Roy Evans Thompson was born at Albion, WA in 1896, and grew up there on his family's farm. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1917, and served in the American Expeditionary Forces in France. While there, he was seriously injured in a railway accident, and his right foot was amputated. After returning home from the war, he enrolled at the State College of Washington, where he earned a diploma from the Department of Elementary Science in 1921, and bachelor's degrees in education and mechanical engineering in 1925.
This collection consists primarily of materials related to Roy Thompson's service in the U.S. Army during World War I. It includes his letters home to his family, diaries, papers related to military service, and photographs. In addition, the collection includes two patents issued to Thompson, and papers related to his education, particularly his academic career at the State College of Washington.
This collection is arranged in a single series.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions may apply.
[Item Description] Roy E. Thompson papers, 1905-1948
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
Dale Thompson, son of Roy E. Thompson and compiler of the book Dear Homefolks: A Doughboy's Letters and Diaries (Berkeley, CA: Regent Press, 2009), donated this collection to the Washington State University Libraries in 2012. Cheryl Gunselman processed it in the same year.
This collection was processed by Cheryl Gunselman
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.