The Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War’s intern, Lily Beall, spoke at the University of Tennessee’s Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Research Symposium on her work about women who served during World War II. Lily shared her research that women were invaluable to the war effort. For more information on women who served during […]
On July 29, 2025, Gail E. Link, daughter of uranium courier during the Manhattan Project, Wilbur S. Anderson, was interviewed a second time by the Center’s Director, Dr. Chris Magra. Anderson was drafted on June 1, 1943 but later worked with the Manhattan Project at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. One of his jobs for the project […]
March 11 2025. Dr. Chris Magra, director for the Study of Tennesseans and War, interviewed Gail E. Link about her father, Wilbur S. Anderson about his service in World War II. Anderson was drafted on June 1, 1943 but later worked with the Manhattan Project at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. One of his jobs for the […]
March 11 2025. Dr. Chris Magra, director for the Study of Tennesseans and War, interviewed Gail E. Link about her father, Wilbur C. Anderson about his service in World War II. Anderson was drafted on June 1, 1943 but later worked with the Manhattan Project at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. One of his jobs for the […]
The East Tennessee Historical Society held a symposium July 8-10, 2024 on historical connections between our region and World War II. Center Director Dr. Chris Magra was invited to talk about our archives. He partnered with Dr. John Romeiser and the East Tennessee Veteran Memorial Association to present stories of Tennesseans who fought in WW2. […]
The Veterans Heritage Site Foundation held a ceremony to honor WWII veterans who lived in the Smoky Mountains on Saturday, June 15 in Townsend, TN. Veterans invited our Director, Dr. Chris Magra, to speak about the history of the war and the ways in which the conflict changed the Smokies.
The Center was honored to interview William Phelps this week. He was born and raised in Tennessee, and he was drafted into the U.S. army during World War II. Phelps served with the 101st Airborne Division at some of the most momentous moments of the war. He was there for D-Day. He helped liberate the […]
The Center received a generous donation this week from George Zepp and the Keen Family. They provided us with three boxes full of World War II materials owned by William George Keen, an Army Air Force lieutenant. Donations such this have enabled Center researchers to piece together the stories of people from Tennessee who have […]
Our current Center graduate assistant, Mike McConnell was awarded a dissertation-writing award from the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation. This award is for Mike’s dissertation entitled “Home to the Reich: The Nazi Occupation of Europe’s Influence on Life Inside Germany, 1941-1945”. This is the eleventh major award won by graduate students active with the Center.
One of our Fellows at the Center for the Study of War and Society was featured in this past weekend’s Wall Street Journal column, “Five Best”, which usually has a prominent historian or writer suggesting personal choices for the best reading on a particular subject. Dr. John McManus, professor at Missouri University of Science […]