]> Finding Aid for the Anne Elisabeth Heyer Papers, 1942-1946 and undated Processed by: Beverley Roberts; machine-readable finding aid created by: Beverley Roberts University Archives & ManuscriptsThe University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Greensboro, NC, USA
2007 Machine-readable finding aid derived from XML authoring program. Date of source: August 2006. Description is in English. Finding aid was prepared using DACS. Finding Aid for the Anne Elisabeth Heyer Papers, 1942-1946 and undated University Libraries, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro &hdrnguscua; Descriptive Summary The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. University Archives & Manuscripts. Heyer, Anne Elisabeth, 1918- Anne Elisabeth Heyer Papers, 1942-1946 and undated WV0320 Material in English. 2.25 linear feet Approximately 600 items For current information on the location of these materials, please consult University Archives & Manuscripts. Sergeant Anne Elisabeth "Betty" Heyer served as a photography repair technician in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) and the Women's Army Corps (WAC) from November 1942 until she was discharged in November 1945. Between December 1944 and October 1945 Heyer was stationed in the Philippines and New Guinea. Correspondence written by Anne Elisabeth "Betty" Heyer, primarily addressed to her sister, contains information regarding Heyer's experiences in the WAAC and WAC between 1942 and 1945. Specific subjects include basic training, her daily life, photography, recreation, her physical surroundings in the Philippines and New Guinea, descriptions of native villages, and visits to Manila and Corregidor. Personal and printed military material, approximately 500 military photographs, a scrapbook, and other artifacts also document Heyer's military service. Administrative Information Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

 Copyright Notice

Copyright is retained by the creators of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

 Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Anne Elisabeth Heyer Papers (WV0320), Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC, USA.

 Acquisitions Information

Gift of the Damiano family in 2005.

 Processing Information

Processed by Beverley Roberts, July 2006

Encoded by Beverley Roberts, August 2006

 Biographical Note

Anne Elisabeth Betty Heyer was born in Denver, Colorado on 7 October 1918, and grew up in Los Angeles, California where she graduated from Hollywood High School in 1936. Heyer had an older brother, Vernon, and a younger sister, Harriette "Topsy". Before joining the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) in November of 1942, Heyer worked at Sears Roebuck.

Heyer served as a sergeant in the WAAC and Women's Army Corps (WAC) until she was discharged in November 1945. She attended basic training at Daytona Beach, and also trained at Fort Des Moines, Iowa, and Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. In addition, Heyer graduated from Photography School at Lowry Field in Colorado in 1943, where she trained to be a photographic repair technician. Heyer served for roughly one year, beginning in November 1944, in New Guinea and the Philippines. During this time she received several decorations, including the Good Conduct Medal, the Women's Army Corps Service Medal, the Asian Pacific Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the Philippine Liberation Medal, and the Presidential Unit Citation.

After her discharge in 1945 Heyer attended North Hollywood Night School, Sawyer's Business School, Pasadena City College, and Marymount College. Heyer had a variety of jobs after leaving the army, including working as an editor and manager of technical publications at Garrett Air Turbine from 1967 to 1983.

Biographical information provided by Heyer's niece.

 Collection Overview

Correspondence, military material, photographs, military insignia, and other artifacts document Anne Elisabeth "Betty" Heyer's service in the WAAC and WAC between 1942 and 1945. Lengthy letters to family members describe her training in the United States and her subsequent service in the Pacific Theater as a photography repair technician. Overseas letters document her observation of New Guinea and the Philippines. Printed military material reflects Heyer's professional interest in photography and the collection contains publications specifically regarding military photography. Heyer's diplomas are included in her personal papers. More than 500 photographs, largley unidentified, document recreation and work-related activities in the military. Aerial photographs show the destruction in New Guinea and the Philippines and also contain pictures of native villages. Scrapbook material consists primarily of unidentified photographs.

Collection Arrangement

Collection is organized into the following series: Correspondence, Military Materials, Photographs, and Military Insignia and Other Artifacts

 Detailed Description of the Collection Series 1. Correspondence 1942-1946 and undated. 56 items.

More than fifty items of correspondence, primarily written between 1942 and 1946, describe Heyer's experience as a WAAC and WAC. The majority of letters are to Heyer's sister, Harriette "Topsy". Letters before Heyer went overseas cover her experience in basic training. They focus specifically on her classes, softball games, parades, and other daily activities. While in New Guinea, Heyer wrote lengthy letters describing native villages, customs, and her visits to the surrounding area. Letters from the Philippines include vivid descriptions of natives villages, arriving in Manila right after the Japanese occupation, and her visit to Corregidor. Overseas letters also include her attitudes about dating and her reaction to the end of the war in Europe. Letters also include money from occupied areas in the Pacific. Also included are undated items attached to correspondence.

 11 1942-1943 2 1944: March-September 3 1944: October-December 4 1945: January-February 5 1945: March-April 6 1945: May-June 7 1945: July-October 8 1946 9 Undated Series 2. Military Material, 1942-1946 and undated. 55 items.

Personal papers and printed military material document Heyer's experiences in the WAAC and WAC.

 Subseries 2.1 Personal Papers, 1943-1946 and undated

Heyer's personal papers include diplomas, financial material, religious material and other miscellaneous papers relating to her activities in the WAAC and WAC.

