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elcome to the About page for Awakening the Past. On this page,
you will find a series of well-deserved thank you's for all of the people who assisted me
in the creation of my Senior Honors Thesis, information regarding the birth of the project,
and a list of the requirements completed. Please feel free to use the links |
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below to jump to specific points or simply begin scrolling down the page. |
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here are quite I few people who I must thank for assisting me throughout the
development, research and creation of this project. Without their help, I would not
have been able to complete Awakening the Past.
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First, I must thank my family for putting up with my hours of digging and
searching through their homes in the hopes of stumbling across another piece from my
grandfathers' pasts. I hope that I have done justice to the memories of both men, and
that everyone enjoys browsing this Web site as much as I have enjoyed making it. You
have provided for me the wealth of materials that made this project possible.
- Barb Givan - Even though I became frustrated enough to scream
while searching through your dressers, closets and other nooks and crannies, I
appreciate the patience you showed toward me. I hope that I managed to get
everything back in its place and didn't leave the house in any more of an upheaval
than it already was!
- Lois Parker - Grandma, I appreciate all of the information
about Grandpa that you gave me, thank you so much for remembering all of the little
details from before, during and after his service in the war. As I have
found, no one else seems to really know anything about what they did for those
four years and I am glad that the memories were still with you.
- Peggy Parker (Steckbeck) - I know I kept Grandpa's stuff a
little longer than I first told you, so thank you for being patient with me and
allowing me to keep them for a few extra months. Hopefully when you see this,
you will think the wait was worth it.
- Melanie Givan (Bentley) - Thanks for all of your help in
tracking down the information for Grandpa.
- Deborah Givan (Alonso) - Thank you for somehow finding all
of those original documents and newspapers in the mess that is Gran's house.
I don't think I ever would have been able to find the Prairie Farmer had
you not managed to somehow stumble across the one given to Beatrice and Clyde.
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I must also thank a very special person who I found by chance on the Internet.
Mr. Ralston, you have no idea how much I enjoyed speaking with you, and as I have told
you many times, Grandpa (Phil) never talked about the war and to find someone who knew him during
that part of his life is something that I will forever cherish, as will my family. Thank
you for your openness and willingness to talk about the years during the war, and thank you
for inviting me into your home and sharing a weekend with me.
I also need to thank a number of other people who, like Mr. Ralston, provided
me which the personal and firsthand knowledge that has meant so much to me.
- Michael West - USMC - Mr. West, thank you for the wonderful
package of information and photos that you sent to me. If at any time you would like
those items returned, just say the word and they will be mailed back to you.
- Pete Leversee - Army - Mr. Leversee, thank you for the great wealth
of knowledge and memories. They added so much more to this project and gave me a
greater insight into what you, Grandpa and the other men of the 5th Division went
through during your tour of duty.
- Morris Esse - Army - Mr. Esse, I also owe you a great thanks for the
information regarding the reunions and the history of the Battalion. As I mentioned
on the phone, finding that information had been very difficult and I appreciate your
willingness to share what knowledge and resources you had.
- George Minch - USMC - Mr. Minch, thank you for sharing your memories
about my grandfather.
- Urban Besselman - Army - Mr. Besselman, I truly enjoyed speaking with
you about my grandfather and your memories of not only him, but of the war as well.
- Richard Bonnett - USMC - Mr. Bonnett, thank you for calling and talking
with me about my grandfather; it has been a privilege meeting the men he served with in
the Pacific.
- Chuck Zanger - Army - Mr. Zanger, your letter was incredible,
thank you for sharing so much information with me; it was exciting reading through and
finding out what Grandpa and you guys went through during those years of the War.
You gave me a wealth of information that I have not been able to find, and I am deeply
appreciative.
To all of these men, I cannot express the thanks and gratitude that is in my heart.
Before this year, I did not know anything about either of my grandfathers during the war,
nor had I ever spoken with anyone who knew them at that point in their lives. I hope to keep in
contact with each and every one of you down the road, and who knows, maybe I will meet some of you
in person one of these days. Thank you again for all that you contributed to this project, it
would not be where it is today without you. |
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Working with Dr. McVey and Dr. Peterson has again been an enjoyable experience.
I want to thank both of you for your patience with me, especially since I was supposed
to have finished the thesis four or five months ago. I know you both had your doubts
in the beginning as to the scale of this project, and to be honest, I did too, but thank you
for your trust and allowing me to work through it. It has become more than
I ever imagined it would be and I am glad that the two of you were involved with the project
at every step along the way.
- Dr. Bonita McVey
Ball State University
Assistant Professor
Computer Science Department
Email address
- Dr. Rai Peterson
Ball State University
Assistant Professor of English
English Department
Email address
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Although I possessed all of the amazing Japanese artifacts, they would not have
the added significance that they do now, thanks to the people I have listed below. They
were not technically my advisors for the project, but they stepped in for brief moments as
my cultural and historical experts, translating the characters on the Japanese artifacts,
leading me in the right direction to locate information and unlocking the mysteries of the
personal significance of the items. Without them, I would have never known how
important and valuable they truly are.
- Marc Musteric
- Dr. Guohe Zheng
Ball State University
Assistant Professor
Department of Modern Language and Classics
Email address
- Dr. Phyllis Zimmerman
Ball State University
Associate Professor
Department of History
Email address
- Mayumi Nakano
- Timothy Leuers
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