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Michael Lazur papers, 1939-1945, Date acquired: 10/10/2009, bulk 1942-1944

 

Summary

Creator:
Lazur, Michael , 1921-2012
Extent:
1 folders
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [Box and Folder number], Michael Lazur papers, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. https://purl.lib.fsu.edu/fa/02-09-0140

Background

Scope and content:

This collections covers the experiences of Mike Lazur during WWII and also includes information on his brothers, George and Joseph. All three brothers became crew on a ship at some point during the war. The main focus of the documents is around Mike, who went at sea at 18-years-old in 1939. The collection includes the transcripts of some poems Mike wrote while at sea, Mike's memoirs and photocopies of books, and a web page covering ships in which Mike traveled during the war.

Biographical / historical:

Michael Lazur was born on January 15, 1921, in Bayonne, NJ. His parents were George and Anna Lazur. By 1937, he was working at a candy store and at a fruits and vegetables store. As Bayonne was a seaman´s town, Mike found employment at the end of 1939 working on oil ships. His first ship was the W.C. Teagle, followed by theW.M. Rockefeller, Fred W. Weller, M.S. Vistula I, T.C. McCobb, S.S. Esso Concord, S.S. Providence, S.S. Cerro Azul, S.B. Hunt, Esso Annapolis, Esso Buffalom, and Esso Memphis. By the time Japan surrendered, Lazur was back at Pearl Harbor. He continued sailing on two more ships until retiring from the sea that same year. Upon retirement, he worked as a self-employed carpenter for the rest of his life. At some point after retiring from the sea, he married Gladys Van Benschoten. The couple stayed together for 54 years until Gladys' passing. During that time they had a son, Michael and two daughters, Charlene and Nancy. Mike passed away on May 18, 2012, at the NJ Veterans Memorial Home at Menlo Park, Edison, NJ. By that time, he had 9 grandchildren and 13 great grand children. His obituary can be found at https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/mycentraljersey/obituary.aspx?n=michael-lazur&pid=157690013.

Acquisition information:
This collection was donated by Mike Lazur. The collection was acquired by the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience on October 10, 2009.
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], Michael Lazur papers, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. https://purl.lib.fsu.edu/fa/02-09-0140

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