DEBORAH BANKART EDDY PAPERS
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The Deborah Bankart Eddy collection consists primarily of correspondence to and from her family and friends during the time she served overseas with the Red Cross; Red Cross memorabilia; memorabilia from the National Ski Association and John Jay film productions; German, American , and Red Cross uniform patches and pins; miscellaneous pamphlets and newspaper clippings; photographs and a scrapbook.
The Roger Eddy collection (formerly M1868 Roger Eddy papers) that was merged with TMD324 consists of a Union Pacific Railroad panoramic perspective of the Sun Valley, Idaho, ski area; a 1941 Southern Pacific Lines and Connections map; correspondence with 10th Mountain Division members; and news clippings.
This series consists of correspondence between Deborah Bankart Eddy and her family and friends in 1945; correspondence between Deborah Bankart Eddy and the American Red Cross prior to the war, and 10th Mountain Division Association reunion correspondence between Deborah Bankart Eddy and 10th Mountain veterans. One file folder contains correspondence sent to Roger Eddy by Deborah Bankart Eddy on his return to the United States in 1945; another file contains correspondence to Roger Eddy from other 10th Mountain veterans.
This series consists of skiing-related materials from the National Ski Association, John Jay ski films, newsletters and a journal, World War II-related materials collected by Deborah Bankart Eddy during her service overseas with the American Red Cross, American Red Cross training documents and Red Cross pamphlets, reports, and memorabilia; and personal memorabilia including two of Debotrah Bankart Eddy's unpublished manuscripts. Ephemera from her childhood, engagement, and marriage, newspaper clippings, brochures, and memorial cards from both Deborah and Roger Eddy's memorial services are also included.
The majority of photographs in this series are undated, but cover Deborah Bankart Eddy's early skiing years through the end of WWII. Most photographs are black and white and can be identified as having been taken in Europe. One file contains 10th Mountain Division reunion photographs. The scrapbook contains photographs and memorabilia from Mrs. Eddy's pre-war skiing days.
Dates
- TBD
Language of Materials
Material is in English unless otherwise noted.
ACCESS:
The collection is open for research.
OWNERSHIP:
Literary and copyrights have been assigned to the Denver Public Library.
PUBLICATION RIGHTS:
All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from material in the collection should be discussed with the appropriate librarian or archivist. Permission for publication may be given on behalf of the Denver Public Library as the owner of the physical item. It is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained by the customer. The Library does not assume any responsibility for infringement of copyright or publication rights of the manuscript held by the writer, heirs, donors, or executors. Reproduction restrictions are decided on a case-by-case basis.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Deborah (Bankart) Eddy was born March 23, 1918 in Lynn, Massachusets, the daughter of Laurence and Miriam (Blood) Bankart. She graduated from the May School in Boston in 1936 and attended the Geneva College for Women in Switzerland for one year. The threat of war in Europe cut her education short and she returned to the United States.
An accomplished rider in her youth, Bankart won the 1930 under-twelve division championship for horsemanship at the Boston Horse Show. Later in the decade she became one of the first three women certified ski instructors in the United States. She headed the Hanover Ski School in Hanover, New Hampshire, and later spent three years traveling across the country showing ski movies produced by John Jay.
During World War II, Bankart assisted in recruiting for the Army's newly-formed 10th Mountain Division. In 1944 she volunteered for service with the Red Cross, which sent her to the front lines in Italy. She served with the rank of Captain as an ARC Clubmobile "doughnut girl" attached to the 10th Mountain Division and the IV Corps in Italy.
In 1946, Bankart married Roger Eddy, a Captain in the 10th Mountain Division whom she met at the end of the war. They were married for fifty-seven years. Bankart Eddy was an early environmentalist serving for many years on the board of the Control Connecticut Billboard Committee. She also served as the chair of the Governor's Clean Water Task Force in the 1960s. She was a leader of two Girl Scout troops over a sixteen year span. In 1966, she suffered a horseback riding accident that left her wheelchair bound. Despite this she continued her work with numerous volunteer associations. Deborah Bankart Eddy died April, 2004 at her home on Eddy Farm.
Bankart Eddy's husband, Roger W. Eddy, was born in Newington, Connecticut on March 29, 1920 and was an athlete at Yale before he joined the Army on August 28, 1942. He served as Captain with Company K, 87th Infantry Regiment in the 10th Mountain Division and returned to the family farm after the war. He entered politics and served as a state representative, state senator, and member of the Republican National Committee. In 1986 he accepted the party nomination in an unsuccessful bid for Christopher J. Dodd’s U.S. Senate seat.
Extent
1 Boxes (1 linear foot)
Other Finding Aids
PROVENANCE:
Deborah Bankart Eddy's correspondence, papers, photographs, and miscellaneous insignia were donated by her daughter Heidi Eddy Riggs on December 13, 2013. The Deborah Eddy and Captain Roger Eddy papers were merged at that time. The Roger Eddy collection consisted of maps, news clippings, and his correspondence with other 10th Mountain veterans.
SEPARATED MATERIAL
Several 10th Mountain Division-related publications (books, journals, and maps) were transferred to the Western History and Genealogy Department collections.
SIZE:
Number of Boxes: 1(1 linear foot)
LOCATION:
TMD 324
PROCESSED AND ENCODED BY:
Moya Hansen
September 2015
PROJECT MANAGER:
Abby Hoverstock
- Bankart family -- Photographs.
- Correspondence. Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Eddy family -- Photographs.
- Eddy, Deborah B., -- 1918-2004 -- Archives.
- Eddy, Roger W., -- 1920-2003 -- Archives.
- Ephemera. Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- National Ski Association of America -- Archival resources.
- Personal papers. Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Photographs. Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Ski troops. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Soldiers -- United States -- Correspondence. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- United States. -- Army. -- Mountain Division, 10th -- Archival resources.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, American, [French, etc.]. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945 -- War work -- Red Cross. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- DEBORAH BANKART EDDY PAPERS
- Date
- September 2015
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Denver Public Library, Western History and Genealogy Repository
