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Henry Fremont Blake collection, 1943-1946, Date acquired: 06/17/2017

 

Summary

Creator:
Blake, Henry Fremont
Extent:
1 items
1 Linear Feet Full box
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [Box and Folder number], Henry Fremont Blake collection, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. http://purl.fcla.edu/fsu/WWII_17_0009.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection relates to Henry Fremont Blake who served in the United States Navy in the Pacific Theater as a Store Keeper 2nd Class during World War II aboard the U.S.S. Tyrrell (AKA-80).  The collection includes personal items and artifacts.

Biographical / historical:

Henry Fremont "Jack" Blake was born on April 21, 1912, and passed away on February 17, 2006, in Tallahassee. Due to illness, he resided in Tallahassee, FL, for several years prior to his death. He was a native Floridian, born in Jacksonville, but lived in Palatka from a very young age. Jack, as he was known to all, worked with his father and brothers, Robert and Wilmer, at Blake's Inc., a wholesale dry goods business and later began his own vending business, Vend-A-Pack. He was an active community leader, serving as president of Rotary and the Palatka Chamber of Commerce and was a member of First Baptist Church.

He was also a WW II veteran, serving in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific aboard the USS Tyrrell (AKA-80) as a Store Keeper 2nd Class. Henry Fremont Blake entered service on November 20, 1943 and was discharged on March 8, 1946. The U.S.S. Tyrrell participated in the initial landings on Okinawa on April 1, 1945.  A kamikaze struck the Tyrrell on April 2, 1945, causing some damage. In September 1945, the Tyrrell arrived at Nagasaki, Japan to disembark troops and supplies. It was here that Blake photographed the devastation which resulted from the Atom Bomb dropped on August 9, 1945.

After the war, he enjoyed a number of hobbies and interests that he pursued over the course of his life which included fishing, hunting, flying airplanes, woodworking and bridge, integrity, hard work, service to his community and devoted to his family characterized his life. He was preceded in death by his wife of 52 years, Mary Evelyn Blake, in 1991, and by his second wife, Marjorie Dillingham in 2003.

Note written by Palatka Daily News Obituary, February 22, 2006

Acquisition information:

Sylvia B. Walford (Daughter of Henry Blake)

Donation

Custodial history:

This collection was donated by Sylvia B. Walford (Daughter of Henry Blake). The collection was acquired by the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience on June 17, 2017.

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], Henry Fremont Blake collection, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. http://purl.fcla.edu/fsu/WWII_17_0009.

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