Guide to the Henry K. “Hank” Frese papers
1942-2003
Collection number: HMC-0862.
Creator: Frese, Henry K.
Title: Henry K. “Hank” Frese papers.
Dates: 1943-2003.
Volume of collection: 2.3 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Collection materials are in English.
Collection summary: Papers and photographs of a photographic technician and aerial photographer who served at Shemya Air Base.
Biographical note:
Henry K. “Hank” Frese was born in New Jersey in 1922. He worked as a draftsman for the Manhattan Project at Princeton University before enlisting in the U. S. Army in February 1943. He trained at Mississippi University, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and Fort Belvoir, Virginia, before assignment to service in the Aleutian Islands. He served at Shemya Air Base from December 1944 to March 1946, where he worked as a photographic laboratory technician and aerial photographer. After discharge from military service in April 1946, Frese worked for 35 years as a forensic photographer for the New Jersey State Police. He was also active in veterans organizations, particularly the Shemya World War II Veterans Association, and collected a large number of World War II era photographs from the Aleutians. Hank Frese died in Crosswicks, New Jersey, in 2004.
Collection description:
The collection consists of the papers and photographs of Hank Frese, primarily related to his military service and participation in veterans’ organizations. The collection is divided into series: personal papers; records of reunions and related events; reference files and notes; photographs; and videocassettes. The personal papers consist of biographical materials, correspondence with other veterans, and Frese’s own writings and artwork. The reunion and event records include programs, correspondence and photographs pertaining to reunions and other events organized by veterans’ organizations of which Frese was a member. The reference materials include lists of veterans, base histories, stories from other veterans, maps, Frese’s notes, and other documents related to the Aleutian Islands during World War II. The photographs include images of soldiers, aircraft and facilities at Shemya Air Base, as well as those of Attu Island, Japanese bombing targets, aerial subjects, and veterans reunions. The videocassettes are of the Shemya Veterans Reunion in 1991, and the Eleventh Air Force Association and Navy Patwing Four Airdales Reunion in 1995.
Arrangement: The collection is arranged in the following series:
Series 1: Personal papers; 1945-2001
Series 2: Reuinion and event records; 1985-2001
Series 3: Reference files and notes; 1942-2003
Series 4: Photographs; 1944-2002
Series 5: Videocassettes; 1991, 1996
Alternative formats: Xerographic copies have been made of photograph album pages from which the photographs have been removed.
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 owns copyright to materials created by Hank Frese. Materials not created by Frese may be subject to copyright not held by the Archives.
Preferred citation: Henry K. “Hank” Frese papers, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Separated materials: The newsletters of several veterans’ organizations were removed from the collection and placed in the Archives and Special Collections Ephemera Collections. Materials created by other veterans and given to Hank Frese have been placed into separate collections.
Related materials: The following collections are comprised of materials removed from the Henry K. “Hank” Frese papers: James H. Sample photographs, HMC-1204; Harry Bailey papers, HMC-1205; Lester H. Best photographs, HMC-1206; Hal Beery photographs, HMC-1207; Eldon B. Bonnet papers, HMC-1208; Ted Buszek photographs, HMC-1209; Burton J. Good photographs, HMC-1210; Earnest Dwight Ringland papers, HMC-1219; Roy Suckling photographs, HMC-1220.
Acquisition note: The collection was presented to the archives on behalf of the Henry K. Frese Sr. family with the assistance of fellow Shemya veteran Dan Lange, in 2006. In 2008, additional photographic negatives were donated and a deed of gift signed by Frese’s daughter, Wendy Zacharda.
Processing information: This collection was described by Jeffrey Sinnott in 2008. The guide to the collection was converted to current standard by Gwen Sieja in 2015. At that time, publications were removed and many of the photographs given to Frese by other veterans placed into their own collections.
Container list:
Series 1: Personal papers; 1945-2001. 0.4 cubic feet.
