Collections

The collection contains multimedia related to the history of Florida State University and its predecessor institutions.

Heritage Protocol Postcard Collection.  Collection of postcards pertaining to Florida State University and its predecessor institutions.

The Heritage Protocol Florida State College for Women Silver Collection contains miscellaneous silver pieces that were used in the dining halls.

VHS and Beta tapes, plastic tote bag, envelopes, medals, photographs regarding the Heritage Tower Commemoration

Heritage Tower commemoration photographs, FSU 9-11: A Day of Remembrance photobook, slides for Heritage Tower video, Sandy D'Alemberte nametag, commemorative buttons, the University of the West Indies watch, commemorative pins, various folders about FSU reunions, Heritage Tower, Research in Review magazines

The materials in this collection document the experiences of Helen Toles Buffington, a young woman growing up during World War II, as well as the experiences of Herman Buffington, who served with the 96th Infantry Division as a combat soldier who fought in the Battle of Okinawa.

Herman "Pat" Herst (1909 – 1999) is most widely recognized for his exceptional contributions to philately. He was a prolific writer of philatelic literature and won every important award in the field, including the American Philatelic Society's Luff award. A third generation Mason, Herst was born and educated in Portland, Oregon, but spent most his life in New York and a member of the Masonic Stamp Club. Herst first championed the popular trend of topical collecting, specializing in specific stamp themes. After his death, his wife Ida donated his collections of Masonic, Philatelic, and Holocaust related material. This unique collection includes rare stamped and cancelled letters from inmates in Concentration Camps and ghetto currency. Also included in the collection are historical documents related to Freemasonry and photocopies of rare materials from and about the Ruhleben German Prisoner of War Camp from 1914 – 1918.

This collection pertains to Herman C. Giles (Combat Infantry Rifleman with the 103rd Infantry Division), who served in the European Theater. He served as a corpsman with a medical detachment to the 66th Infantry Division according to his typed "Background" statement. His discharge papers note that he was a rifleman in Company G, 411th Infantry Regiment, 103rd Infantry Division, serving in the European Theater, 1943-1945. Giles was stationed at Camp Blanding in 1943, Columbus, GA, for Air Corps training in 1943, and then Texas for infantry training. This collection contains a number of letters on Camp Blanding stationery. He describes Camp Blanding as "a mile and a half in the middle of hell" in a letter dated 3/5/1943. A letter dated 4/11/43 includes a diagram and floor plan of Camp Blanding itself. He then transferred with his unit to France and saw combat in the Vosges Mountains with the 103rd Infantry Division. This collection contains 208 letters, 15 V-mails, 11 telegrams, and one postcard to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. H. C. Giles of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio (Herman Giles was born in Nashville, Tennessee). There are also eight photographs in the collection (one in color and seven in black and white) of his family, the 103rd Infantry Division, the U.S. Mainland and the European Theater, and photographs of him in London, England, Dallas, Texas, Stark, Florida, Nashville, Tennessee, and Dillingen, Germany. It also contains letters from Giles to his parents and scrapbook items. The collection also contains an oral history transcript of an interview provided by the Reichelt Program for Oral History. The collection also includes a 14-page manuscript entitled "History, Background, and Synopsis of Military Career."

Collection of letters, telegraphs, and family photographs exchanged between 1st Lieutenant  Herman G. Ramsey and his family in Columbus, Ohio. Twenty-four letters lead up to Ramsey's death in 1944 while being transported on a Japanese POW ship en route to mainland Japan. Also included is a letter from Dick Clark, a fellow POW who survived the war, offering his condolences to Herman's family. The collection also contains an album of family photographs along with condolence letters from General Douglas MacArthur and Army Major General James L. Collins.