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DENIS P. NUNAN PAPERS

 Collection
Identifier: TMD33

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

World War II correspondence between Nunan and his mother, Mrs. Richard D. Rickard comprises the bulk of the collection. Additional correspondence includes wartime letters from Nunan to his sister-in-law, Mrs. M.G. Nunan, and post-war correspondence received by Denis Nunan. Other material includes copies of pencil sketches Nunan made while stationed at Camp Carson, Colorado and on Kiska Island. Three photograph albums contain snapshots documenting Nunan's training at numerous Army posts and his participation in the invasion and occupation of Kiska Island.

SERIES 1 MILITARY SERVICE 1942-1944 BOX 1

The series contains limited memorabilia from Nunan's service with the 10th Mountain Division. Also included are notebooks, journals and loose journal pages, which contain Nunan's notes and reflections about his military training. Copies of twenty-two pencil sketches, which Nunan made of Kiska Island and Camp Carson, Colorado complete the series.

SERIES 2 PERSONAL PAPERS 1942-2001 BOX 1-2

The series primarily contains Nunan's wartime letters to his mother and to his sister-in-law. Additional material includes correspondence received by Nunan, biographical data, insurance papers and an obituary for Joe Harris.

SERIES 3 OVERSIZE 1943-1945 OVFF1-2

Annotated maps document military operations on Kiska Island and in Italy. One additional map shows the Banff-Jasper highway in Saskatchewan, Canada. Also included is a souvenir brochure from Venice, Italy prepared by the Eighth Army and a scrapbook filled with newspaper clippings related to military operations in Italy.

SERIES 4 PHOTOGRAPHS 1943-1945, PHOTOBOX 1-2

Three photograph albums and several loose photographs comprise the series. Photographs include black and white snapshots, which document training at Camp Roberts, California; Fort Lewis, Washington; the Columbia Ice Fields; Hunter-Liggett Military Reservation, California and Camp Hale, Colorado. Also included are snapshots documenting the occupation of Kiska Island in the Aleutians and non-combat scenes from the Italian Campaign.

Dates

  • 1942-2001

Language of Materials

Materials are in English.

ACCESS:

The collection is open for research.

COPYRIGHT:

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

Denis P. Nunan (1910-1983) was born in Morristown, New Jersey and graduated from Summit High School, Summit, New Jersey. From 1929 to 1931, Nunan worked as a page for the New York Stock Exchange. In April 1931, he accepted a position with International Business Machines Corporation where he held numerous positions including instruction manual writer, testing department technician, instructor and field complaint investigator.

In January 1942, Nunan joined the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment. He was stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington; Camp Hale, Colorado; Camp Carson, Colorado and Camp Swift, Texas. Nunan trained briefly at Fort Ord, California for the invasion and recapture of Kiska Island, which had been occupied by Japanese forces in June 1942. On August 15, 1943, Nunan participated in the landings on Kiska and remained as part of the American occupation force until November 1943. Following rigorous winter warfare training at Camp Hale and live-fire infantry training at Camp Swift, Nunan deployed to Italy in January 1945, where he engaged in combat operations against the German Army until May 2, 1945. During his time with the 10th Mountain Division, Nunan rose from the rank of private to the rank of First Sergeant of Company C, 87th Infantry Regiment making him the top enlisted soldier in a company of approximately 200 men.

Following the war, Nunan worked as a mountain guide, ranch hand and salesman. Eventually, he returned to work for International Business Machines Corporation as a production analyst and later as production manager. Nunan and his wife, Verona had three sons.

Extent

2 box(es)

2 oversize box(es)

2 photo box(es)

PROVENANCE:

Gift; Timothy Nunan (son); 2001.

SELECTION OF RELATED MATERIAL

10th Mountain Division TMD1

SIZE:

Boxes: 2 (.75 linear feet)

OVFF: 2

PhotoBox: 2

LOCATION:

TMD33

PROCESSED AND ENCODED BY:

Dennis Hagen

2007

REVISED BY:

Dennis Hagen

September 2008

PROJECT MANAGER:

Ellen Zazzarino

Title
DENIS P. NUNAN PAPERS
Date
Revised September 2008
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Denver Public Library, Western History and Genealogy Repository

Contact:
10 W. 14th Ave. Pkwy
Denver CO 80204 United States