Military History Collections

Husband E. Kimmel was a career officer in the U.S. Navy. He attained the rank of rear admiral in 1938 and then admiral February 1, 1941, assuming command of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and combined U.S. Fleet in Pearl Harbor. He was a senior officer at the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, and was held responsible for lack of preparedness. Kimmel was finally able to defend himself through the publication of his book, "Admiral Kimmel's Story" after documents held secret during World War II were made available for his research.

Richard Tregaskis was a war correspondent and author. He covered both the Pacific and European theaters of World War II and was badly wounded in Italy. His wartime experiences were chronicled in "Guadalcanal Diary" (1943) and "Invasion Diary" (1944). The bulk of his career was spent reporting on events in Asia and Oceania. Tregaskis covered nine wars, including the Chinese Civil War, Korea, and Vietnam.

The collection contains two diaries kept by Clarke from October to November 1867, and from May to July 1868, while he was traveling as paymaster to Forts Phil Kearny, Fetterman, and Reno in present-day Wyoming and Fort C.F. Smith in present-day Montana. Clarke drew sketches of the forts and surrounding areas in his diaries, and in the back of the 1867 diary he transcribed personal anecdotes and myths and history of the Sioux and other Plains tribes told to him by Nicholas Janis, guide for the party.

Clay Blair, Jr. was a well-known author and journalist. He volunteered for submarine service in World War II and was decorated with the Submarine Combat Insignia and the Asiatic-Pacific Theatre Medal with three battle stars. He was a prominent military historian. Among his many books on military history are A General's Life (Omar N. Bradley), Return from the River Kwai, Ridgway's Paratroopers, Silent Victory, Macarthur, The Forgotten War (Korea), and Hitler's U-Boat War (Vols. I and II). He also wrote three novels and a biography, The Search for JFK.

Jack Benny (1894-1974) was an American vaudeville, radio, television and film actor. Born Benjamin Kubelsky in Waukegan, Illinois, Benny first honed his talents as a comedian on the vaudeville stage, then found that his style was uniquely adapted to the new medium of radio, where he became a national celebrity with his Jack Benny Show (1943-1958). His wife, Mary Livingstone often starred on the Jack Benny Show. Benny took his show to television and continued to appear in his own show, in specials, and in guest appearances until his death in 1974.