Frederic Earl Ford Papers
Scope and Contents
The Frederic Earl Ford papers consist mostly of photographs and negatives. Booklets, reels of 16mm home movie film, hard bound books, and leaflets are also included. The earliest document dates 1935 and the latest 1945. Most photographs are dated in the latter part of WW II: 1943-1945. There are approximately 2,586 items in the collection.
The researcher should be aware of the following before using the collection:
1. Three photograph albums were included in the collection. The processor preserved the original order used by Fred Ford; so photographs are listed by album and file number as they had been found.
2. All photographs are identified and dated on the back, as written by Fred Ford.
3. The Photographs show many aspects of military and camp life, as well as customs and traditions of the people in the area that Fred was stationed.
Dates
- Creation: 1930-1945
Creator
- Ford, Frederic Earl, 1920-1978 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
There are no donor-imposed restrictions on accessing material in this collection; however, due to preservation concerns, only reference copies of original audio and video materials can be accessed in the reading room. Items without reference copies can be digitized at the request of a patron for the cost of creating a digital copy. Please provide us at least two weeks advance notice if you would like to request an audio or video reference copy. Call (937) 775-2092 or e-mail us at archives@www.libraries.wright.edu. Use of digitized content is subject to conditions governing use.
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 Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright.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
Frederic Earl Ford, Lt. Col. Ret., U.S.A.F. was born in Dayton, Ohio, on August 14, 1920. He was the son of Earl and Sara Ruth Ford. He attended college at Purdue University in 1938, then attended the University of Vermont. He received his B.S. degree in chemistry, then attended the University of Virginia for graduate work. He completed his Master's degree in chemistry in 1950.
Ford served in the 5th Bomb Wing in the Pacific theater in World War II. He was the commander of the photography group, receiving many medals and commendations including the bronze star. His major field was research and development. After the war, held research and administrative positions as an officer with the Air Force in Alaska, California, Ohio and in Arlington, Virginia, where he retired in 1968 after 20 years of military service.
On December 27, 1948, he married Barbara Jean Suter of Little Rock, Arkansas. They had three children: Lucy Karen Ford, Janet Sharon Ford, and Gary Wayne Ford.
Fred Ford was an avid naturalist and photographer. After he retired he served as volunteer and teacher at the Aullwood Audubon Nature Center, worked with the Museum of Natural History, the YMCA Travel Series and the Nomad Club.
Lt. Col. Fred Ford died at his home in Beavercreek Township, Xenia, Ohio, on January 2, 1978.
Extent
3 linear feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Ford served with the 5th Bomb Wing in the Pacific Theater during World War II. He was the commander of the photography group. The papers in this collection consist primarily of photographs and negatives, most taken during the latter part of World War II, 1943-1945. The photographs show many aspects of camp and military life as well as the customs and traditions of the native peoples where Ford was stationed. All images are identified and dated on back. Also included is a small amount of printed material.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in a single series.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
This collection contains original analog audio/video materials, which must be digitized prior to access, due to preservation concerns.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The materials were donated to Special Collections and Archives by Mrs. Barbara J. Ford, Frederic’s wife, in September 1978.
Separated Materials
The following books are catalogued and placed in the reading-research room with the section of books on aviation:
1. Lippincott, Benjamin E., Kenneth E. Duffey, et al. From Fiji through the Philippines with the Thirteenth Air Force. San Angelo, TX: Newsfoto Pub. Co., [1948].
2. United States, Army Air Forces, 5th Bombardment Group (Heavy). The Story of the Fifth Bombardment Group (Heavy). n.p.: Hillsborough House, 1946.
3. United States, Army Air Forces, 17th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron. 17th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron, 13th U.S. Army Air Force. 13th U.S. Army Air Force, 1945.
4. United States Strategic Bombing Survey. The Campaigns of the Pacific War. [Washington] U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey (Pacific) Naval Analysis Division, [1946].
Additionally, a small number of nitrate negatives and other negatives in poor condition were digitized for preservation and subsequently discarded. Reference prints for the images can be found in the relevant folders, and high resolution scans of the digitized images are available upon request.
Processing Information
This collection was originally filed in 9 boxes, but at some point between 1978 and 2017, this was condensed down to 6 boxes. Researchers finding old references to boxes numbered 7-9 should note that all of these materials can still found in the collection, but the box and folder numbers for nearly all materials in the collection have changed from what they were originally.
Processing Information
Processed by Susan Smith, November 1978; finding aid revised according to DACS standards by Lisa Rickey, October 2017.
- Title
- Guide to the Frederic Earl Ford Papers (MS-63)
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Lisa Rickey
- Date
- 2017 Oct 10
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Repository
Wright State University Libraries
Special Collections and Archives
3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy
Dayton OH 45435-0001 USA
937-775-2092
library-archives@wright.edu
