Table of Contents
Scope and Contents of the Collection
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Overview of the Collection |
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| Creator: | Billard, E. Thomas. |
| Title: | E. Thomas Billard Papers |
| Inclusive Dates: | 1932-1978 |
| Quantity: | 2.25 linear ft. |
| Abstract: | Papers of a Syracuse University MBA graduate and Vietnam War veteran, and his parents; includes correspondence and audio cassette recordings. |
| Language: | English |
| Repository: |
Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center |
Biographical History
E. Thomas Billard (1946- ) is a former American military officer, a native of McLean, New York and a 1981 MBA graduate of Syracuse University.
Frederick L. Billard, E. Thomas' father, was born in 1913 or 1914 to E.N. and Grace Billard. Billard graduated from Cornell and Syracuse Universities, and was a teacher and later educational administrator in the McLean and Dryden schools. He married Veronica Davern, with whom he had three children including E. Thomas (a fourth died in infancy). He was active in numerous professional and civic organizations, including serving on the McLean Fire District Board for twenty years, and was a charter member of the McLean Community Church. He died in 1997.
E. Thomas Billard was born in Catskill, NY, in 1946. He graduated from Cornell University in June 1968 and enlisted in the Army the following month. He attended Basic and Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Dix, New Jersey and then Engineer Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Following completion of the Engineer OCS course in June 1969, he received a commission in Military Intelligence and was assigned to the Army Security Agency. He served with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and volunteered to go to Vietnam, where he served from August 1970 to May 1971. While serving in Vietnam, Billard, in addition to writing traditional letters, sent a number of voice tapes recording his observations and travels during his tour of duty. Following the completion of his military service commitment, Billard left the Army in May 1971 for a civilian career.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The E. Thomas Billard Papers includes audio cassette recordings, correspondence, photographs and other memorabilia relating to Billard himself as well as to his father Frederick and mother Veronica Davern.
Correspondence falls into two groups. The first, from the 1930s and 1940s, consists of letters between Frederick L. Billard, his wife Veronica (Ronnie) Davern, and Frederick's parents E.N. and Grace. The second, from 1968-1971, consists of written letters and "audio letters" between E. Thomas Billard and his family in Upstate New York, including his parents Frederick and Ronnie.
Memorabilia includes photographs and slides. Most are from Billard's tour in Vietnam but some are from his trips to Thailand and Germany. The slides were received in two carousel boxes; one of these contained a loaded carousel, the other contained individual slides, some in smaller boxes as they would have come from the developer, others loose in the box. There is also a 25th Infantry military yearbook. There is a small amount of memorabilia relating to his parents Frederick and Ronnie.
Miscellaneous includes military documents relating to Billard's service.
Arrangement of the Collection
Correspondence tapes are arranged chronologically. Other material is alphabetical by type or topic.
Restrictions
Access Restrictions
The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed off site and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.
Use Restrictions
Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.
Related Material
Many of the audiorecordings have been digitized and are available via our Digital Collections page, in the E. Thomas Billard Papers collection. More detailed contents notes were taken during digitization. In some instances, the audio engineers were able to recover content thought to be deleted, as many of the audio cassettes were used more than once. Tapes are arranged chronologically, as best as possible. Some of the tapes evidently accompany some of the slides (see Memorabilia: Slides) but the connection has been lost as to which slides they go with.
Subject Headings
Persons
Corporate Bodies
Subjects
Places
Genres and Forms
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
E. Thomas Billard Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
Acquisition Information
Gift of E. Thomas Billard, 2015, 2020, 2022.
Finding Aid Information
Created by: PJM
Date: 13 Dec 2016
Revision history: 30 Jul 2018 - added link to digitized material (MRC);
10 Sep 2020 - additions (MRC);
22 Mar 2023 - parents' material added (MRC)
Inventory
Note on alternate formats:
Many of the audiorecordings have been digitized and are available via our Digital Collections page, in the E. Thomas Billard Papers collection. More detailed contents notes were taken during digitization. In some
instances, the audio engineers were able to recover content thought to be deleted,
as many of the audio cassettes were used more than once. Tapes are arranged chronologically,
as best as possible. Some of the tapes evidently accompany some of the slides (see Memorabilia: Slides) but the connection has been lost as to which slides they go with.
