Ralph L. Marlin Papers
This collection contains the military papers of Ralph L. Marlin during his time on active duty in the U.S. Army, as well as his later employment in the U.S. postal service. Marlin, having fought in WWI, remained in the Officer’s Reserve Corps, and was recalled to active duty, at the rank of First Lieutenant, in 1942. He retained this paperwork related to duty appointments, telegrams, letters, classwork, invoices and supply lists, leave requests, certificates of promotion, and insurance information, as well as a yearbook for the military’s time on the campus of St. Norbert College in Wisconsin in 1944, and an Army and Navy Club Directory for 1945.
Dates
- 1942 May 1-1958 October 30
Conditions Governing Access
Collections are stored offsite and must be requested 5 days in advance. See www.lib.utk.edu/special 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. Please see www.lib.utk.edu/special for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Extent
.25 Linear Feet (7 folders)
Abstract
This collection contains the military papers of Ralph L. Marlin during his time on active duty in the U.S. Army, as well as his later employment in the U.S. postal service. Marlin, having fought in WWI, remained in the Officer’s Reserve Corps, and was recalled to active duty, at the rank of First Lieutenant, in 1942. He retained this paperwork related to duty appointments, telegrams, letters, classwork, invoices and supply lists, leave requests, certificates of promotion, and insurance information, as well as a yearbook for the military’s time on the campus of St. Norbert College in Wisconsin in 1944, and an Army and Navy Club Directory for 1945.
Biographical / Historical
Ralph LaVerne Marlin was born in Eureka, Kansas, on July 19, 1889, to Walter Scott and Minnie Bonner Marlin. He attended Valparaiso University from 1907 to 1910, receiving a B.S. in Civil Engineering. He continued with graduate work through 1911, but in 1917 he joined the U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps, which was in charge of coastal, harbor, and anti-aircraft defense. Serving overseas as Battalion Signal Officer, Marlin reached the rank of Second Lieutenant before being discharged in April of 1919.
From 1919 until 1927, Marlin worked as a County Engineer in bridge and highway maintenance and construction, before changing fields to work at a bank. He married Gretha Bates on January 20, 1936, and the couple had one son.
Marlin was recalled to active duty in June 1942, as a First Lieutenant and instructor for a mortar squad. He rose to the rank of Captain, and returned to the Officer’s Reserve Corps in January of 1956, finally leaving the military in 1949. Marlin then worked as a postmaster for a local post office in Kansas until retiring in 1957. He was a mason and a member of the American Order of Odd Fellows, and a charter member of the local American Legion Post.
Walter Scott Marlin, son of Ralph and Gretha, also served in the military, and died one year before his father. Ralph Marlin died March 4, 1977 and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Eureka, Kansas.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged chronologically in seven folders.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository