Lauren C. Post Papers

Collection

Identifier: MS-0353

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Lauren C. Post Papers (1917-1977) document Dr. Lauren Post’s involvement with San Diego State College servicemen in World War II as well as his professional output as professor of geography at San Diego State. The collection includes correspondence, essays, monographs, programs, news clippings, and photographs.

The collection is divided into two series, arranged alphabetically: World War II San Diego State Servicemen Files (1943-1953) and Professional Files (1939-1978). The [url=https://digital.sdsu.edu/view-item?key=R3siTiI6NDksIlAiOnsiaXRlbV90eXBlcyI6WzJdfX0&pg=22&WINID=1560014015460#v1jLIIu5UnQAAAFrN_WnMQ/291293]World War II San Diego State Servicemen Files[/url] (also available online) include correspondence from Post regarding Aztec News Letter donations, programs from events honoring Aztec servicemen, and annotated address changes for distribution of the Aztec News Letter. Of particular note is an essay written by Post about San Diego State men and women who served in World War II, with a focus on the 134 Aztecs who were killed in action during the war. Professional Files primarily consists of essays and monographs written by Post. The series includes extensive documentation of his Santa Fe Trail trip, including a travelogue, essays, and photographs. Also included in this series is a folder of Post’s personal documents, which contains his Navy enlistment and discharge papers, dated 1919.

Dates

Creation: 1917-1977

Creator

Post, Lauren Chester (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The copyright interests in some or all of these materials have not been transferred to San Diego State University. Copyright resides with the creator(s) of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. The nature of archival collections is such that multiple creators are often applicable and copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine. In any case, the user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, obtaining publication rights and copyright infringement. When requesting images from Special Collections & University Archives for publication, we require a signed agreement waiving San Diego State University of any liability in the event of a copyright violation.

Biographical Note

A native of Rayne, Louisiana, Lauren Post was professor of geography at San Diego State from 1937-1969. He was educated at the University of California and Louisiana State University, and taught at San Francisco State and at Louisiana State before coming to San Diego State. Post is remembered for his Aztec News Letter in which he corresponded with Aztec servicemen and women during World War II.

Immediately after Pearl Harbor and as the War progressed, Aztec students were soon scattered all over the globe, disconnected and separated from their college, their friends, their loved ones, and their former lives. In the spring of 1942, Dr. Post, a veteran of World War I, decided to try a "news service experiment" intended to provide information about the locations of current and former Aztecs dispersed around the world. The Aztec News Letter thus became a crucial lifeline throughout the War for Aztec servicemen and women facing difficulty and danger wherever they were stationed. Lauded as one of the first of its kind in the nation, the Aztec News Letter premiered in May of 1942 and was released monthly until its 48th issue in March of 1946. By then, The Aztec News Letter circulated to more than 3,000 service and home front readers. The project and the letters that made it possible would forever characterize the Aztec spirit during wartime. Not only are the letters historically significant; they also offer a unique perspective about San Diego State during a global crisis.