Restrictions to Access

No restrictions. Open for research.

Copyright Notice

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], in the Irl W. Summerlin Papers #5223, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Acquisitions Information

Received from Joe Phillips of Birmingham, Ala., in June 2005 (Acc. 100106).

Sensitive Materials Statement

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.

Processed by: Elise Allison, August 2005

Encoded by: Elise Allison, August 2005

Attached to a letter from Dolly to her husband is a detailed list of Summerlin's letters and enclosures between June 1944 and February 1945, but the collection contains only some of these letters and very few of these enclosures.

The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

• Africa, North--Description and travel.
• American Red Cross.
• Corsica (France)--Description and travel.
• Family--North Carolina--Social life and customs.
• Italy--Description and travel.
• Sardinia (Italy)--Description and travel.
• Summerlin family.
• Summerlin, Irl W., 1893-1968.
• World War, 1939-1945--North Carolina.
• World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American.
• World War, 1939-1945--War work--Red Cross.

Irl W. Summerlin was born on 19 July 1893 and died in Chapel Hill, N.C., in March 1968. He served as a supply officer for the American Red Cross in the Mediterranean region from early 1944 to early 1945. He and his wife Dolly had a son named Sam.

The collection consists of letters, enclosed clippings and photographs, and other items that Irl W. Summerlin sent to relatives and friends while working for the American Red Cross during World War II. Many letters are addressed to his wife Dolly and his son Sam. Summerlin wrote these letters from Washington, D.C., North Africa, Italy, Corsica, and Sardinia between February 1944 and March 1945. They discuss family, and daily life, and many describe the places that he visited. In addition, Summerlin reflected on his reasons for joining the American Red Cross and made observations about the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization.

• Photographs (PF-5223/1)