Jay Mark Gleason Papers, 1933-1942

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Gleason, Jay Mark, 1881-1956.
Title
Jay Mark Gleason Papers
Dates
1933-1942 (inclusive)
Quantity
4 Linear feet of shelf space, (8 Boxes)
Collection Number
Cage 26 (collection)
Summary
Correspondence, orders, official memoranda and notes about Jay Mark Gleason's duties as chaplain, superintendent of chaplains, and welfare and public relations officer of the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Repository
Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions

This collection is open and available for research use.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Born in Illinois in 1881, Jay Mark Gleason had held a parish in Michigan and had been an Army Chaplain with the AEF in France before coming to Washington state as the pastor of the Ellensburg Presbyterian Church. He resigned his Ellensburg parish in 1921, and apparently tried ranching in the Yakima area for several years. A Yakima County district elected him to the State House of Representatives in 1932 and he served as a member of both the regular and special sessions of 1933. In early 1933, he became one of the thousands of Army reserve officers who were called to active duty to superintend the Civilian Conservation Corps. When the CCC became a permanent formation in late 1933, Gleason elected to remain at his job as district Chaplain for the Fort George Wright District, Spokane. He remained at that post until the liquidation of the CCC in 1942. Gleason died in the early 1950s in Edmonds, Washington.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

The United States Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a federal agency, first created as an emergency employment measure in 1933 (Emergency Conservation Work), becoming an independent agency in 1937, and active until it was abolished in 1943. It provided employment and vocational training primarily for unemployed youths, but also for war veterans and Indians. CCC projects included construction, conservation, natural resources development, forest protection, and defense work on military reservations.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The papers of Captain Jay M. Gleason consist of his Civilian Conservation Corps correspondence, including orders and official memoranda, his diaries and notes, the yearbooks which he produced and the photographs he collected for the yearbooks, and various Civilian Conservation Corps ephemeral publications such as camp and district newspapers.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions may apply.

Preferred Citation

[Item description]

Jay Mark Gleason Papers, 1933-1942 (Cage 26)

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The arrangement of the papers is divided into three series: correspondence (with personal papers), published material and photographs.

Acquisition Information

The papers of Jay Mark Gleason, Captain, Chaplain-Reserve United States Army and District Chaplain, Fort George Wright District Civilian Conservation Corps, were donated to the Washington State University Library in 1958 by Captain Gleason's children, Mrs. Jean Gleason Witt of Edmonds, Washington and Mr. Bob Gleason of Des Moines, Washington.

Processing Note

This collection was processed by Lawrence R. Stark, September, 1972.

Bibliography

Some discussion of Captain Gleason's work with the CCC can be found in the (unpublished) Master's thesis: The Civilian Conservation Corps in Washington State by Robert Carroll Washington State University, 1972.

Related Materials

Other CCC-related archival collections in MASC:

Robert Wesley Carroll Papers, 1938-1972 (Cage 75)

George T. Spinning Papers, 1935-1938 (Cage 252)

Arthur Earl Victor Papers, 1927-1944 (Cage 376)

Elmo Richardson Papers, 1930-2011 (Cage 582)

Stuart Wright Civilian Conservation Corps Scrapbooks, 1933-1936 (Cage 784)

Civilian Conservation Corps Newsletters, Co. 554, Genesee, ID, 1937, undated (Cage 4953)

Civilian Conservation Corps Company 1312, Moscow, ID Roster, 1934-1935 (Cage 4960)

Civilian Conservation Corps Ephemera Collection, 1935-1940 (Cage 4992)

Civilian Conservation Corps, Camp Willow Creek, Co. 2524 Papers, 1936-1937 (Cage 5022)

Civilian Conservation Corps Educational Program Literature Collection, 1935-1936 (Cage 5033)

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series 1: Correspondence and Personal PapersReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 1-7
Correspondence. A chronologically arranged sequence of correspondence with CCC and Army officials, enrollees, personal friends and various political figures. The letters are concerned with all the phases of Gleason's work: clerical, social, administrative and publicity.
1933-1942
2-3 8-18
Orders and official memoranda. A chronologically arranged sequence of Gleason's orders concerning his appointment, reappointments, assignments, and travel. Official memos were from both Army and CCC superiors and are usually explanations of CCC policy.
1933-1942
3 19
Diaries. Gleason's diaries are dated June 2, 1933-Jan. 19, 1934, Sept. 1, 1935, Jan. 1, 1936-Dec. 31, 1936, March 25- July 30, [1937], July 31, 1937-Dec. 31, 1937, Jan. 1, 1938-June 18, 1938.
1933-1938
3 20-21
Notes, anecdotes and clippings collected by Gleason for use in speeches, sermons, and papers. Drafts of some of Gleason's compositions are included. Also included are materials used for teaching a class in citizenship.

Series 2: Printed MaterialsReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
3 22
Yearbooks (1) 1937, (2) 1938-1939, (3) Pictorial Review, 1940.
1937-1940
CCC Ephemera
Box Folder
4 23
Fort George Wright District Headquarters News materials: CCC news, 1933, Microphone 1935, news releases, radio scripts.
20 items.
4 24
Camp Newspapers from camps at Priest River, Id., Avery, Id., Worley, Id., Lake Chatcolet, Id., Riggins, Id., Metaline Falls, Wa., and Republic, Wa.
20 items.
1934-1938
4 25-27
CCC pamphlets, enrollee's guide, Songbook, National Directory, Medical Manual, morale pamphlets, chaplaincy literature, greeting cards, banquet programs, etc.
25 items.
4 28
Maps showing the locations of various CCC camps.
25 items.
4 29
Manuscript of short story about CCC. "Love and Adventure" by Harvey Smith McCowan.

Series 3: PhotographsReturn to Top

Container(s) Description
Box
5-9
Photographs collected for use in Yearbook or Pictorial Review. Most are photos of groups of enrollees, supervisory personnel, camp scenes, and work scenes. Many are partially identified and fuller identification is to be found in the printed yearbooks in folder 22.
8
Miscellaneous photographs, mostly of Command personnel and staff at Fort George Wright, many identified.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Personal Names

  • Gleason, Jay Mark, 1881-1956. -- Archives.

Corporate Names

  • Civilian Conservation Corps (U.S.) -- History -- Sources.
  • Civilian Conservation Corps (U.S.) -- Records and correspondence.