| Correspondence 1932-1947 | |||||||||||
| Box 1 | Correspondence 1932-1937 Nov - most are between Frederick L. Billard (Billard's father) and his parents E.N. and Grace Billard (11 folders) | ||||||||||
| Box 5 | Correspondence 1937 Nov - 1939 Jul - most are to/from Frederick L. Billard (Billard's father); later folders also include letters to/from his wife (Billard's mother) Veronica "Ronnie" Darven (10 folders) | ||||||||||
| Box 6 | Correspondence 1939 Jul - 1944 Oct - most are to/from Billard's parents, Frederick L. Billard and Veronica Darven (10 folders) | ||||||||||
| Box 7 | Correspondence 1944 Nov - 1947 Sep, undated - most are to/from Billard's parents, Frederick L. Billard and Veronica Darven | ||||||||||
| Correspondence 1970-1971 | |||||||||||
| Box 7 | Correspondence 1970-1971 - written, between E. Thomas Billard and his family | ||||||||||
| SCRC staff removed some original envelopes and replaced them with partially-redacted copies, due to possible SSN appearing as part of return address. More likely this was Billard's Army serial number, but out of an abundance of caution we have redacted it. | |||||||||||
| Box 2 | [Audio letter from family] Oct 3-4, 1970 - birthday parties and family gatherings; travel in Upstate New York; local events; Cornell football; weather; questions from family about Vietnam (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_001) | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | [Audio letter from family] Oct 10-15, 1970 - local events; Cornell football on WHCU; Billard to family on impressions of Vietnam; family time at the lake house with the Henrietta Billards (Tom’s brother’s family: John, Judy, Jimmy, Susan) (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_002) | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | [Audio letter from family] Oct 17-Nov 1, 1970 - family response to "Vietnam problems and resolution"; Billard's possible return; local events; weather; activities of John (brother) and Peter (brother); Australian troops in Vietnam (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_003) | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Tape #1 Nov 5, 1970 (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_033) | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Tape #2 Nov 5, 1970 (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_034) | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Vietnam Tapes Nov 8-19, 1970 (Audio cassette; running time 60) (ID#: billard_e_021) | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Vietnam Tapes Nov 15, [1970] - note on cassette case reads: "Tom - this tape has a message on it" (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_022) | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | [Audio letter from family] Nov 21-23, 1970 - Cornell football on WHCU; weather; Syracuse football; weather in Vietnam (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_004) | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | [Audio letter from family] Nov 27-29, 1970 - ristmas lists; Thanksgiving celebration; weather; music preferences (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_005) | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | The Classical Guitar #2 Dec 4, 1970 - classical guitar selections (dubbed from LP) (Audio cassette; running time 60) (ID#: billard_e_006) | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | Trip to Saigon, etc. Sides 1 and 2 copy Dec 10-17, 1970 - from Billard to family; trip to Saigon; Billard's general responsibilities; Billard's travel and observations; training; weather in Vietnam (Audio cassette; running time 60) (ID#: billard_e_007) | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | Trip to Saigon, etc. Sides 3 and 4 copy Dec 10-17, 1970 - from Billard to family; "Sunrise in Saigon" Radio; sending home souvenirs; American Forces Vietnam Radio; Nixon and the 1972 campaign; Trip to Australia; Sports; Christmas; observations of local dress and buildings; Saigon weather; Bien Hoa Air base (Audio cassette; running time 60) (ID#: billard_e_008) | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | Trip to Saigon, etc. [marked original tape in new case] [Dec 10-17, 1970] - from Billard to family; more on travels in Saigon and region; observations on work and the war; Billard's return; Long Binh Ward; weather; William Calley's Court Martial (Audio cassette; running time 60) (ID#: billard_e_010) | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Trip to Saigon, etc (transferred to another tape) [empty case] Dec 10-17, 1970 - most likely this is the case for billard_e_010 (ID#: billard_e_023) | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | [Audio letter from family] Dec 13-15, 1970 - Christmas Party; reading from magazines; local events; weather; call from Billard on Christmas Day? (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_009) | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | [Audio letter from family] [Dec 1970] - Christmas and family celebrations; personal updates on family members. Recovered audio from Billard to Family with Christmas greetings and personal messages (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_018) | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Vietnam Tapes Dec 24-25, 1970 (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_024) | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | Christmas Day 1970 Dec 25, 1970 - from family; local weather and events; local radio (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_011) | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Vietnam Tapes Dec 26-31, 1970 (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_025) | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | [Audio letter from