This series contains biographical information about Hank Frese, including documents pertaining to his military service, correspondence with other Shemya veterans, Frese’s writings and illustrations, and World War II memorabilia collected by Frese. The series is arranged by document type and correspondence is arranged by correspondent’s last name.
| Box/Folder | Description | Date |
| 1/1 | Hank Frese biographical materials | undated, 1945-1989 |
| 1/2 | John O. Bew | 1993-1998 |
| 1/3 | Eldon B. Bonnet | 1985-1992 |
| 1/4 | Ted C. Buszek | 1985-1991 |
| 1/5 | Don “Bucky” Dawson | 1987 |
| 1/6 | Burton J. Good | 1991-1995 |
| 1/7 | Kevin Hutchison | 1992-1994 |
| 1/8 | Dan Lange | 1986-1997 |
| 1/9 | William T. “Doc” Lockard | 1991, 1993 |
| 1/10 | Jim Lux | 1996, 1998 |
| 1/11 | Dave Mahre | 1995-1996 |
| 1/12 | Stephen M. Morrisette | 1988-1989 |
| 1/13 | Robert H. Murray | 1986-1989 |
| 1/14 | J. B. “Jake” Nunn | 1992 |
| 1/15 | Larry Reineke and POW Mail | 1982-1993 |
| 1/16 | Aurel W. Rendleman | 1991 |
| 1/17 | Ernest Dwight Ringland | 1985-1995 |
| 1/18 | James H. Sample | 1991-2000 |
| 1/19 | Patrick J. Skea | 1993, 1995 |
| 1/20 | Theodore J. Suchecki | 1990-1992 |
| 1/21 | Roy F. Suckling | 1986-1994 |
| 1/22 | Bob Talley | 1990-1994 |
| 1/23 | Erland A. Tillman | 1991-2000 |
| 1/24 | Martin A. Whetstone | 1989-1991 |
| 1/25 | Other Correspondents | undated, 1986-2002 |
| 1/26 | Thoughts of Shemya. Verse by Dan Lange and drawings by Hank Frese | 1989 |
| 1/27 | “A Battle on Shemya: An Open Letter to Colonel Hed” Written by Hank Frese | undated |
| 1/28 | Historical daily diary typed and illustraded by Hank Frese | 1993 |
| 1/29 | Hank Frese drawings | undated |
| 1/30 | World War II memorabilia items | undated, 1944, 1945 |
Series 2: Reuinion and event records; 1985-2001. 0.6 cubic feet
This series contains papers and photographs relating to reunions of World War II veterans and other events put on by various veterans’ organizations. The papers include programs, correspondence, attendance lists and promotional materials. The series is arranged roughly chronologically by event.
| Box/Folder | Description | Date |
| 1/31 | Eleventh Air Force Reunion, August 1990 | 1990, 1991 |
| 1/32 | 11th Army Air Force Memory Wall Dedication, October 4-7, 1990; 11th AAF Association, USAF Academy, Colorado | 1989-1990 |
| 1/33 | 322nd Engineer Combat Battalion Reunion: Photographs | 1991 July |
| 1/34-38 | Aleutian Campaign Shemya World War II Veterans Reunion, Dayton, Ohio | 1991 August |
| 1/39-40 | Shemya World War II Veterans Reunion, Sherman, Texas | 1992 June |
| 1/41 | Shemya Air Force Base’s Final Dining Out and Renaming to Eareckson Air Force Base | 1993 May 18-19 |
| 1/42-43 | Aleutian Veterans Reunion, Memphis, Tennessee | 1993 October 7-11 |
| 1/44 | Midland, Texas Veterans Reunion | 1995 March 13-16 |
| 1/45 | Air Force Association, Mercer Chapter 293: Dinner meetings | 1994-1999 |
| 1/46 | 322nd Engineer Construction Battalion, 97th U.S. Army Reserve Command, Reunions | 1985-1993 |
| 1/47 | Other reunions and events | 1994-2001 |
Series 3: Reference files and notes; 1942-2003. 0.3 cubic feet.
