A new exhibit is now on view at the Prince Family Veterans Resource Center in Vasey Hall. The exhibit, titled The V-12 Navy College Training Program: Villanova During World War II, showcases materials related to the V-12 training program hosted by Villanova College from 1943 to 1946.

During the second World War, Villanova’s student population significantly decreased, as numerous young men joined the armed forces. At this time, the US Navy selected Villanova, along with other institutions of higher learning, to house the V-12 Navy College Training Program. This program aimed to quickly increase the number of commissioned officers through an accelerated course of study that combined academic coursework and military training. During the years when the program was offered at Villanova, most of the college’s students were enrolled in it.

Case 1 from the new exhibit on the V-12 program at Villanova. Photo by Shawn Proctor, MFA, Communication and Marketing Program Manager.

The exhibit features reproductions of photographs, drawn from our digitized collections, that depict V-12 students training and studying. The exhibit also includes three letters written by Villanova V-12 graduate James D. Reap, Jr. to his parents during and after his participation in the training program. In his letters, Reap recounts his experience as a V-12 student and how it positively affected his career trajectory. In a letter dated February 5, 1944, Reap writes that other enlisted men “kind of respect us boys from the V-12 Unit.” The digitized letters and their full transcripts are also available through the Villanova Digital Library, along with other digitized materials from the James D. Reap, Jr. Collection. Paired with the letters is a US Navy hat worn by Reap while he participated in the Pacific Theater of World War II. (He served as a radar and communications technician aboard the USS Proteus, which was anchored near the USS Missouri when the Japanese surrender was formally signed in 1945.) Lastly, the exhibit features the 1944 and 1945 Belle Air Villanova yearbooks, which provide further information about the curriculum and leadership of the V-12 program.

Case 2 from the new exhibit on the V-12 program at Villanova. Photo by Shawn Proctor, MFA, Communication and Marketing Program Manager.

These materials come together to highlight the experiences of V-12 students and how their time at Villanova prepared them for leadership roles in the Navy, during one of the most critical moments in world history. You may view the exhibit, The V-12 Navy College Training Program: Villanova During World War II, during the spring and summer 2024 semesters at the Prince Family Veterans Resource Center in Vasey Hall!

If you are interested in additional projects that celebrate and preserve the legacies of Villanova veterans, make sure to also visit Honoring the Fallen: An Interactive Memorial Map, a Geographic Information System (GIS) map that shows where Villanova veterans died in service, as well as The Voices of Villanova’s Veterans oral history site, which includes interviews with Villanova veterans.

A new exhibit, Korean War: American Forces in Korea, is now available to view in the Prince Family Veterans Resource Center on the ground floor of Vasey Hall. The exhibit focuses on the Korean War, which was fought in 1950-1953 between North Korea, supported by China and the Soviet Union, and South Korea, supported by the United States. Following three years of conflict, the two sides agreed to an Armistice, resulting in a Demilitarized Zone along the 38th parallel north, which divides the Korean peninsula to this day. Korean War: American Forces in Korea was curated by Director of Distinctive Collections and Digital Engagement Michael Foight and Distinctive Collections Coordinator Christoforos Sassaris. It includes a range of materials covering the war, from 1950s comic books to a letter signed by President Harry S. Truman.

Korean War exhibit case 1

The first case, pictured above, includes two US military publications that shed light on the experiences of US troops stationed in Korea. The Hour Glass was a newspaper that chronicled the activities of the 7th Infantry Division; it provided US troops with information about Korean history, culture, and language. The Stethoscope served as a newsletter for the 7th Division’s 7th Medical Battalion; it includes illustrations drawn by members of the Battalion.

Plaque commemorating Villanova veteran Lt. Robert T. Munday outside John Barry Hall

The exhibit also commemorates Villanova alumnus Lt. Robert Munday, who was killed in action while serving as an officer in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War. In the first exhibit case, you may view a letter of condolence following Munday’s death signed by President Harry S. Truman, as well as an article on Munday published in a 1951 issue of the Lynx, a literary magazine published by Villanova College from 1948 to 1983. A plaque dedicated to the memory of Munday is found outside of John Barry Hall on the Villanova campus. Moreover, an entry on Munday is found on Honoring the Fallen: An Interactive Memorial Map, a Geographic Information System (GIS) map showing the locations where numerous Villanova veterans died in service. Another Villanova alumnus who died in Korea while serving in the Marine Corps is William Gaul, who is likewise commemorated with an entry on the GIS mapping project. A similar resource is the oral history project The Voices of Villanova’s Veterans, which includes interviews with numerous Villanovans who served in the armed forces.

