EARL E. CLARK PAPERS

10th Mountain Division soldiers began planning an "Alumni Association" before World War II had even ended. They were determined to perpetuate one of the unique combat forces in American military history. Their efforts resulted in the creation of the 10th Mountain Division Alumni Association, whose first meeting was held in Brooklyn, New York in late 1945. By 1946, the Association had grown substantially. However, the membership primarily reflected the Eastern United States. By 1959, additional chapters provided a more national scope, but many veterans wanted a stronger, more active organization. In 1971, Earl Clark was elected Association President, with a mandate to reorganize.

The Alumni Association filed new articles of incorporation in Colorado on August 12, 1971 as the National Association of the 10th Mountain Division. It remained committed to fostering friendships among the World War II veterans of the 10th Mountain Division, and to encouraging mountain and winter warfare training within the current American armed forces.

Earl E. Clark Papers span 1941-2007 and National Association of the 10th Mountain Division records comprise the bulk of the collection. Administrative records, Association correspondence, Association reunion records and Association chapter records document Earl Clark's leadership role in the operations and activities of the Association. Records include correspondence, newspaper clippings, meeting minutes, agendas and reports, memorial service programs, obituaries, planning materials and limited financial papers.

Affiliated 10th Mountain Division organizations represented in the collection include the 10th Mountain Division Foundation, 10th Mountain Hut and Trail Associations, 10th Mountain Division Resource Center, 10th Mountain Division Living History Display Group, 10th Mountain Division Alumni Association and the 10th Mountain Division War Memorial Foundation. Records include correspondence, newspaper clippings, brochures and financial documents,

Additional records document Clark's involvement with related military units, veterans' groups and skiing organizations. The collection includes material from the 99th Battalion (separate), the Civilian/Military Institute, the International Federation of Mountain Soldiers, the Military Mountaineering Advisory Group and numerous ski museums. These records include correspondence, press releases, brochures, programs, newspaper clippings and articles.

Clark's personal papers include his autobiography, My Life Story. Also included are numerous letters that Clark sent to his mother while he served with the 10th Mountain Division during World War II. Clark's personal correspondence also includes a limited number of post-war letters. Clark's military service is chronicled through military records, which span 1942-1963. Memorabilia, reflecting both World War II and numerous Association activities is also included. Black and white photographs, negatives and color photographic prints span 1941-2000 and include both World War II and post-war subjects.

Administrative records document Clark's involvement not only in the day-to-day activities of the National Association, but also in planning and directing the organization. Administrative records are arranged alphabetically by subject, then chronologically within a subject. General records include correspondence, memos, reports, newspaper clippings and articles. Association meetings are documented through agendas, minutes, proposals reports and notes. Planning documents reflect memorial services as well as the maintenance work done on various 10th Mountain Division monuments. Numerous obituaries, announcements, service programs, eulogies and correspondence mark the passing of Association members. Also included are limited financial documents and a substantial body of correspondence documenting Clark's public relations activities, including his personal appearances and presentations given in partnership with Richard Over.

Clark's tenure as Association President and Chairman of the Board of Directors, and his involvement in planning numerous reunions and other activities, resulted in a substantial body of Association correspondence. Letters are arranged alphabetically by correspondent.

The series also includes records of numerous 10th Mountain Division veteran reunions held both within the United States and in Italy. Reunion records are arranged chronologically by the date of the reunion. Included are correspondence, registration forms and rosters, planning documents, notes, brochures, maps and limited financial records.

The National Association of the 10th Mountain Division is divided into twenty-two local chapters. Each chapter conducts its own reunions, memorials and other activities. The bulk of the chapter records in this collection derive from the Rocky Mountain Chapter and the New England Chapter. Records are arranged alphabetically by chapter, then chronologically within each chapter.

The formation of the 10th Mountain Division Alumni Association predated and eventually led to the creation of the National Association of the 10th Mountain Division. Alumni Association records in this series include hand-written notes and a book announcement.