This series consists of files pertaining to World War II and Frese’s handwritten notes. Frese’s notes include lists of veterans and chronologies. Reference files include histories of units and bases, stories told by other veterans, maps, and copies of documents pertaining to Shemya and the units that served there.
| Box/Folder | Description | Date |
| 1/48 | Hank Frese notes | undated |
| 1/49 | Aleutian World War II combat chronologies and index compiled by Hank Frese | undated |
| 1/50 | We Were There: 404th Bombardment, Volumes I and II by James H. Sample | 1994 |
| 2/1 | Shemya air base and Attu histories | undated, 1944-1988 |
| 2/2 | Notes from the History of the 18th Engineer Regiment by Rhodes Arnold; excerpts from entries for the period of March 25, 1943 to November 16, 1944 | undated |
| 2/3 | Aleutian veterans lists | undated, 1944, 1945 |
| 2/4 | Shemya orders, commendations, and operational summaries | 1943-1945 |
| 2/5 | Shemya veterans’ stories | undated, 1982-2003 |
| 2/6 | Maps (Shemya Island, Attu Island, Shimushu Island) | undated, 1942-1945 |
| 2/7-8 | Aleutian documents | undated, 1989-2001 |
Series 4: Photographs; 1944-2002. 0.9 cubic feet.
This series contains photographs taken or collected by Hank Frese, as well as copies of booklets illustrated with Frese’s photographs.
| Box/Folder | Description | Date |
| 2/9 | “Hank Frese’s Photo Collection of visiting Shemya WWII Veterans after 40 Years” | undated, 1983-1988 |
| 2/10 | “Shemya & Attu WWII Recreations” | undated |
| 2/11 | “Air Force Association, Mercer County Chapter 293: Our Photo History Moves into September ’90” | 1990 |
| 2/12 | Hank’s Book No. 1: Shemya Scenes and Activities, WWII until the end of February 1946 | 1945-1946 |
| 2/13 | Hank’s Book No. 2: Shemya – Planes – Missions | undated, 1944-1945 |
| 2/14 | Hank’s Book No. 7: “A Few on Shemya, but Most at Dix” (Tilden Hospital at Fort Dix, New Jersey) | undated, 1945-1952 |
| 2/15 | Hank’s Book No. 8: Eleventh Army Air Force aerial photographs (primarily of Japanese bombing targets) | undated, 1945 |
| 2/16–18 | Hank’s Book No. 12: Shemya X Air Force Pictures | undated, 1986-1992 |
| 2/19 | Hank’s Book No. 21 | undated, 1991-2002 |
| 2/20-21 | Pictures of Shemya in 1991, Courtesy of Martin Whetstone and Carole Russell | 1991 |
| 2/22 | Other photographs: prints and xerographic copies | undated, 1983, 1993 |
| 2/23 | Photograph negatives: Shemya photographs, various collections | undated |
| 2/24-25 | Aleutian Islands negatives | undated |
| 2/26-3/1 | Photographs collected from other Shemya veterans | undated, 1942-1945 |
| OS Folder | Oversize photographs of Shemya air base | undated, 1945 |
Series 5: Videocassettes; 1991, 1996. 0.1 cubic feet.
| Box/Item | Description | Date |
| 3/2 | “Aleutian Campaign Shemya WWII Veterans Reunion, Held at Country Hearth Inn, Dayton, Ohio, August 5-10, 1991.” Filmed, edited and graphics by Taped Treasures, Larry Jones | 1991 |
| 3/3 | “Eleventh Air Force Association and Navy Patwing Four Airdales Reunion: Observing the 50th Anniversary of the End of WWII, August 30-September 2, 1995.” Produced by Takotna Video. Copyrighted by Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum | 1996 |