Thirty-Fifth Division Association Records

The 35th Division Association Records contain documents, photographs, maps, newspaper clippings, printed materials, and service records donated by members of the 35th Division, primarily related to their service in World War I and World War II. Additional materials in the collection pertain to the 35th Division reunions and the Missouri National Guard.

Size: 11 linear feet, 5 linear inches.
Access: Open.
Copyright: No donation of copyright was received with this collection.
Processed by: C.W. Ohrvall (1986); Doug McClellan, Sandra Colyer, James Armistead, Jan Davis and David Clark (2015).

The 35th Division Association has existed since 1918. An organizational structure was adopted in 1922 with the selection of Charles I. Martin, Commanding General of the 35th Division, as Association president. Early on, the Association's main function was to organize annual reunions. Harry S. Truman, a 35th Division veteran and former Association president, attended many of these reunions. During his presidency, President Truman gave several speeches at these reunions.

In 1959, President Truman expressed his desire to have a 35th Division exhibit at the Truman Library and called on his fellow Divisionnaires to help collect the papers and artifacts of 35th Division Association members and other 35th Division veterans. On September 19, 1959, at the Association reunion in Little Rock, Arkansas, the Association created the 35th Division Association Historical Committee. At the request of President Truman, Ralph E. Truman, former Commanding General of the 35th Division, former Association president, and cousin of President Truman, was selected as Chairman of this committee. By November 8, 1959, when President Truman met with about 30 members of the 35th Division Association at the Truman Library to discuss this project, Ralph Truman and other Association members had already sent request forms to approximately 4,000 Association members and 12,000 more to other 35th Division veterans of World War I and World War II.

In January 1961, a small exhibit containing some of the donated items was opened at the Truman Library. When Ralph Truman died on April 30, 1962, Major James H. Parker Jr. took over as Chairman of the 35th Division Historical Committee. With the help of Ralph Truman's wife, Olive Truman, the effort in locating and contacting more 35th Division veterans continued through 1963.

The bulk of the collection effort was concluded on September 17, 1963 with the opening of the "35th Division Room" at the Truman Library. The exhibit gallery took up 3,100 square feet and contained such items as a French 75mm. gun and caisson, 129th Field Artillery and Battery D items, reunion items, photos, flags, uniforms, weapons, and maps. Several water color paintings of the 35th Division in combat were contributed by New York artist Olin Dows. Though the exhibit was completed, the collecting effort continued on a much smaller scale in the following years.

The 35th Division Association, a tax-exempt nonprofit organization, is located in Topeka, Kansas and has been chartered under the Articles of Incorporation in the state of Kansas since December 13, 1960. The Association's mission statement is "to foster and promote the memories, records of service, and continued friendship of those who served in the 35th Division."

The 35th Division Association Records primarily contain documents, photographs, maps, newspaper clippings, printed materials, and service records donated by members of the 35th Division, primarily related to their service in World War I and World War II. Additional materials pertain to the 35th Division reunions and the Missouri National Guard. The collection consists of three series, a World War I File, a World War II File, and a Subject File. If an individual served in both wars and donated material related to both wars, the material is included in the World War I File with a note in the folder title list stating "Includes World War II."

The World War I File consists of correspondence, memoranda, reports, day books, diaries, scrapbooks, newspaper and magazine clippings, play tickets and bills, printed materials, reunion programs, service records, military manuals and handbooks, certificates, event programs, post-cards, business cards, rosters, unit histories, memorabilia, maps, photographs and 35th Division Association Historical Committee Personal Data Forms.

Also included are complete issues of the New York Times: Midweek Pictorials. In the Frank J. Kunz folder is a program from President Truman's Inaugural Gala in 1949. On the back of this program is a pencil drawing of Woody Woodpecker from the co-creator and voice of Woody, Joseph Benson "Bugs" Hardaway. Hardaway's nickname is of particular interest because he was also the co-creator of Bugs Bunny (originally called Happy Rabbit). Like Frank Kunz, Bugs Hardaway was a soldier in Captain Harry Truman's regiment, the 129th Field Artillery.

The World War II file consists of books, correspondence, handwritten notes, military manuals and handbooks, maps, newspaper clippings, photographs, postcards, printed materials, reports, service records, unit histories, and 35th Division Association Historical Committee Personal Data Forms.

The Subject File consists of books, correspondence, handwritten notes, military manuals and handbooks, maps, newspaper clippings, photographs, postcards, printed materials, reports, service records, unit histories, 35th Division Association Historical Committee Personal Data Forms, and records of the Missouri National Guard.

Other pertinent resources at the Truman Library include the online World War I Subject Guide and World War II Subject Guide, which contain a summary of collections and oral histories at the Truman Library relating to World War I and World War II. Maps in this collection have been digitized and are available on the Truman Library website in the maps database.