Friends of the UNCG Libraries

On Friday, November 3, more than 120 guests gathered at the Alumni House at UNCG. The attendees were primarily women veterans whose service ranged from the WWII era up to current UNCG students. Thanks to the generous sponsorship by UNCG Nursing alumna and Air Force Nursing veteran Glenda Schillinger the luncheon was free for all attendees. The luncheon featured an exhibit of uniforms and artifacts from the collections, music from UNCG student musicians, remarks from Jacqelean Gilliam and Martin Halbert as well as an excerpt from the theater production of Star Spangled Girls . The main program was a discussion among the women veterans who shared their experiences and insights about their service and the  Women Veterans Historical Project .

The Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project (WVHP) began with a luncheon in 1998 to honor the unrecognized military service of women, including many Woman's College (now UNCG) alumnae. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the WHVP and the 125th anniversary of UNCG, University Libraries will be celebrating the history of the WVHP and hearing from some of the veterans who are a part of the project. Thanks to the generosity of Glenda Schillinger, UNCG alumna and U.S. Air Force Nurse Corps veteran, tickets to the November luncheon will be free. As always, the luncheon is open to the public and all are invited. One of the primary focuses of the project is oral histories. This year, 17 new oral histories were added to the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives, including those from Megan Mead, Rachel Puckett, Barbara Marshall, Deborah Branson, Kate Germano, Caroline Cleveland and Amanda Westfall Dayman. The WVHP 20th anniversary luncheon will...