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Mike Deitz Collection (SC-364)

 Collection
Identifier: SC-364

Content Description

This collection contains a photograph album, engine manual, and two panoramic photos, documenting aviation and daily life for Staff Sergeant Mike Deitz, a member of the 49th Bombardment Squadron at Aberdeen, Maryland.

Dates

  • Creation: circa 1923-circa 1960
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1923-1927

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on accessing material in this collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Biographical / Historical

Mike Deitz was born in 1902 in New Jersey to John and Frances Deitz. Sometime after 1920, he moved to Maryland. In the 1920s, Deitz was a member of the 49th Bombardment Squadron, active in Aberdeen, Maryland. Photographs in the collection document his life in this period, showing time spent with friends and companions, images of locations across the country, and views of training exercises and aviation crashes. At the time of the 1930 census, Deitz was living in Havre de Grace, Maryland, working as a laborer at a U. S. Army Government Post. In 1939, Deitz came to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (then Patterson Field), where he worked until his retirement. According to Deitz’s daughter, he served as an engine mechanic in the base’s Area C. Deitz died in 1999. He is buried in Brookview Cemetery in Rising Sun, Maryland.

Extent

1.65 linear feet

Language of Materials

English

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was donated to Special Collections and Archives, Wright State University, by Helen Jones, daughter of Mike Deitz, in March 2021.

Separated Materials

Two large photographs were separated to oversize storage.

Processing Information

Processor numbered each page in the photograph album in pencil on the lower outside corner. When the album arrived, it contained loose slips of paper with handwritten notes, which had been tucked behind about half a dozen of the images. During processing, these notes were photographed in situ to preserve the data. Printouts of these copies are included in the collection. The slips were then removed from the album to prevent acid damage to the images.

Title
Guide to the Mike Deitz Collection (SC-364)
Status
Completed
Author
Megan O'Connor
Date
2021 April
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Wright State University Libraries
Special Collections and Archives
3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy
Dayton OH 45435-0001 USA
937-775-2092