Eleven inductees from the Iron Range at U. S. O.
center, St. Paul, ca. 1942
Minnesota’s Great Generation lived through it all. The result is a variety of rich and diverse life stories – tragic to heroic, dramatic to ordinary.
After a childhood overshadowed by the Great Depression, world war rushed these young men and women into adulthood. This generation's endurance and ingenuity brought not only wartime victory but also unprecedented prosperity in the post-war years. In recognition of their courage and in gratitude for their efforts, many have called them the "Greatest Generation."
Today, however, their legacy is in danger of being lost. With each passing day, important diaries, letters, photographs and other irreplaceable objects and memorabilia are discarded. At the same time, the witnesses to this story are rapidly falling silent. The full story of this generation must be captured now if it is to be passed on to future generations.
Publicly launched in August 2005 (60th Anniversary of VJ Day), Minnesota’s Greatest Generation Project will both preserve this important history and make it accessible to coming generations. We invite you to join our efforts. Take a moment to reflect on your family history. Unravel life’s fabric and find the threads that are uniquely yours, that have helped to shape who you are, that connect you to Minnesota’s Greatest Generation. This isn’t just our project - it’s your project, too.
The project encompasses Preserve Your Family History which includes oral history interviews and preservation workshops, Share Your Story which is a way for families to collect and to share written stories, In Their Words tells the stories of the Greatest Generation through an interactive website, a three-year documentary film competition called Making a Movie: Moving Pictures, RetroRama an evening of music, martini’s and ‘50s inspired retro fashion by local designers, and publications, educational outreach efforts, public programs, and a collecting initiative. "Our Stories, Our Lives", a 6,000-square-foot exhibit will open at the Minnesota History Center in late August 2008. It is expected to remain on view for ten or more years.
"The Greatest Generation project is really a call to all Minnesotans to join together in the creation of a comprehensive body of resources - stories, documents and objects - that will bring some of our state's most recent and compelling history to life for years to come," says Director Nina Archabal.
For more information about the Minnesota's Greatest Generation Project, please contact Randal Dietrich at 651-259-3479 or via email.
