To coincide with this month’s anniversary of the U.S. entering World War II, Swem is pleased to share news of a recent acquisition related to William & Mary’s own wartime history.
In the spring of 1945, Eleanor Harvey Rennie ’45 was president of the Women Students’ Cooperative Government Association at William and Mary when she was named by College President John E. Pomfret as the sponsor of the ship SS William and Mary Victory. Victory ships were a type of cargo ship produced during World War II. Not only was Mrs. Rennie present when the World War II-era ship was launched from Baltimore’s Bethlehem Steel Fairfield shipyard on April 20, 1945, but she had the role of breaking the ceremonial champagne bottle on the SS William and Mary Victory. In 2007, Mrs. Rennie donated the broken champagne bottle and its wooden box, photographs, and news clippings documenting the ship's launching to Swem Library. Earlier this year, Mrs. Rennie also donated a beautifully preserved souvenir scrapbook she was given by the Bethlehem Steel Company in 1945. The scrapbook is filled with photographs of the then Miss Harvey and others from that April day.
Special Collections has numerous collections that relate to World War II and continues to acquire new material on a regular basis. Some of these collections are specifically about the experiences of William & Mary faculty, students, and alumni during the war, while others deal more broadly with the U.S. experience during the war. A guide is available to introduce you to some of the material related to World War II in Swem’s Special Collections and you can always visit or contact Special Collections’ staff with your questions.
