string(88) "maryville-college-archives-creates-online-exhibit-honoring-world-war-ii-gold-star-alumni"

Maryville College Archives creates online exhibit honoring World War II Gold Star alumni

Nov. 11, 2021

In observance of Veterans Day, the Maryville College Archives has created an online exhibit to honor 38 former students and alumni of Maryville College who were killed during World War II as a member of the armed services.

“Always Remember Those Who Gave All: Maryville College’s World War II Gold Stars and ‘Missing in Action’ Survivors” was created by Amy Lundell ’06, Maryville College archivist. The idea for the online exhibit came from an increased interest in Maryville College’s veterans and Gold Stars, as well as the discovery of a file in the MC Archives containing World War II Gold Star correspondence, clippings and chapel speeches collected by Dr. Ralph Waldo Lloyd, a 1915 MC alumnus who was Maryville College’s president during World War II. Lloyd’s chapel service speeches describe service flags with blue and gold stars that were displayed in Voorhees Chapel, reminding the campus of the number of alumni, faculty and students serving (represented by blue stars) and the number killed in action (represented by gold stars).

“Dr. Lloyd’s folder provides the basis for much of the information included in the exhibit, along with my own research into our archival collections and online,” Lundell said.

The online exhibit, which also is accessible via the “Archives Exhibits” page of the Maryville College library website, primarily covers MC’s 38 World War II Gold Star veterans, as well as stories of six “missing in action” survivors, including a survivor of the infamous Los Baños POW camp in the Philippines and an alumnus who was smuggled out of France by the French Resistance, Lundell said.

The exhibit includes introductory material, and each Gold Star and “missing in action” survivor has his own page that includes a photograph (where possible) and information such as MC class, years at MC, hometown, life at MC (clubs, majors, etc.), military branch and rank, medals awarded, date missing, date and location of death, circumstances of death, and burial/memorial information. When available, scans of letters, additional photographs and other materials were added.

Maryville College is a nationally-ranked institution of higher learning and one of America’s oldest colleges. For more than 200 years we’ve educated students to be giving citizens and gifted leaders, to study everything, so that they are prepared for anything — to address any problem, engage with any audience and launch successful careers right away. Located in Maryville, Tennessee, between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the city of Knoxville, Maryville College offers nearly 1,200  students from around the world both the beauty of a rural setting and the advantages of an urban center, as well as more than 60 majors, seven pre-professional programs and career preparation from their first day on campus to their last. Today, our 10,000 alumni are living life strong of mind and brave of heart and are prepared, in the words of our Presbyterian founder, to “do good on the largest possible scale.”