John E. Dean letters to family

Collection

Identifier: Coll 905

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of eight letters that John E. Dean wrote to his parents while he was serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. These include letters that Dean sent while in training near Fresno, California, and while stationed in New Guinea. One letter, dated December 20, 1944, includes Dean's impressions of New Guinea's climate and landscape. Another letter, dated January 21, 1945, has a small piece that was cut out by censors because Dean named the specific island that he was stationed on. This same letter contains remarks about there being no war souvenirs that Dean can practically send back to the United States. The collection also contains two envelopes addressed to Dean's mother, Marjorie C. Dean (written as "Mrs. Ray A. Dean,") though their postmarks indicate that they were used to send letters other than the ones in the collection.

Dates

1943-1945

Creator

Dean, John E. (John Edward), 1923-1994 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Biographical Note

John Edward Dean was born in 1923 in Portland, Oregon. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Air Corps. After the war, he worked as a real estate appraiser, and as a security guard at Holladay Park Hospital. He died in 1994.

Sources: Obituary in the Oregonian, August 9, 1994; vital and military records on Ancestry.com.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (1 folder in shared box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Letters from John E. Dean (1923-1994) to his parents in Portland, Oregon, written while Dean was serving in World War II. Dean served in the Army Air Corps in the Pacific Theater during the war, and later worked as a real estate appraiser and as a security guard at Holladay Park Hospital.