Majors: History & Archaeological Studies
Minors: Museum Studies Minor – Intdisc and Anthropology
Faculty Advisor: Dr. M.J. Heisey
Presidential Scholar Advisor: Dr. Mary Jo McNamara
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Title: Donald R. Waful: One Syracuse local’s story of imprisonment, romance and baseball shared with his community through preservation and exhibition.
I have been working with World War II veteran Donald Waful to document his experiences during the war. Waful was a prisoner of war, first in Italy then in Poland for two and half years during the war. He met his future wife, an army nurse, when stationed in North Ireland prior to landing in North Africa as part of the 1942 invasion, where he was later captured. Waful and his wife reunited and married shortly after victory was declared in Europe. Following the war, Waful worked in insurance and served as the President of the Syracuse Chiefs Baseball team for 35 years.
I have conducted oral interviews with Waful and collected photographic and documentary materials about his experience. I plan to work with the Onondaga Historical Association in Syracuse, New York, where Waful lives, to archive these materials and the oral recordings in their collection. I will then use the archived materials to create an exhibition about Don Waful’s experience to be shared with his community. I also hope to complete a written work that can discuss Waful’s experiences in greater detail.