In brief
The Nashville Public Library has digitized a collection of love letters exchanged between William Raymond Whittaker and Jane Dean during World War II, providing an intimate look at their relationship amidst the backdrop of war. The letters reveal their feelings, doubts, and eventual marriage, highlighting personal stories intertwined with the historical context of their time.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Highlights from a trove of more than 200 love letters that tell the story of a couple’s courtship and marriage during World War II are now digitally accessible through the Nashville Public Library. This collection offers an intimate portrayal of love amidst the turmoil of war.The letters, authored by William Raymond Whittaker and Jane Dean, were discovered in a Nashville home previously owned by Jane and her siblings. They were generously donated to the Metro Nashville Archives in 2016.Whittaker, known as Ray, hailed from New Rochelle, New York, and moved to Nashville to attend the historically Black Meharry Medical College, where he met Jane, another student at the college. The couple lost contact when Ray was drafted into the Army during the summer of 1942 and was stationed at Fort Huachuca in Arizona. He reached out to Jane, who was then working as a medical lab technician at Vanderbilt University.The library maintains Jane’s first reply to Ray, dated July 30, 1942, expressing both joy and concern regarding his military service. “Pleasant because you will always hold a place in my heart... Sad because you are in the armed forces,” she wrote, hinting at mutual friends who were marrying and starting families. Kelley Sirko, the library’s metropolitan archivist, notes that despite the challenge of locating Ray and Jane's living relatives, the letters provide a heartfelt look into a couple navigating love and societal issues during a complex historical period. Ray went on to tease Jane about marriage in subsequent letters, revealing his growing affection. Their romance flourished despite uncertainties of war and distance, eventually culminating in their marriage on November 7, in Birmingham. In a letter to Ray after the wedding, Jane called him her “darling husband," sharing her joy while expressing sadness at their continued separation due to military duties. “It’s a wonderful thing to have such a sweet and lovely husband,” she wrote, hoping for a swift end to the war that kept them apart.The digitization of this collection aims to make these personal stories more accessible, providing insight into their relationship’s historical context alongside the challenges faced by individuals during World War II.