The 10th Mountain Division Foundation, Inc., was initially created as a separate, non-profit Colorado corporation in order to finance the construction of the 10th Mountain Division's World War II monument at Tennessee Pass, Colorado. Since the completion of this monument in 1959, the Foundation has continued to fund scholarships and other projects on behalf of the Association. Foundation records in this collection include correspondence, memos and financial documents.

In 1982, the 10th Mountain Division Trail Association was created as a publicly funded, not-for-profit organization, in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, to plan, finance, build and manage a mountain hut and trail system for public use. It was patterned after a similar European concept. The name was changed from Trail Association to Hut Association in 1993. The series includes articles of incorporation, correspondence, brochures, maps, guidebooks, newspaper clippings and press releases.

Also in 1982, Flint Whitlock founded the 10th Mountain Division Living History Display Group to honor his late father, a 10th Mountain Division veteran, and all of the other soldiers who served with the 10th Mountain Division during WWII. The 10th Mountain Division Living History Display Group is a non-profit Colorado corporation that reaches over 300,000 people a year through its traveling displays. The series includes brochures, correspondence and a display manual.

In 1987, the National Association of the 10th Mountain Division signed agreements with the Denver Public Library and the Colorado Historical Society to create the 10th Mountain Division Resource Center as a repository for the Division's historical records and artifacts. This series includes reports, correspondence, meeting minutes, notes, agreements, programs and planning documents. Records are arranged chronologically.

The 10th Mountain Division War Memorial Foundation predated the 10th Mountain Division Foundation. The series includes hand-written notes and meeting minutes.

The 99th Battalion (separate) was a World War II combat unit comprised entirely of native-born Norwegians and first-generation Norwegian-Americans. The unit trained briefly at Camp Hale beside the 10th Mountain Division. The series includes a 99th Battalion veterans newsletter.

The Civilian/Military Institute was founded in 1975 by the Air Force Academy Foundation, Inc., to facilitate communication between the civilian and military sectors of society. Former Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, played an instrumental role in creating the institute. The series includes background information, a meeting agenda and two position papers.

The International Federation of Mountain Soldiers was created in 1985, with the strong support of the National Association of the 10th Mountain Division. Today the International Federation of Mountain Soldiers represents more than 450,000 mountain troop veterans and active duty mountain troops from nine nations: Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and the United States. Each year since 1985, the Federation has sponsored an annual congress in one of the member nations. The series includes correspondence, speech texts, itineraries, agendas, brochures, newspaper clippings and press releases. The bulk of the material relates to the Federation's annual congresses and is arranged chronologically.

The Military Mountaineering Advisory Group was established in the fall of 1982 by the National Association's Executive Committee to promote the continued training of mountain troops within the current military establishment. The series includes correspondence, position papers, reports, meeting agendas, newspaper clippings and rosters.

The series also includes limited materials from several ski museums, and ski history associations.

Clark's World War II correspondence with his mother comprises the bulk of the material in the series. Clark's military records span 1942-1963 and include correspondence, orders, transfers, awards, medical reports and performance evaluations. Limited personal correspondence spans 1963-2004. Memorabilia includes World War II patches, pins and medals. Additional memorabilia includes programs, scrapbook pages and newspaper clippings. Material in the series is arranged chronologically by subseries.

Memorabilia includes primarily flags and banners, which Clark obtained during his attendance at numerous 10th Mountain Division reunions. The bulk of the material is from European reunions.

The series includes four skiing films and an audio tape.

The series includes both color and black and white photographs, as well as black and white negatives. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject. Approximately half of the photographs document World War II training at Fort Lewis, Washington and Camp Hale, Colorado. The remaining photographs depict post-war memorial services, ceremonies and reunions. Photographs are arranged alphabetically by subject and then chronologically within each subject.

Series 8 consists of materials donated after the original collection was processed. It includes National Association of the Tenth Mountain Division records, Tenth Mountain Division Foundation records, photographs, correspondence, VHS cassettes, DVDs, plaques and awards.