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John D. Quint Papers

An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: Dane Flansburgh
Date: 9 Mar 2021

Biographical History

John D. "Jack" Quint (1945 or 1947-1996) was a United States World War II Army veteran.

Originally from Westchester County, New York, Quint joined the junior group of the Army program located in Auburn, NY at 17 years old. The program worked with Syracuse University to teach specialized skills to the juniors. He earned the rank of Private First Class in 1944. In May 1945, he was sent from the United States into the Philippines and later Korea.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The John D. Quint Papers consists of correspondence, military papers, photographs and a small amount of printed material.

Correspondence spans from August 1943 to June 1946 and is almost exclusively outgoing to Quint's parents. The letters and occasional postcards were written semi-daily with breaks of a few months occurring occasionally and are usually signed "All my love, Jack." The letters, predominantly handwritten, are typically about Quint's day-to-day experiences and often include additional materials enclosed with the letters, such as currency, documents, flower petals, maps, menus, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, receipts, tickets, vouchers and other paper materials. Notable topics include recollections of sleeping in the Syracuse University gymnasium while awaiting transportation to Auburn, New York; a description of the Case Mansion, now known as the Willard-Case Mansion, in Auburn; a newspaper clipping about a calculator that was developed at Cambridge; a "law-abiding" citizen card issued to allow someone to be protected by the Japanese Imperial Army; and a clipping about US bombings in Tokyo and Osaka with totals of each type of Japanese ship the United States had been able to sink between 1941 to 1945.

Military papers are a single folder of various documents from 1943 to 1945 issued or given to Quint. The documents include military orders, a trainee code of conduct, a notice of assignment, and a handout made by Quint's division. Of interest are Quint's initial orders which detail the itinerary of the trip from his home to the training location in Auburn, New York, making a brief stop in Syracuse.

Photographs contain 35 individual printed photographs and four negatives. The photographs date as late as 1947 and include both personal and military. The personal photographs are all wallet-sized and include undated pictures of unidentified men and women, two candid shots at a park, five 1947 photographs of Quint with a man and a young girl, and two photographs from a flood in 1947. The military photographs include an oversize formal group portrait of Quint and his company, a large headshot of Quint, photographs of Quint in his uniform, photographs taken around the bunkers he was at, and documentation of his time in the military. Of note is a set of three photographs showing the destruction of buildings, presumably from the war.

Printed material spans from 1943 to 1945 and includes two newsprint clippings, three Korea Graphic newspapers, and one Christmas menu.

Arrangement of the Collection

Correspondence and military papers are arranged chronologically with undated and miscellanous material located at the end. Photographs are subdivided into personal and military. Printed material is arranged alphabetically by type of materia.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite 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.

Subject Headings

Persons

Quint, John D.

Corporate Bodies

Syracuse University -- History.

Subjects

Soldiers -- United States.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, American.

Places

New York (State)

Genres and Forms

Clippings (information artifacts)
Correspondence.
Photographs.
Postcards.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

John D. Quint Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Purchase, 2021.

Table of Contents

Correspondence

Military papers

Photographs

Printed material

Inventory