Korean War exhibit case 2

The second exhibit case, pictured above, includes representations of the Korean War in the popular culture of the 1950s, including an issue of Collier’s magazine and four comic books depicting fictional scenes from the war. The page of Collier’s displayed in the exhibit showcases illustrations of US troops in Korea by artist Howard Brodie (1915-2010), who had previously become known for his sketches of World War II combat. These drawings demonstrate the heavy toll that continuous fighting took on US troops. The comics not only seek to engender sympathy toward troops, but also reflect several widespread attitudes, including McCarthyism, that would persist after the Armistice of 1953. These comics were all published shortly before the creation of the Comics Code Authority, which censored comics for decades, so Korean War-era comics were free to draw on the conventions of horror and similar genres in their depiction of wartime suffering.

Cover for Joe Yank, no. 10. New York: Standard Comics, February 1953.

Interestingly, one of the comic-book stories on display (“That’s What I Call Shooting,” found in Soldier Comics no. 11) emphasizes the importance of mapping technologies in war. For more information on this subject, read this article on Art of War: Illustrated and Military Maps of the Twentieth Century, an exhibit that was viewable in both Falvey Library and the Prince Family Veterans Resource Center during fall 2022.

You can see the full Korean War: American Forces in Korea exhibit during the spring 2023 semester at the Prince Family Veterans Resource Center in Vasey Hall!

By Shawn Proctor

This Memorial Day, Falvey and the Office of Veterans and Military Service Members at Villanova University wanted to share with our Villanova community a part of our project “The Voices of Villanova’s Veterans.” “Honoring the Fallen: An Interactive Memorial Map” displays the names of Villanova veterans killed in service, along with their branch of service, location, and year of death. For those veterans reported missing in action, we have mapped the nearest location of where they were last seen.

This project will honor the life and sacrifice of Villanova veterans who died while serving their country. Reflecting extensive research and collaboration, this interactive map will remember their service. This map allows users anywhere on the globe to access this map, and creates an access point for family members, the community, historians, and anyone else interested in learning about their legacy.

This Memorial Day—and every day—Villanova honors its veterans and pay tribute to their service and sacrifice by ensuring that they are never forgotten.

Note: This blog originally appeared May 31, 2021.

Shawn Proctor, MFA, is Communication and Marketing Program Manager at Falvey Memorial Library.

The memorial above rests in front of John Barry Hall, Villanova University.

“With profound respect, we salute all the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen from Villanova who sacrificed their lives in the defense of the nation. Their legacy of fidelity and valor abides forever ‘neath the spires of St. Thomas.” —The surviving Veterans of the Second World War (1999)

This Memorial Day and every day, Falvey Library honors those who have died in service to this country.

By Shawn Proctor

This Memorial Day, Falvey and the Office of Veterans and Military Service Members at Villanova University wanted to share with our Villanova community a part of our project “The Voices of Villanova’s Veterans.” “Honoring the Fallen: An Interactive Memorial Map” displays the names of Villanova veterans killed in service, along with their branch of service, location, and year of death. For those veterans reported missing in action, we have mapped the nearest location of where they were last seen.

This project will honor the life and sacrifice of Villanova veterans who died while serving their country. Reflecting extensive research and collaboration, this interactive map will remember their service. This map allows users anywhere on the globe to access this map, and creates an access point for family members, the community, historians, and anyone else interested in learning about their legacy.

This Memorial Day—and every day—Villanova honors its veterans and pay tribute to their service and sacrifice by ensuring that they are never forgotten.

Shawn Proctor, MFA, is Communication and Marketing Program Manager at Falvey Memorial Library.

Villanova Veterans speakers Michael Foight, Director of Distinctive Collections and Digital Engagement, Falvey Library; John Schofield CLAS; Michael Brown, Director, Office of Veterans and Military Service Members; and Vincent Arpa COE.

The Department of Veterans Affairs estimated in 2018 that 318 World War II veterans die every day. As they are lost, their voices, filled with stories of service and sacrifice, disappear forever.

At Falvey Memorial Library on Nov. 12, Villanova’s Office of Veterans and Military Members and the Library’s Distinctive Collections and Digital Engagement Department launched a collaboration “Lest We Forget: The Villanova Veterans History Project” that has begun to capture the unique voices and stories of veterans with connections to Villanova through digital recordings.

The recordings were engineered by Laura Bang, Distinctive Collections Librarian.

Digital Scholarship Librarian Erica Hayes overviewed the project’s interactive memorial map that honors Villanovans who have died in service to their country.

“This project has as a goal, to honor veterans, to hear their voices and to tell their stories. Whether it be through the Voices project, in an oral interview, or through the mapping project where we show more than just a name, we want to honor that sacrifice and service,” said Michael Brown, Director of Villanova’s Office of Veterans and Military Service Members and an Army Veteran. “I want you all, if you’re a veteran and have an interest, to come and tell your story as well. There’s value in that—we want to hear it. When you’re gone, which is hopefully a long time from now, maybe your grandchildren will want to hear that story too.”

