They will lead it, and they will do it as well as any generation before them. I am proud of them, proud of our community here on this campus. They give me hope that there is a future out there, and it will be in good hands.

Advisory Council Holds Annual Meeting

The B-26 Marauder Archives Advisory Council Annual Meeting was held in Akron on June 21, 2002. Attending the meeting, chaired by Harry Dahlheimer, were: Council members Fred McConnell (Vice-Chair), Hugh Walker (Secretary), Bob Holliday, George W. Parker, Richard H. Denison, Marian Dahlheimer, G.W. Parker, Jr., Warren Nichols, and Mark McConnell, as well as representatives of The University of Akron: Stan Akers, Sarah Akers, John V. Miller, Stephen Paschen, William Girard, Tim Puin, Scot Harvey, and Oliver Corrigan.

Attorneys Tim Puin and Scot Harvey reviewed the litigation settlement, which is summarized in "Questions and Answers" section of this newsletter. University of Akron Development Officer William Girard reported the status of the TIME Endowment to the Council. The Council voted to work with The University of Akron to prepare a new endowment agreement, which was subsequently completed and approved. John Miller, the Director of Archival Services, reviewed the final transfer of materials designated for PIMA, scheduled in July (and since completed successfully).

John Miller reiterated the University's commitment to quality preservation, cataloging, and service to the B-26 Marauder Archives. Stan Akers and John Miller introduced Senior Archives Associate Steve Paschen, who is now responsible for administering the collection, and student assistant Oliver Corrigan, who assists with cataloging and research requests. See "Archives Staff Committed to Accessibility and Good Service" section of this newsletter for more details regarding the Archives staff. The staff discussed upcoming initiatives in cataloging, the collection's online presence, and digitization of materials. The Council and Archives staff also discussed ideas for acquiring new materials.

Non Nobis Solum: Not For Us Alone.