NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) 鈥� Highlights from a trove of more than 200 that tell the story of a couple’s courtship and marriage during World War II are now on display digitally through the Nashville Public Library, offering an intimate picture of love during wartime.
The letters by William Raymond Whittaker and Jane Dean were found in a Nashville home that had belonged to Jane and her siblings. They were donated in 2016 to the Metro Nashville Archives.
Whittaker, who went by Ray, was from New Rochelle, New York. He moved to the Tennessee capital to attend the historically Black Meharry Medical College, according to the library’s metropolitan archivist, Kelley Sirko. That’s where he met and dated Jane, another student at the college.
The pair lost touch when Ray left Nashville. In the summer of 1942 he was drafted into the Army. Stationed at Fort Huachuca in Arizona, he decided to reestablish contact with Jane, who was then working as a medical lab technician at Vanderbilt University.
A ‘pleasant and sad surprise’
The library doesn’t have Ray’s first letter to Jane, but it does have her reply. She greets him somewhat formally as 鈥淒ear Wm R.鈥�
鈥淚t sure was a pleasant and sad surprise to hear from you,” she writes on July 30, 1942. “Pleasant because you will always hold a place in my heart and its nice to know you think of me once in a while. Sad because you are in the armed forces 鈥� maybe I shouldn鈥檛 say that but war is so uncertain, however I鈥檓 proud to know that you are doing your bit for your country.鈥�
Jane then goes on to list 鈥� perhaps as a hint? 鈥� a string of mutual acquaintances who have gotten married recently, noting those who have had children or are rumored to be having children. She signs off, 鈥淲rite, wire or call me real soon 鈥� Lovingly Jane.鈥�
A story told in letters
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 help but smile when you read through these letters,鈥� Sirko said. 鈥淵ou really can鈥檛. And this was just such an intimate look at two regular people during a really complicated time in our history.鈥�
Sirko said Nashville archivists have not been able to locate any living relatives of Ray and Jane, so most of what they know about them is from the letters. The couple did not have any children, according to an obituary for Ray, who died in Nashville in 1989.
The donation also included a few photographs and Ray’s patch from the historically Black fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha.
Beyond a love story, the collection gives “this in-the-moment perspective of … what it鈥檚 like just navigating certain racial issues, certain gender issues, their work, the life of a soldier, all of these things,” Sirko said. That’s why the archivists wanted to make it more accessible to the public.
Love and doubts
Just two months after the first letters, the romance has heated up. Ray has been assigned to Fort McClellan in Alabama, where he will help organize the reactivated 鈥� and segregated 鈥� 92nd Infantry Division, which went on to see combat in Europe.
In an undated letter from September 1942, he tells Jane, 鈥淚 have something very important to tell you when I do see you and you will be surprise to know as to what it is.
“I might even ask you to marry me. One never knows.鈥�
He teases her by saying that if he goes to officer training school, he will be able to 鈥渄raw down a fat juicey salary鈥� 鈥� about $280 a month if he is married and $175 if single.
鈥淩eally I can’t leave my excess amount of money to the government and must have someone to help me spend it,” he writes.
At first Jane is skeptical. 鈥淲hat makes you think you still love me?鈥� she asks on Sept. 23. 鈥淚s it that you are lonesome and a long way from home. I鈥檓 sure I want you to love me but not under those conditions.鈥�
A Sept. 24 letter from Ray is more serious. 鈥淓vents are changing so rapidly these days that one can’t really plan for the future. But I am going to make a decisive decision in matters of most importances,” he writes.
Ray says that he had thought he and Jane could not be together because they lived so far apart. He says he dated other women but 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 find the companionship and love that I so dearly wanted to find. All I ran into was trouble and more trouble.鈥�
A 鈥榙arling husband鈥�
Soon Ray wins her over, and they are married on Nov. 7 in Birmingham.
In a letter from Nov. 9, Jane addresses Ray as 鈥渕y darling husband.鈥� She is rapturous about the marriage but sad that the couple has to remain apart for now. She has already returned to her job and family in Nashville while he has returned to the Army base.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a wonderful thing to have such a sweet and lovely husband. Darling you鈥檒l never know how much I love you. The only regret is that we didn’t marry years ago… As it is now things are so uncertain and we are not together but such a few happy hours. But maybe this old war will soon be over and we can be together for always.”
She concludes, 鈥淒arling be sweet and write to me soon. I want a letter from my husband. Remember I鈥檒l always love you. Always 鈥� from Your Wife鈥�
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