 210 Financial Material: 1942-1943 11 WAC Papers: 1943-1946 12 WAC Papers: Undated 13 Religious Material: Undated Subseries 2.2 Printed Material

Printed material includes newspapers that Heyer saved, such as the Denver Post from 7 December 1941. Other publications, such as The Shutter and The Mad Mapper, relate to military photography. Other publications, including WAC and Wings, document the WAC experience. An army songbook and a WAAC songbook are also included.

15 Denver Post, 1941 16 The Mad Mapper, 1943-1944 17 Photographic Procurement Detachment Book 18 Postcards 19 The Shutter, 1943: June-August 20 The Shutter, 1943: September-December: 21 The Shutter, 1944 22 Songbook, Army 23 Songbook, WAC 24 Spanish Book (stored in oversized artifact box) 25 U.S. Army-Navy Journal of Recognition 26 Wac and Wings 27 Wac and Wings Series 3. Photographs, 1940s and undated. About 500 items

Photographs, presumably taken by Heyer in the 1940s, document her experiences in the WAAC and WAC. Topics include photographs of Heyer, photographs of unidentified WACs, basic training, softball and other forms of recreation. This collection also contains photographs and material from Heyer's scrapbook. These photographs, although unidentified, show the destruction in the Pacific Theater and pictures of rural and urban life in New Guinea and Philippines. Aerial photos show testing of atomic bombs. The loose material from the scrapbook consists of personal papers and photographs. Roughly 100 of the photographs in the collection can be identified to a specific date and location. The rest have been grouped thematically with the intention of reflecting Heyer's activities. Although labeled as unidentified, a few folders have been identified according to the envelopes in which they were received. The collection also contains about 50 negatives which appear to correspond primarily with other photographs in the collection.

328 1943: January-February 29-30 Heyer, Anne Elisabeth 31-32 Macdill Field, Florida 33 Portraits 34 Softball Tournament, 1944 35 Unidentified Military Photographs, Animals (stored in oversized artifact box)36 Unidentified Military Photographs, Atomic Bomb Testing 37 Unidentified Military Photographs, Christmas 38-39 Unidentified Military Photographs, Daily Life of WACs 40 Unidentified Military Photographs, Gas Mask Drills 41 Unidentified Military Photographs, Lowry Field, Colorado, 1943 42 Unidentified Military Photographs, Mapping Group 43 Unidentified Military Photographs, Philippines, 1945 44-45 Unidentified Military Photographs, Picnic 46-48 Unidentified Military Photographs, Planes 49-50 Unidentified Military Photographs, Recreation 451 Unidentified Military Photographs, Soldiers 52 Unidentified Military Photographs, Train Trip 53 Unidentified Military Photographs, Uniforms, Air Force 54-57 Unidentified Military Photographs, WACs 58-61 Unidentified Military Photographs 62 Negatives, Heyer, Anne Elisabeth 63-64 Unidentified Military Negatives, WACs 65 Unidentified Military Negatives 66-68 Loose Scrapbook Material 69 Unidentified Scrapbook Photographs, Corregidor 70 Unidentified Scrapbook Photographs, Philippines 71 Unidentified Scrapbook Photographs, Wedding 72-73 Unidentified Scrapbook Photographs 574-87 Unidentified Scrapbook Photographs 87 Unidentified Scrapbook Negatives Series 4. Military Insignia and Other Artifacts. 30 items.

Military insignia include medals and awards, ribbons worn with awards, shoulder sleeve insignia, and other unidentified items.

 Subseries 4.1 Medals and Awards Army Good Conduct Medal Presidential Unit Citation (Army) Subseries 4.2 Ribbons American Campaign Medal Army Good Conduct Medal Asiatic Pacific Medal Philippine Liberation Medal Women's Army Corps Service Medal World War II Victory Medal Subseries 4.3 Shoulder Sleeve Insignia Air Force, U.S. East, First 1944 Air Force, U.S., Northwest, Second 1943 Air Force, U.S., Pacific, Fifth 1943 Air Force, U.S., Pacific, Thirteenth 1944 Air Force, Far East, 1945 Air Force, Troop Carrier, IX 1944 Army Service Forces Overseas Stripes Pacific Ocean Areas, 1944 Photography Specialist Port of Embarkation Rank Insignia, Staff Sergeant Subseries 4.4 Other Insignia and Artifacts Hat Insignia Collar/Lapel Insignia Disc Identification Tags Red Cross Donor Pin Phone-meter Subseries 4.5 Unidentified Insignia Airplane Pin Australia Patch Cross Unidentified Patch Unidentified Pins Separated Material

Separated material includes artifacts, oversize newspapers, oversize photographs, and a scrapbook.

Online Catalog Headings

These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.

Heyer, Anne Elisabeth, 1918- United States. Army. Women's Army Corps. United States. Army. Women's Army Corps--Photographs. Women veterans--United States. World War, 1939-45--Medals. World War, 1939-45--New Guinea. World War, 1939-45--Pacific Area. World War, 1939-45--Pacific Area--Photographs. World War, 1939-1945--Participation, Female. World War, 1939-45--Philippines--Corregidor Island. World War, 1939-45--Philippines--Manila. World War, 1939-1945--Women--United States.