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Captain O.C. McDavid World War II Letters, Digital Collection

Digitization, USS Houston & Military History
detail of correspondence from O.C. McDavid

detail of correspondence from O.C. McDavid

More good news from the good people over at our Digital Library!  The digital collection of Captain O.C. McDavid’s World War II correspondence is now live and online.

An old-school Mississippi journalist, O.C. McDavid was born in Ruth, Mississippi in 1911 and started honing his newspaper chops in high school, sweeping the floor of a local print shop.  As he pursued his journalism career, the outbreak of World War II brought about a fateful detour.  Stationed in the Gilbert Islands, his letters home from the South Pacific resound with the wonder and insight of a professional writer.

A visual artist as well (McDavid would go on to become a prolific sculptor later in life), his letters home were often punctuated with sketches and drawings from half a world away.  While the original materials have remained available for study in the Special Collections Reading Room, the work of the Digital Library allows patrons to remotely access and enjoy this distinct narrative of World War II.

You can find more information on O.C. McDavid and his writings online or in person.

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