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Melvin R. Bielawski Collection, 1930-2008, Date acquired: 05/12/1998

 

Summary

Creator:
Bielawski, Melvin R.
Extent:
1.00 folders
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [Box and Folder number], Melvin R. Bielawski collection, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. http://purl.fcla.edu/fsu/WWII_98_0462.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection includes a variety of media from Germany, including postcards, magazines for GIs stationed in Germany, photographs, and The Corner.The Corner is a manuscript (likely a historical fiction novel) about a group of men in a Polish Catholic community in Toledo, Ohio. The story follows a group of young men who often spent time on a corner, gambling or socializing, from the 1930s through their wartime experiences up to the post war period. The manuscript appears to demonstrate the cultural enclaves in American cities and how that changed during the Second World War. The time period of the collection is mostly WWII, however it is more memory- focused, including military and civilian publications and from the 1980s and 1990s reflecting on the war. The collection also includes a memoir about Bielawski's experiences, P.O.W. Camp 78 Zuffenhausen, Germany. It gives a brief historical background of the Second World War in Europe, as well as his experiences, including his views on POWs and European civilians in the immediate post-WWII years, with emphasis on the healthcare of those interned in the POW and civilians outside of the camp.

Biographical / historical:

Melvin R. Bielawski worked in Stalag (Prisoner of War camp) 78 in Zuffenahusen, Germany. He ran the Stalag infirmary—with no prior medical training. Bielawski wrote a book about his experiences, P.O.W. Camp 78 Zuffenhausen, Germany. This memoir gives a brief historical background of the Second World War in Europe, as well as his experiences in Europe. Mr. Bielawski has also written books not included in the collection, including A World War II Era German American Love Story, and Diagnosis: Alzheimer's.

Acquisition information:

Melvin R. Bielawski

Donation

Custodial history:

Transferred from the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience to FSU Libraries Special Collections & Archives in July 2022.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open to all researchers.

Terms of access:

All requests for permission to quote, publish, broadcast or otherwise reproduce from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Associate Dean for Special Collections & Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Florida State University Libraries as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [Box and Folder number], Melvin R. Bielawski collection, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. http://purl.fcla.edu/fsu/WWII_98_0462.

Location of this collection:
116 Honors Way
Tallahassee
FL
32306-2047
USA