Margaret Kolze Army Dietitian scrapbook

Access and use

Location of collection:
George Mason University
2400 Fenwick Library
Special Collections Research Center
Fenwick Library MS2FL
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Mieko Palazzo
Phone: (703) 993-2220
Fax: (703) 993-2669
Restrictions:

There are no access restrictions.

Terms of access:

The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)

Preferred citation:

Margaret Kolze Army Dietitian scrapbook, C0525, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries

Summary

Extent:
.25 Linear Feet 1 scrapbook, 1 folder
Creator:
Kolze, Margaret
Abstract:
Scrapbook created by Margaret Kolze documenting her time serving as an Army Dietitian at the 382nd General Hospital in Japan.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Margaret Kolze Army Dietitian scrapbook, C0525, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries

Background

Scope and content:

Scrapbook created by Margaret Kolze documenting her time serving as an Army Dietitian at the 382nd General Hospital in Japan in the 1950s. The exterior front and back cover of the scrapbook are bound in a textured fabric and the front cover includes a Japanese illustration and characters. The pages of the scrapbook contain approximately 174 uncaptioned personal photographs that depict Japanese street life and scenery, hospital buildings, group photos of the hospital's staff, daily hospital life and patients, and leisure activities featuring Margaret and other army staff and soldiers.

The front inside cover included a pile of loose photographs, programs, and other ephemera belonging to Margaret and her siblings Mary Judith (also known as Judy), George, and Roderick pertaining to high school events and milestones, such as proms and graduations, and family weddings. These materials were removed and placed in a single folder.

Biographical / historical:

Margaret Kolze attended Glenbard High School in Glen Ellyn, Illinois and graduated from Iowa State College in 1947 with a Bachelor of Science in Foods and Nutrition. Following a one-year internship with the Veteran's Administration Hospital, Kolze began working as an Army Dietitian and was stationed at the 382nd General Hospital in Osaka, Japan from 1951-1952. Kolze was later stationed in Europe, New Jersey and at Fort Ord in California. She retired from the US Army with a rank of Major in 1969.

At the start of the Korean War in 1950 there were approximately 22,000 women in the military, with approximately 7,000 of them serving as medical professionals. Many army nurses served in Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (also known as M.A.S.H.) units or staffed army hospitals in Japan, which during the Korean War cared for injured or ill service members who had been transported out of Korea. Over time these hospitals also began caring for an increasing number of service member dependents, expanding their services to include obstetrics and pediatric units.

World War I saw the first active recruitment of dietitians as a specific occupation for military service, with the first overseas service being deployed in May 1917. On October 2, 1922 the first Army training program for dietitians was established in the Medical Department Professional Services School at Walter Reed General Hospital. During World War II Army trained dietitians served in every theatre throughout the war, but it wasn't until June 1944 with the passage of Public Law 78-530 that Army dietitians were granted commissioned status, allowing them the same allowances, rights, benefits, and privileges, and it wasn't until 1947 that permanent military status was granted with the establishment of the Women's Medical Specialist Corps. During the Korean War, Army dietitians continued to serve in M.A.S.H units and were also expanded to supervise the operation of food service systems for the expanded army hospitals in Japan.

Acquisition information:
Purchased by Lynn Eaton from Caroliniana Rare Books in 2021.
Processing information:

Processing completed by Meghan Glasbrenner in November 2024. Finding aid completed by Meghan Glasbrenner in December 2024.

Finding aid corrected and updated by Meghan Glasbrenner in April 2026.

Arrangement:

This is a single item collection. Loose ephemera items were removed from the scrapbook and stored in a single folder.

Physical location:
Scrapbook - R 71, C 2, S 5 Ephemera folder - R 71, C 1, S 7
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard