Guide to the Records of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1946, 1942-2010

The Records of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1946, comprising 11.25 linear feet of documentation, span the period from 1942 to 2010. The papers focus primarily on the biographies of individual class members and on the activities, such as reunion events and reunion book publication, of regional alumni groups and the class as a whole.

The collection is of composed letters, press clippings, photographs, reunion books, registers and directories, questionnaires, email printouts, floppy disks, compact discs (CDs) and miscellaneous publications such as newsletters and annual reports.

The Records of the Class of 1946 are organized into five series by document type. BIOGRAPHICAL FILES consists of individual files for each class member, as well as materials pertaining to the activities of regional alumni groups. This series is also home to the majority of individual portraits in the collection. REUNION FILES pertains to the production of class publications, such as reunion memory books and the 50th anniversary edition of The Log, as well as the organization and activities of the reunions themselves. Class member rosters constitute REGISTERS AND DIRECTORIES. The use of this series is restricted to members of the Class of 1946 due to the presence of personally identifiable information. Other material pertaining to the Class of 1946 and its alumni activities, such as the class constitution, the class crest, and graduation material, can be found in SUBJECT FILES AND EPHEMERA. Event photographs, group portraits, and unidentified individual portraits are housed in PHOTOGRAPHS.

United States Naval Academy Class of 1946. Twenty Five Years Later 1945-1970. [S.l.]: United States Naval Academy, Class of 1946, [1971?] (Spec Coll V415.K4 1946 U5 1971)

United States Naval Academy Class of 1946. United States Naval Academy Class of 1946: 60th Class Reunion Memory Book. [S.l.]: By the USNA Class of 1946 Association, c2005. (Spec Coll V415.K4 1946 H5 2005)

BIOGRAPHICAL FILES, 1951-2010. (Boxes 1-21)

Organized into two sub-series by subject.

Biographical material on individual members of the Class of 1946, as well as material pertaining to the membership and activities of regional alumni groups.

Individuals: Arranged alphabetically by class member.

Documentation pertaining to the careers and personal lives of individual members of the Class of 1946 (both graduate and non-graduate). Included in the sub-series are biographical data questionnaires, incoming and outgoing letters, press clippings, obituaries, photographs, Reunion/Memory Book submissions, and miscellaneous publications such as newsletters and annual reports. The majority of the correspondence is addressed to class corresponding secretary Charles Virgil "Daisy" Wilhoit, Jr.

Included in the sub-series is a file pertaining solely to those graduates of the Class of 1946 who achieved Flag rank.

Alumni Groups: Arranged alphabetically by alumni group.

Documentation of the activities and membership of the various, regional Naval Academy alumni groups. The materials pertain largely to the reports of group representatives, and the planning and advertising of events such as luncheons and dinners. Included in the sub-series are incoming and outgoing letters, group registers, leaflets and broadsides, and photographs.

REUNION FILES, 1969-2010. (Boxes 22-24 and 27 [OS]-28 [OS])

Organized into three sub-series by subject.

Documentation of the reunion activities and publications of the Class of 1946. Ephemera and realia pertaining to class reunions can be found in SUBJECT FILES AND EPHEMERA.

Reunion Book Materials: Arranged chronologically by reunion year, thereunder alphabetically by document type.

Documentation of the production of class reunion books, primarily for the class's 25th, 50th, and 60th reunions. The material pertains mainly to class member submissions and biographies, as well as correspondence pertaining to overall production. Included in the sub-series are incoming letters, email printouts, biographical sketches, photographs, and floppy disks. The 50th Reunion Book, the only complete book in the series, pertains strictly to the 10th Company.

The Log Materials: Arranged alphabetically by document type.

Documentation pertaining to the publication of the May 14, 1995 issue of The Log magazine, produced in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Class of 1946. Included in the sub-series are draft articles, mock-ups, questionnaires, photographs, letters, and full issues of The Log.

General: Arranged chronologically by reunion year, thereunder alphabetically by document type.

Documentation pertaining to various aspects of reunions of the Class of 1946, from the 30th reunion to the 65th reunion. The material pertains to such reunion aspects as class gifts, events (such as memorials, banquets, and balls), toasts and invocations, publications (e.g. anniversary edition of Reef Points), and the appointment of a class archivist, as well as individual class member recollections. Included in the sub-series are event programs, press clippings, letters, and rosters.

Included in the sub-series are congratulatory letters from Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Also included in the sub-series are several compact discs (CDs) containing photographs from the Class of 1946 65th reunion, a PowerPoint presentation about the Academy and the Class of 1946's contributions, and an audio recording of a sermon.

REGISTERS AND DIRECTORIES, 1945-1995 (Boxes 24-25)

Arranged alphabetically by document title.

Registers, directories, and rosters of the members of the Class of 1946, published by both the Naval Academy, and the class alumni association. The materials include member names, addresses, occupation, and class standing.

Due to the presence of personally identifiable information, use of this series is restricted to members of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1946.

SUBJECT FILES AND EPHEMERA, 1942-2005 (Boxes 25-26)

Arranged alphabetically by subject or document type.

Various documents relating to the Class of 1946's alumni activities, as well as the class graduation. Specifically, the materials pertain to the class constitution, charitable giving, donation of the class papers to Special Collections & Archives, the class crest, the military careers of the children of alumni, and graduation from the Naval Academy. Included in the series are letters, pamphlets, press clippings, magazines, memory books, and a limited amount of ephemera/realia. Unless otherwise noted, all material pertains to the Class of 1946.

Included in the series are buttons and name tags from the Class of 1946 45th Reunion. Additional material pertaining to the 45th Reunion can be found in REUNION FILES.

Among the graduation material are commencement programs and James Forrestal's commencement address, both dating from June 1945.

PHOTOGRAPHS, 1978-1995 (Box 26)

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

Photographic prints depicting Class of 1946 alumni, primarily at official class reunions and informal class gatherings, as well as several unidentified individual and group portraits. Included in the series are black-and-white and color prints of various sizes.

One photograph features several alumni aboard USS Harry E.Yarnell (Guided missile cruiser: CG-17).
Additional portraits of individual class members can be found in BIOGRAPHICAL FILES.