family] Jan 3-5, [1971] - misdated on cassette as 1970; personal comments; veterans events in Cortland; local weather; Nixon; WHCU local radio (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_012) | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | [Audio letter from family] Jan 10-21, 1971 - holiday and birthday celebrations; WHCU radio; local events; weather; comments on slides Billard sent to family (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_013) | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Vietnam Tapes Jan 21-27, [1971] - misdated on cassette as 1970; (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_026) | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | [Audio letter from family] Jan 25, 1971 - children playing; Bill Cosby on Radio/TV; aftermath of winter storm (Audio cassette; running time 60) (ID#: billard_e_014) | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Vietnam Tapes Jan 30-31, 1971 (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_027) | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Slides: Trip to Tay Ninh Feb 2, 1971 - slides 58-77 (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_035) | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Slides: Long Bihn Depot 51-66; 372nd St. D, Slide Program 1 Feb 3-4, 1971 (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_036) | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Vietnam Tapes Feb 13-26, 1971 (Audio cassette; running time 60) (ID#: billard_e_028) | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Twelve Days at Xuan Loc; Trip to Xuan Loc, Slides Feb 19, 1971 (Audio cassette; running time 60) (ID#: billard_e_037) | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Program #4: Ben Luc, Saigon Feb 20, 1971 (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_038) | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Program #3: Trip to Ben Luc, Saigon; Trip to Con Son Feb 21 , 1971 (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_039) | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Vietnam Tapes Feb 28-4 Mar 4, 1971 (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_029) | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Program #5: Xuan Loc Mar 3-18, 1971 (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_040) | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | [Audio letter from family] Mar 4-5, 1971 - weather - blizzard; school closings; more comments on slides; WHCU radio (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_015) | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Vietnam Tapes: Blizzard; Good News! Mar 5-15, 1971 (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_030) | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Program #6 Mar 18, 1971 (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_041) | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Program #7 Mar 18, 1971 (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_042) | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | [Audio letter from family] Mar 21-23, 1971 - comments on weather; Billard's trip to Australia; local real estate market; family birthdays; WHCU radio (Audio cassette; running time 60) (ID#: billard_e_016) | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Trip to Australia #1 and #2 Mar 28-30, 1971 (Audio cassette; running time 60) (ID#: billard_e_031) | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | Australia #3 and #4 Mar 3-2 Apr 2, 1971 - from Billard to family; his trip to Australia; weather and local geography (Audio cassette; running time 60) (ID#: billard_e_017) | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Vietnam Tapes Apr 15-20, 1971 (Audio cassette; running time 60) (ID#: billard_e_032) | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | [Audio letter from family] undated - plans for after Billard's return; personal relationships (Audio cassette; running time 30) (ID#: billard_e_019) | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | [Audio letter from family] undated - local events; family events; personal relationships; weather; civilian jobs; war in Middle East (Audio cassette; running time 60) (ID#: billard_e_020) | ||||||||||
| Memorabilia | |||||||||||
| Box 4 | Photographs [1970-1971] - note reads "8 pictures described on tape 2/19/71 side 2 approx 1/4 to 1/3"; this probably refers to audiotape billard_e_037 | ||||||||||
| Box 4 | Photographs, miscellaneous Mar-Apr 1970 | ||||||||||
| Box 4 | Slides [carousel] 1970-1971 - originally in carousel; removed, sleeved, order retained; notes on outside of box indicate that one or more of the tapes may have narration to accompany, possibly billard_e_035 or billard_e_036 | ||||||||||
| Box 4 | Slides, family 1969, 1975-1976, undated | ||||||||||
| Box 4 | Slides, Germany trip 1978 | ||||||||||
| Box 4 | Slides, Thailand 1971 | ||||||||||
| Box 4 | Slides, [illegible] 1969, 1971 - originally in small box, with enclosed handwritten slip of paper | ||||||||||
| Box 4 | Slides, [illegible] 1976 - originally in small box, with enclosed handwritten slip of paper | ||||||||||
| Box 4 | Slides, miscellaneous 1969-1975 - received loose in second carousel box with no identifying information; arranged chronologically (3 folders) | ||||||||||
| Box 4 | Slides, miscellaneous information - handwritten slips of paper found loose in box; notes from outside of second carousel box | ||||||||||
| Box 4 | Yearbook, "25th Infantry Division in Viet Nam, 1966-1967" - includes luggage tags from military transport, Vietnamese and Thai paper money, found tucked inside front cover | ||||||||||
| Box 4 | Miscellaneous 1935-1939, 1969-1971 - photocopied clipping that mentions Veronica Davern, address notification from Fort Benning, Georgia, etc. | ||||||||||