Herman Recht Papers 1943-1946

Access and use

Location of collection:
College of William and Mary
Special Collections Research Center
Earl Gregg Swem Library
College of William and Mary
400 Landrum Drive
PO 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (757) 221-3090
Fax: (757) 221-5440

Summary

Extent:
780.00
Creator:
Herman Recht, 1908-1971 arrangement
Abstract:
This collection is comprised of more than 700 letters written by Herman Recht (1908-1971), a Navy yeoman, from Camp Peary (U. S. Naval Construction Training Center), near Williamsburg, Virginia, between October, 1943 to February 1946 to his wife, Esther, in Clairton, Pennsylvania. There are no letters from Esther because, as he wrote to her, saving them would make him homesick.
Language:
The papers are in: English

Background

Scope and content:

This collection is comprised of more than 700 letters written by Herman Recht (1908-1971), a Navy yeoman, from Camp Peary (U. S. Naval Construction Training Center), near Williamsburg, Virginia, between October, 1943 to February 1946 to his wife, Esther, in Clairton, Pennsylvania. There are no letters from Esther because, as he wrote to her, saving them would make him homesick.

Recht had been a lawyer for eight and a half years before joining the Navy. He was very well read, and regularly came into Williamsburg to dine at the Williamsburg Lodge and borrow books from and read magazines in the William and Mary library where his interests ran from public affairs to the latest fiction. He often inquires about activities in the Jewish community in Clairton, and is a strong advocate for racial minorities. He is very knowledgeable about classical music. He regularly reads the Pittsburgh Press and inquires about friends and family in Clairton and Pittsburgh. Gossip about friends from home is included in almost every letter.

Biographical / historical:

He was born in Lviv Ukraine. Married to Esther who lived in Clairton, Pennsylvania while he was a Navy yeoman at Camp Peary (U. S. Naval Construction Training Center), near Williamsburg, Virginia, between October, 1943 to February 1946. Recht had been a lawyer for eight and a half years before joining the Navy. He was Jewish. Further information about this individual or organization may be available in the Special Collections Research Center Wiki: <a href="http://scrc.swem.wm.edu/wiki/index.php/Herman Recht">http://scrc.swem.wm.edu/wiki/index.php/Herman Recht</a>.

Acquisition information:
The materials were acquired by Special Collections Research Center on 07/04/2001.
Arrangement:

Letters are arranged chronologically.