More than 100 veterans, alumni, family, ROTC students, faculty, and staff attended the launch celebration, which included remembrances of two of the project’s 17 participants. They shared memories of their time in the armed services as well as their time as a student at Villanova.

Former US Navy Commander John Schofield CLAS discussed his time in Villanova’s NROTC program, where he struggled, graduating last in a class of 18, but found equal measures of support and tough love from his mentors. That pushed him to succeed then and built a foundation for success in his military service and beyond.

“The prevailing themes at Villanova and in the family of Villanovans is that you are going to make it and we love you. That speaks volumes about how special of a place this is, including for veterans,” he said. “I can’t thank you and Villanova enough for doing this.”

Villanova Veterans who are interested in participating in the project are encouraged to visit the website or email veterans@villanova.edu.

Villanova’s strong connection to service is reflected in the University’s proud tradition of military service.

Its Naval Reserve Officer Training Corp includes more than 90 Navy and Marine Corps midshipmen, under the advisement of a staff of highly trained and motivated sailors and marines. The program has produced more Navy Admirals and Marine Corps Generals than any other institution outside of the Naval Academy. The University also has an Army ROTC program, which trains and produces top level Cadets to serve as Army officers.

The University’s Office of Veterans and Military Members and Falvey Memorial Library’s Distinctive Collections and Digital Engagement Department are collaborating on a Villanova Veterans History Project called “Lest We Forget: The Villanova Veterans History Project” that will capture the unique voices and stories of veterans with connections to Villanova through digital recordings. It also features an interactive memorial map that honors Villanovans who have died in service to their country.

“Through extensive research and collaboration, our team created an interactive memorial map that will memorialize and remember the service of these Villanovans. In doing so, we hope to educate present and future generations about the cost of freedom and Villanova’s legacy of service,” said Michael Brown, Director of Villanova’s Office of Veterans and Military Service Members and an Army Veteran.

The launch of the digital project will be celebrated in Falvey Memorial Library’s Speakers’ Corner on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 4:30–7 p.m. The launch event will feature several project participants and Villanova University President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD.

This event is co-sponsored by the Office of Veterans and Military Service Members and Falvey Memorial Library.

Visit the digital project online at https://veteransvoices.library.villanova.edu/.

The Villanova Community and friends are cordially invited to join us at the event, “Lest We Forget: The Villanova Veterans History Project Launch and Reception” on Tuesday, November 12 from 4:30 p.m.- 7:30 p.m. in Falvey Memorial Library’s Speakers’ Corner. Please join us to honor Villanova’s Veterans!

What is the smallest item in your collection?

While our Distinctive Collections have many small and fascinating items (a Sumerian clay tablet, a miniature edition of Shakespeare’s plays), the smallest item has to be this tiny seed pod amazingly filled with even tinier carved ivory animals. This item belongs to the James D. Reap, Jr. World War II Collection, which coincidentally also houses one of the largest items from Distinctive Collections (see: Scanning a Panoramic Sketch).

Red Seed with Stopper and Ivory Animal Figures, 1944-1946?, shown with dime.

The little red seed comes from the red sandalwood tree, common in India and other tropic areas. Sometimes called the Red Lucky Seed, Circassian Seed, Jumbi-Bead, or magic charm bean, the hollow seeds filled with carved ivory animals (usually elephants) were likely sold or distributed as souvenirs that would bring good luck with each animal inside. This seed, like a fancy perfume bottle, has a carved stopper on top that fits just right. Inside easily and comfortably fits thirteen paper-thin little animals. The animals are intricately carved and some are quite recognizable. There is a camel and a giraffe, an elephant, and other four-legged creatures. Each one is only about 4 mm tall (the giraffe is 6 mm tall) and the seed with stopper measures 8 mm wide and 12 mm height.

We are not sure where Reap acquired it, but it was certainly while overseas between 1944-1946. After enlisting in the Navy in November 1943 and training at Bainbridge, MD and Fort Lauderdale, FL, he was then ordered to San Diego to join the Japanese invasion force. The USS White Marsh took Reap to Pearl Harbor, HI, where he was assigned to the USS Proteus, a submarine tender, as a radar and communications technician. He was stationed at various times at: Guam; Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands; Japan; and Panama. After the war, Reap was honorably discharged from Naval service on April 6, 1946.

Earlier this summer we had a chance to revisit this collection with James D. Reap, Jr.’s son and great-granddaughter during their visit to campus. They fondly remembered the little “ivory zoo” and son James J. Reap recalled his father proudly rolling out the sketch of Yokosuka Naval Base in his basement to show family and friends. The family is happy that the collection is now being preserved with Villanova University’s Distinctive Collections, and excited to see items shared online in the Digital Library.

James J. Reap, ’69 and his granddaughter, Abby, pose with items from the James D. Reap, Jr. World War II Collection.