RNHS Local Greatest Generation Project

RNHS Local Greatest Generation Project is asking community members who experienced World War Two and the 1940’s to share their experiences and their memorabilia.

Students will record oral histories and photograph artifacts, letters and mementos of the times.

 A yearlong partnership of RNHS and the American Legion

To participate in the Local Greatest Generation oral history project or to share mementos from the 1940's, or for more information

Call the RNHS Information and Technology Center
699-2800, ext. 2849 from 10am to noon or 1pm to 3pm weekdays

or email to
 info@rnh.richland2.org

 Read on for more details

Bridging almost sixty years of history and building upon an educational partnership developed last year, Richland Northeast High School and American Legion Post 6 have launched “Our Local Greatest Generation,” an effort to chronicle and celebrate the contributions of Columbia men and women during World War Two and the 1940’s.

Drawing upon the collective memories of local veterans as well as those who remained on the home front, students will conduct interviews and record oral histories over the course of the year, create a virtual archives of memorabilia of the period, and develop a website that will serve as a resource for historians, researchers and other schools. 

 Community involvement is key to assuring that Our Local Greatest Generation provides a true picture of the lives of those who lived through the war years.  Explains Richland Northeast history teacher Perry McLeod, “We want to hear from members of the community who can tell us about their experiences.    Our students want to talk to veterans, but also to the loved ones who waited at home, taking care of families or working in industry.  We especially want to hear from women and minorities.  We don’t only want to talk with war heroes, but also about everyday life overseas and on the home front.”

 The project also seeks to photograph a wide variety of mementos of the war ranging from letters and snapshots to military papers and uniforms.  Project Coordinator Susan Baumann elaborates “whether a war medal or a ration card or a letter to home from a soldier overseas, artifacts and primary resources are historical treasures that make history real for students.  Anything of the period that members of the community lend to us will be carefully handled and photographed to become part of a virtual gallery. We appreciate the generosity of members of the community in helping us preserve and celebrate our history.”

 The project extends beyond history classes.  Students from the Richland Northeast’s Palmetto Center for the Arts will create an original performance incorporating themes central to the war years.  The prom for senior citizens sponsored by annually by the school becomes an intergenerational USO dance this year.  And while World War Two is the central focus for now, the intention is to expand over time to include Korean War and Vietnam veterans and continue through the present conflicts.

 Heyward Hornsby, commander of American Legion, Post 6, emphasizes the importance of getting local citizens who lived through the 1940’s to participate.  “These were ordinary people doing extraordinary things.  Most still do not feel that they did anything special.  Therefore we need their grandchildren, their children, their friends to encourage them –no –insist that they tell their story.  Each has a special message to be left for their family and future generations.”