Guide to the Benedict J. Burvainis papers
1939-1945, 1958
Collection number: HMC-0624.
Creator: Burvainis, Benedict J.
Title: Benedict J. Burvainis papers.
Dates: 1939-1945, 1958.
Volume of collection: 0.2 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Materials in the collection are in English.
Collection summary: Photographs and papers of a Transportation Corps soldier who served at Adak Army Air Field during World War II.
Biographical note:
Benedict J. Burvainis was a Transportation Corps soldier in the U.S. Army. He was a member of the 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 8th Infantry Division, and became a truck shop supervisor and truckmaster at Adak Army Air Field, during World War II. Burvainis was married to Lenora Elizabeth Burvainis, who maintained the family home in Mount Rainier, Maryland, during the war. Benedict Burvainis died in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1999.
Collection description:
The collection consists of the World War II era photographs and papers of Benedict J. Burvainis. The collection contains 254 black and white photographs, 13 photo post cards, and 14 black and white negatives. The collection also contains: three letters Burvainis wrote to his wife; an 18 page form of essential data for military dependents; a copy of an article by Captain Robert D. Orr from Quartermaster Review, entitled, “Operations in the Aleutians”; an 8th Infantry Division shoulder patch; a packet of color views of “The Scenic West”; a business card for the Hotel Lebanon; and a grouping of four six-cent air mail stamps and postmark from an envelope. 174 of the photographs and 6 of the negatives concern Burvainis’s military service. Subjects of these photographs include: the 16th Field Artillery Regiment at Fort Myer, Virginia, and Massena, New York; Camp Papago in Phoenix, Arizona; and Adak Army Air Field. The Seabees repair facility at Kuluk Bay near Dutch Harbor, is also documented. The photographs from Adak show Burvainis, fellow soldiers, his maintenance shop, and various buildings and scenery on the island. 79 of the photographs and 8 of the negatives concern Burvainis’s home life, his wife Lenora, and his children, relatives, and friends. Most of the photographs date from World War II. Subjects of the post cards include scenes from the following places: Camp Pickett, Virginia; Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Olympia, Seattle, Mount Baker, Olympic National Park, and Spirit Lake, Washington.
Arrangement: The collection is arranged by type of material.
Digitized copies: This collection has not been digitized. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Rights note: Archives and Special Collections does not own copyright to the collection.
Preferred citation: Benedict J. Burvainis papers, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Acquisition note: The collection was purchased by the Archives on eBay in 2003.
Processing information: This collection was described by Jeffrey Sinnot in 2003.