John A. Hansen Jr. Papers
This collection consists of maps, photographs, press clippings, newspapers, correspondence, and realia that were collected by John A. Hansen before and during his service in the European Theater of WWII.
Series 1: Personal, contains service manuals, military training manuals, service memorabilia, photographs, postcards, and various art prints (some military and some non-military). Within the personal papers (Sub-series A) are held Hansen's notebooks from unspecified years while in command of his unit, as well as training manuals related to anti-aircraft weaponry and aircraft recognition. Hansen's photographs of the war, his collection of German and American postcards, and art prints (Sub-series B) are also not annotated.
Series 2: Publications, consists of press clippings, military publications, and national/international publications. The press clippings (Sub-series A) are grouped by subject (e.g. The Arts). The military publications (Sub-series B) include newsletters, newspapers, and military journals that Hansen accumulated both before and during his deployment. The non-military publications (Sub-series C) include full issues of the New York Times, the New York Times Book Review, and the New York Times Magazines, as well as a few newspapers near Hansen's hometown of Frederick, MD. The latter part of Sub-series C includes several German magazines and two French newspapers. Note: No annotations have been identified that can serve to illuminate Hansen's rationale for collecting these press clippings and publications.
Series 3: Maps, contains some maps of the United States, but mostly it contains maps of various regions of Germany and France.
Series 4: Realia, consists of a collection of compasses, French and German currency, postage stamps, a service knife from the first World War, and Hansen's camera and tripod.
Dates
- 1916-1947, 1970
Language
The material in this collection is mostly in English; however, many documents--for instance, some postcards, magazines, and books--are in German. There is also a French currency and a French newspaper.
Conditions Governing Access
Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Conditions Governing Use
The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Extent
3.75 Linear Feet (1 record box, 4 half boxes, 1 flat storage box)
Abstract
Covering the years 1936-1946 and, chiefly, the European Theater, this World War II collection contains a diversity of maps, photographs, press clippings, newspapers, correspondence, and realia from the personal collection of John Anders Hansen, WWII veteran and former professor of English at the University of Tennessee.
Biographical/Historical Note
Dr. John Anders Hansen was born in Frederick, Maryland in 1909. He graduated from Frederick and Marshall College in 1929 with a B.A. in English literature. During the years 1933-42, while teaching high school and coaching athletics, Hansen earned a master’s degree from Yale. Soon after the completion of his first graduate program, Hansen entered the military, where both his advanced degrees and his age, relative to the many draftees, placed him from the outset in charge of a battalion of men, the 839th AAA.
By 1947, after being discharged from the military with the rank of Major in 1946, Hansen completed his Ph.D. work at Yale. In the fall of 1947, Hansen began his thirty-year tenure at the University of Tennessee. His special field of study and inquiry was Victorian Literature, teaching primarily Victorian poetry and prose, but also teaching literary criticism, the English novel, and the literature of the English Bible.
Arrangement
This collection consists of four series.
- Personal
- Publications
- Maps
- Realia
Previous Citation
Portions of this collection were originally listed as MS.1901 and as parts of MS.1608 and MS.1764. It was then listed as CSWS.WWII.2.0005 until receiving its current number.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository