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Wesley Peterson Photographs

An inventory of his photographs at the Syracuse University Archives


Finding aid created by: Halsey Van Allen
Date: 2023

Biography

Wesley L. Peterson (1924-2018) graduated from Syracuse University in 1950 with a degree in mechanical engineering. He entered the University as a sophomore owing to transfer credits from a two-year college and integrated to the social scene quickly. He was a member of two fraternities, Pi Kappa Alpha, a Greek-letter society, and Alpha Phi Omega, a national service fraternity open only to former Boy Scouts. He was also a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

Peterson served in the United States Army in World War II and was part of the wave of veterans who attended college afterward thanks to the G.I. Bill. He took classes in the College of Applied Science, but like many buildings across campus, L.C. Smith Hall could not accommodate all the new veteran students, and he and fellow students were bussed to an off-site building for at least part of his studies. In this, Peterson felt the effects of the so-called G.I. Bulge, when the University's student population more than doubled, and many students took classes and lived in prefabricated army buildings. By his senior year, Peterson and his wife lived in the trailer park at Drumlins set aside for married student housing. These had kitchens and running water but only detached communal bathrooms.

Scope and Content Note

The Wesley Peterson Photographs comprise color photographs of the 1950 Syracuse University commencement ceremony and the postwar Drumlins trailer park, where he and his wife lived while he was a student.

Alternative Formats

Some photographs in this collection have been digitized and may be accessed upon request.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

There are no access restrictions for this collection.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from the Syracuse University Archives and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

The University Archives holds the Syracuse University World War II Collection.

Selected Search Terms

Names

Peterson, Wesley, 1924-2018.
Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.

Subjects

College students.
Student housing.
Veterans.
Higher education.

Types of Material

Photographs.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Wesley Peterson Photographs,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Wesley Peterson in 2000.

Processing Information

Photographs were placed in archival plastic sleeves for protection.

Table of Contents

Syracuse University

Inventory