New exhibit features wartime artifacts and stories from soldiers

A new exhibit at Grand Valley features the personal stories of American soldiers and veterans, accompanied by materials from the 1860s to the present day that reflect the public's perception of war.

"The Murmur and the Roar: Personal and Public Perspectives of American Wartime" will be on display in the Mary Idema Pew Library Exhibition Space (atrium level) through November 22.

The bulk of the memorabilia and wartime anecdotes featured in the exhibit come from Grand Valley's Special Collections and University Archives. Annie Benefiel, archivist for collections management, said the stories of individual soldiers and veterans are in their own words, pulled from archival materials, such as letters, diaries and oral histories.

"We tried to find instances where the veterans expressed how they were feeling about their service, duty and personal experiences," Benefiel said. "These personal stories are juxtaposed with other archival materials, such as posters and other ephemera, photographs and memorabilia, which illustrate aspects of the civilian public's perspectives on these same wars."

While the bulk of the exhibit showcases various panels that feature reproductions of the original items that are held in Special Collections and University Archives, some original objects will be on display.

"One of these objects is Russel Kirkhof's World War I-era uniform," said Benefiel. "He joined the Army in 1917 and was shipped to France after basic training where he did electrical and mechanical repairs on airplanes. Kirkhof, of course, later became a notable inventor and businessman, and ultimately one of Grand Valley's early major donors."

The majority of the research for the exhibit, as well as all of the design work for the panels, was done by Grand Valley students. Benefiel said alumni Helen Kurtz, '16, and Greg Bevier, '16, spent a semester exploring the university's collections to find interesting materials to feature, and to help them build the exhibition's narrative. Jeremy Shane, the library's student design intern, created the final designs of the exhibit's panels.

Kurtz, a history major who graduated from Grand Valley in April, said one of her favorite artifacts in the exhibit is a diary written by a surgeon from the Civil War.

"It was pretty cool to get to hold this diary written during the Civil War in my hands and read about everything the surgeon had to do to save lives," said Kurtz. "I was also pretty invested in going through the Kirkhof materials we have because of the impact he had on Grand Valley."

Aside from the Civil War surgeon, a World War I Army infantryman, a World War II Army veteran, and a Vietnam War veteran are also highlighted in the exhibit.

Bevier, also a history major, said this exhibit offers a unique personal touch that isn't found in many wartime museum exhibits.

"Museums often focus on the implements of war, but I think this exhibit does a good job of sharing the personal experiences of the people who fight, and those who wait for them back home," said Bevier. "It's important to remember that, ultimately, the artifacts are really about the people who built and used them."