Shelby Davis' World War II Collection

File — Multiple Containers

Identifier: Coll-294

Staff Only

Sgt. Shelby Davis was a veteran who served in Europe during World War II. This collection includes predominantly war-era correspondence, artifacts, newspapers, maps, personal souvenirs, and memorabilia of Davis.

Dates

Event: 1937-1975

Creator

Davis, Shelby (1915-1975) (Person)

Language of Materials

English

Condition Description

fragile documents

Conditions Governing Access

No Restrictions

Conditions Governing Use

This material is made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to taking precautions against infringement of copyright and respecting the publication rights of reproduced materials. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards. Any materials used should be fully credited with their source according to the example given in the Preferred Citation note. Requests for assistance with citations and images of publication quality should be directed to specialcollections@tamucc.edu

Extent

9 Linear Feet

Biographical Note

Sgt.Shelby Davis was born on September 29, 1915 in Kokomo, Mississippi. He grew up in Hattisburg, Mississippi and was one of the nine surviving children of Abizer Alexander Davis and Tally Lula Stringer Davis. Davis was a Technical Sergant in the 45th Army Infantry Division during World War II. Having deployed from Oklahoma, he served in the Western Front during the war and was stationed all over Western Europe during the war. His Infanty Division participated in the Invasion of Sicily and the Italian Campaign of 1943. He addditionally trekked through France, Germany, and Vatican City

After the war, reunited with his wife Odis Leona Davis, Shelby attended Kilgore College and the University of Houston. He was a supervisor in the accounting department at Gulf Oil in Houston, Texas. He was a member of the Garden Oaks Mason Lodge (No. 1306) and was a frequent attendee of Oak Forest Baptist Church in Houston. He and His wife Odis had one son together, Jan. Shelby Davis died on August 23, 1975 at the age of 59. He was given a burial with Masonic Rites and was buried at the Military Houston National Cemetary.

Arrangement

Collection is organized into eleven series:

I.Journals II.Biographical Information, Identification Cards, Personal Papers III. Correspondence i.Shelby Davis/Wife Letters ii.Personal Correspondence IV.Photographs V.Maps VI.Artifacts VII.Newspapers i. Whole Newspapers ii. Military Newspaper iii.Clippings iv. Important Events VIII.Publications IX.Postcards, Souvenirs, Stamps X.Currency XI.45 RPM Records XII.Random Items

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Jan Davis, son of Shelby Davis, donated four sets of materials from February 2020 to April 2020 concerning his father’s time during World War II to Special Collections and Archives at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi