Community invited to contribute photos, stories to ISU student book on World War II era in Idaho

Some of these photos and stories will be included in a book about Idaho during World War II, written by honors students at ISU. The book will be published by Arcadia Publishing and will appear in print next summer.

Donors will be asked to sign a permission form to have their photos scanned and, if selected, included in the book. Given the interest in this project, the class cannot guarantee that they will be able to use every photo, but they are looking forward to including as many as possible from the community. Contributors will be asked to provide their name and contact information so that they can be given appropriate credit for providing the photos and so that their photos can be returned.

This project is part of a class on “Collaborative Creativity,” a partnership between the College of Business and the University Honors Program. A select group of four undergraduate students, with majors ranging from English and social work to marketing to anthropology, are collecting more than 180 vintage photos of and about the people and places of Idaho during World War II.

Under the guidance of business Professor Alex Bolinger, these students will organize and write captions that tell the stories of life at war and on the home front in Idaho. World War II was a time of suffering and sacrifice, but Idaho played a significant role in supporting the war effort. These students hope to tell stories of not only struggles and suffering, but also acts of compassion and hopefulness as Idahoans came together as a community.

The Business Administration building is located on campus next to Frazier Hall, near the southeast corner of Fifth Street and Carter Street. Community members with photos and stories to share are urged to email the class at idahoworldwar2@gmail.com to obtain a free parking pass for the Frazier Hall parking lot. Visitors can print the parking pass out and put it on their vehicle dashboard during that time.

For those who cannot make it that day, but would still like to share their photos and stories with the class, can email the project at idahoworldwar2@gmail.com or contact Bolinger by phone or leave a message at (208) 282-6242.

This will be the fourth book that students in Bolinger’s classes have written for publication by Arcadia Publishing. Prior books in Arcadia’s catalog that were written by students in ISU’s College of Business include a book about Garrett Freightlines, a book about Idaho State University, and a book of photos of Pocatello that appeared in the Idaho State Journal and its predecessor, the Pocatello Tribune, among other sources. All are available from Arcadia Publishing or online at Amazon.com, among other booksellers.

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