Wallace brothers donate father鈥檚 World War II memorabilia to 91传媒 Libraries, public exhibit unveiling June 6
Contact: Pattye Archer
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擜s more stories of World War II veterans continue to be lost, two brothers are making a generous donation to memorialize one special veteran鈥檚 story and preserve his memorabilia at 91传媒鈥檚 Mitchell Memorial Library.
This Tuesday [June 6]鈥攖he 79th anniversary of D-Day鈥91传媒 Libraries will unveil 鈥淭he Walter L. Wallace Sr. WWII Collection, Bulldogs in Action: How Three Young Men of State Cleared the Way to Victory.鈥 A dedication will take place at 11 a.m. on the library鈥檚 second floor. The event is free and open to all.
Walter L. Wallace Sr., a Laurel native and 1939 graduate of 91传媒, then known as Mississippi State College, is being remembered by his sons Walter L. Wallace Jr. and Steve L. Wallace, who uncovered their father鈥檚 World War II experience even though it was not a topic he discussed often. As the brothers learned their father鈥檚 distinctive story, they knew it needed to be shared.
The exhibit also honors Mississippi natives George Hammer of Waveland and Kenneth 鈥淜.O.鈥 Wise of Jonestown, who played key roles in World War II, although not as much information is available about their personal experiences.
鈥淎 lot of men came home and did not tell their stories,鈥 said Steve Wallace, a retired dentist living in Birmingham. 鈥淲e are losing those stories. That is why we thought it was important to share Dad鈥檚, but we know there are so many others. Even the two 91传媒 graduates who were at Normandy when Dad was there鈥攖hey have stories, but we could not find more about them. Yet we know each had something unique.鈥
Walter L. Wallace Jr., said several reasons led to the brothers鈥 decision to display their father鈥檚 collection with the 91传媒 Libraries, but sharing his story with future 91传媒 graduates was key among them.
鈥淒-Day (June 6, 1944) was the largest amphibious invasion ever,鈥 Walter Wallace said. 鈥淚t was called Operation Overlord.鈥
He said although many people know about this significant historic event, they may not realize that three Mississippi State College graduates had a major impact on the operation.
鈥淭his is the unique piece鈥攊t was not just one 91传媒 graduate, there were three, who were involved,鈥 Walter said. 鈥淒ad memorializes that fact in a letter. He is a 1939 graduate, as is Kenny Wise, and George Hammer is a 1940 graduate. And all three were involved in Operation Overlord.
鈥淎s my brother and I talked, we believe it was not just Dad, but the two others involved in clearing the beaches of Omaha and Utah beach. We do not know for sure but believe they were also at Utah鈥斺榮weeping Utah beach,鈥欌 he added.
Wallace Sr., Hammer and Wise each commanded minesweeping ships charged with protecting the U.S.S. Augusta, the command ship for the entire D-Day operation. The Augusta was responsible for carrying numerous senior military officers, including General Omar Bradley. Their efforts helped clear the way for what came next.
The Wallace brothers said the concept of having 91传媒 Libraries commemorate all three State graduates grew when talking with Stephen Cunetto, associate dean for Community Relations and Strategic Initiatives, and Trish Cunetto, development officer, both administrators for the 91传媒 Libraries, for others to learn of the contributions these three men made to their country and to Mississippi.
鈥淭here were 5,000 vessels and 160,000 troops that crossed the English Channel in one invasion,鈥 Walter Wallace said. 鈥淭he actual orders, which are a part of this exhibit, were to start sweeping on June 5 (ahead of the actual invasion). Dad and these other two State graduates were integral to this effort.鈥
Both Steve and Walter Jr. feel it is critical to study history.
鈥淚t is a failure nowadays that people don鈥檛 know history,鈥 Steve Wallace said. 鈥淓veryone should know history; otherwise patterns come back and repeat.鈥
Walter Wallace, who is a writer and historian, added, 鈥淚 believe history is the basis for not making the same mistake we鈥檝e made in the past. History can be an excellent guide for diplomacy in a world today that is struggling to make sense out of the reordering of the world. History is a way of looking into the window of the future.鈥
Like their father, both Walter Jr. and Steve Wallace are Mississippi State graduates. Both are looking forward to returning to campus June 6 to unveil the exhibit honoring their father and fellow servicemen.
They are also grateful to know his story.
鈥淚 was glad to learn more about what my dad did,鈥 Steve Wallace said. 鈥淗e never talked about it much. He told me some, talked to Walter some. Then we found the letter and were able to start to put the story together. We hope this will inspire others to do the same.鈥
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