Collections

This collection relates to Staff Sergeant Charles R. Gentges who served with the 34th Infantry Division in the North African and Italian campaigns during World War II. He was awarded the Purple Heart Medal with two oak leaf clusters and the Bronze Star Medal. The collection also relates Charles R. Gentges' wife Florence, and daughter, Mary Elizabeth Gentges.

The George Allen collection contains materials documenting the professional and personal life of Florida attorney and civil rights activist W. George Allen, whose work led to the desegregation of the Broward County Schools in 1970. The materials in the collectino date from 1943 to 2013, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1970 to 2013.

This World War II collection relates to Gertrude Margaritte Ivory Bertram, an African American nurse who served in the U.S. Army. The collection consists of letters, photographs (depicting herself and her fellow nurses in uniform, as well as African American G.I.s, and a few photographs from her time in West Africa), personal items, books, manuscripts, newspaper clippings, and interviews. The materials mainly document Bertram's time at Fort Bragg, NC, but there is some information concerning her life before enlistment, travels during enlistment, and life after enlistment. Most of her enlistment was spent in West Africa and at Fort Bragg, NC. This collection is important, as it covers the unique experiences of women and African Americans during World War II, and offers insight that differs from the majority white male G.I. perspective. It depicts African American nurses in both a professional setting and casual settings as Bertram enjoyed downtime with her friends.

This collection contains comprehensive information relating to the development of mechanical harvesting machinery and the process of invention and marketing. It has detailed records of various designs for machinery, as well as the abscission chemicals used to make mechanical harvesting easier. It also contains photographs of machinery in use.

This collection relates to Glenn Edward McDuffie who served as a Gunner's Mate 3rd Class with the U.S. Navy during World War II. McDuffie claimed to be the sailor kissing a nurse in the World War II Victory over Japan August 15, 1945 photograph which was taken by Life magazine photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt. The collection includes various documentation, testimony, interviews, polygraph examination results, photographs, forensic examination reports, and documents related to supporting the claim by McDuffie.