Southern Maryland Studies Centers Preservation Effort Fills Historical Gaps
The Southern Maryland Studies Center (SMSC) on the La Plata Campus of the College of Southern Maryland hosted a Share Your Stuff day on Saturday, June 12 to collect images of wartime memorabilia for its digital archives. Among those who shared family treasures were Betty Levering and her daughter Bonnie Levering Rafer, both from La Plata and members of the Historical Society of Charles County, who brought in photographs and letters of correspondence from Leverings husband Lt. Charles Russell Russ Levering, a U.S. Air Force navigator.
Among these letters is one account upon hearing the news of Japan's surrender and the end of the war, said SMSC Coordinator Amanda Pike. [Lt. Levering] describes the celebrations on the base, and then explains his uncertainty as to what might happen next, future plans for college, when he'll be able to come home. These letters provide a unique perspective on the happy yet unsettled times in returning to normal life after the war, Pike said. In addition to helping our collection grow, these artifacts will fill in gaps.
To view Leverings letters and other memorabilia collected during the event, visit
http://www.csmd.edu/Library/SMSC/VeWebsite/exhibit5/vexmain5.htm. For information on sharing artifacts with SMSC and to schedule an appointment, email SMSC@csmd.edu or contact Pike at 301-934-7606.
Future “Share Your Stuff” days are being considered in Calvert and St. Mary's counties to include the wartime theme as well as the themes of agricultural history in Southern Maryland, African-American education in Southern Maryland the history of water industries and watermen in Southern Maryland.