Gifford Doxsee Collection
Scope and Content
The collection spans from the 1980s to the 2010s and is composed of publications, correspondence, and various records from veteran's organizations. Publications include periodicals published by veteran's organizations, newspaper clippings, magazine articles and newsletters. Topics of the publications include Kurt Vonnegut, World War II research, and veteran experiences during and after the war. Doxsee's correspondence covers World War II research and collected publications, his experiences as a veteran, visits to Europe, and information about POWs. Records from organizations for veterans, such as AX-POW, the 106th Infantry Division, Veterans of Battle of the Bulge, AMVETS, and VFW include correspondence about special local events, meeting attendance and various reunions. Also included is Doxsee's personal account of his time as a Prisoner of War in Dresden, Germany, and responses from various readers, including Kurt Vonnegut and several publishers.
Dates
- Creation: circa 1940s-2012
Creator
Language of Materials
The records are in English.
Biography of Gifford Doxsee
Gifford Doxsee was born on July 4, 1924, in Bay Shore, New York to Robert Lenox Doxsee and Jessie May Gifford Doxsee. After graduating from Freeport High School in 1942, he enlisted in the United States Army, where he would serve in World War II in the 106th Infantry Div. 3rd Bn HQ Co., 423 Infantry Regiment. During his service, he was taken as a prisoner of war for five months in Dresden, Germany, where he would meet Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut's novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, would reflect on their experience in Dresden.
In 1948, Doxsee graduated from Cornell University and went on to earn a graduate degree in modern European history from Harvard University in 1949. He taught at the American University in Beirut, Lebanon, from 1952 to 1955. In 1966, he earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University. In 1958, Doxsee moved to Athens, Ohio, to teach European, African, and Middle Eastern history at Ohio University. During his years as a professor, he served the university in a variety of ways: he was chair of the Energy Conservation Committee in the 1970s, as well as director of the African Studies program from 1983 to 1991. He retired in 1994 and was named Professor Emeritus of History.
Outside of Ohio University, Doxsee was an active member of the Athens community. He served as director for the Athens County Historical Society and Museum, Rural Action, Planned Parenthood of Southeast Ohio and Appalachian Community Hospice, and was a member of the Athens Reading Club and the Kiwanis Club of Downtown Athens. He volunteered at the Hocking Correctional Facility in Nelsonville, Ohio, both as a teacher of GED classes and as an Advisory Council member of the Kairos Prison Ministry.
Doxsee served as adjunct/treasurer of the Mid-Ohio Valley Chapter of American Ex-Prisoners of War, as JVC of the Department of Ohio, as well as within 106th Infantry Division Association. In 2011, he was inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame. He remained active in these organizations well into his later years, and would document his experience as a prisoner of war in his work titled "Letter to Ada."
He married Mary Letitia Cowan, a fellow Ohio University professor, in 1964, and the couple enjoyed a long marriage until Mary's death in 2008.
Gifford Doxsee died on July 16, 2017, at the age of 93.
Extent
1 cubic feet (1 box containing 31 folders)
Abstract
This collection contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs and publications collected by Gifford Doxsee mostly centered around World War II, as well as information from Prisoner of War accounts, information from veterans' organizations, and Doxsee's "Letter to Ada" documenting his time as a prisoner of war alongside Kurt Vonnegut.
Statement of Arrangement
The items in the collection have retained their original order.
Description Note
Original, legacy collection inventories may contain inaccuracies or be incomplete. Collection descriptions may change or be updated as they are verified. Please contact Mahn Center staff if you note any errors or discrepancies.
Subject
- Title
- Guide to the Gifford Doxsee Collection
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Miranda Christy
- Date
- 2022
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English
Revision Statements
- 5 January 2024: Subjects and other notes added from ALICE MARC records and Mahn Center Microsoft Office finding aids by Ohio University Libraries Metadata Services Department Python scripts.
Repository Details
Part of the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections Repository