Summary Information
Joan C. Ritonia papers
1933-1955
UWM Manuscript Collection 402
1.1 cubic ft. (4 boxes including 5 volumes)
UW-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)
This collection consists of personal papers from Joan Ritonia
(nee Rauwald), born in 1932 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Joan's father, Carl Joseph Rauwald
(1909-1968), worked in Civilian Transportation during the Occupation and Reconstruction of
Japan immediately following World War II. The collection primarily dates from 1946 to 1953
and consists of photo albums documenting Joan's family and friends, education, and life in
Japan. The collection also includes ephemera and memorabilia documenting Joan's education
and travel throughout her lifetime. Joan's early schooling was in the United States. She
graduated from the Tokyo American School in 1949 and from Milwaukee's St. Mary's School of
Nursing in 1953.
English
Japanese
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-mil-uwmmss0402 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Joan Collette Rauwald was born in 1932 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As a child, she lived in
many different places in the United States, including Rapids Parish, Lousiana; Muskogee,
Oklahoma; Paris, Texas; Superior, Wisconsin; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Joan's father, Carl
Joseph Rauwald (1909-1968), was a Major of 734th Field Artillery Battalion and later worked
for the Civilian Transportation Section of General MacArthur's Headquarters in Tokyo. On
January 26, 1947, Joan arrived in Japan with her father, Carl Joseph Rauwald; her mother,
Estelle (nee Campbell) Rauwald (1909-1981); and her two brothers, Jerry and Tom Rauwald. The
family first stayed at the Mt. Fuji View Hotel and then moved into a US Army Home in
Washington Heights, located a few miles south of Tokyo. The Rauwald family was able to
maintain a middle-class lifestyle in Japan and employed Japanese domestic workers as
servants in their home. Joan graduated from Meguro High School, also known as the Tokyo
American School, in 1949. The Supreme Command of Allied Powers (SCAP)'s General Headquarters
(GHQ) Special News Service in Tokyo wrote a piece about Joan that relayed Joan's plan to
work as a stenographer in Japan for a year after graduating high school and then go on to
attend college in the United States. Joan returned to Milwaukee in 1950 and graduated from
St. Mary's School of Nursing in 1953. Joan married Jack Ritonia (1925-2003) in 1955, and
together they had three children. Joan had a long career as a nurse in the Milwaukee area
and was one of the co-founding nurses of the St. Alphonsus Oncology Clinic. Joan died in
Hales Corner, Wisconsin in 2022.
Scope and Content Note
This collection consists of photo albums, scrapbook pages, and other documents and ephemera
related to Joan C. Ritonia's education and family. The majority of the records represent
Joan's education and participation in church from sixth grade to her college graduation from
St. Mary's School of Nursing in Milwaukee, WI. The most recent photographs document Joan's
marriage to Jack Ritonia in 1955. This collection does not contain information about Joan
Ritonia's career as a nurse in Wisconsin.
The materials primarily document a Wisconsin-based family living in Japan during the
Occupation and Reconstruction of Japan under the General Headquarters Supreme Commander for
the Allied Powers (GHQ SCAP) led by General Douglas MacArthur. While a few records in this
collection document her father's military career or employment in civilian transport
services, most focus on domestic spaces and student life. Many photographs are of the
Rauwald family and friends celebrating birthdays, Christmas, and other occasions. The
collection contains Estelle Ritonia's military dependent identification card, otherwise
there is very little contextual information about Joan's mother or younger brothers.
Researchers interested in the Occupation of Japan may find the "Miscellaneous Ephemera,
1940-1954" folder to be useful as they contain correspondence detailing Joan's journey to
Japan and a spectator's pass and brochure from the International Military Tribunal for the
Far East (IMTFE) dated November 4, 1948. There are a few photographs of the IMTFE courtroom
in "Photo Album, 1947-1955." Most photographs and postcards in the albums document Japan
between 1947 and 1950 with images of the Japanese landscape, homes, architecture, schools,
nautical travel, and celebrations, including photographs labeled "Doll Festival" and
"Sukiyaki party." There are images of different areas of Japan including the Fuji View Hotel
and a naval base in Yokohama. The photo albums may include representations of the domestic
workers employed by Estelle Rauwald. Joan Ritonia donated three books to UWM Libraries,
Special Collections including a domestic manual on how to prepare meals for an American
family.
Most of the material in this collection is in English. Some of the photographs contain
Japanese signage and some photograph descriptions in the photo albums are written in
Japanese.
Arrangement of the Materials
The collection is arranged by format of materials and then by date.
Preferred Citation
Citation Guide for Primary Sources
Related Material in the UWM Libraries
Administrative/Restriction Information
There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all
members of the public in accordance with state law.
The photo albums are fragile and should be handled with gloves.
The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel,
privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin
Statutes 19.21-19.39).
Joan C. Ritonia donated the collection to the Archives in March 2018 (accession
2017-035).
Christel Maas minimally processed the collection in April 2018. Mirel Crumb wrote the
finding aid for the collection in December 2023.
Contents List
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Photo Albums
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Box
1
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1945-1949
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Box
2
Folder
3
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1947-1948
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Box
3
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1947-1955
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Unbound materials
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Box
2
Folder
2
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Photographs, 1933-1945
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Box
2
Folder
1
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Miscellaneous Ephemera, 1940-1954
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Box
4
Folder
1
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Scrapbook pages, 1949-1953
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Yearbooks
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Box
4
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Saint Mary's School of Nursing, 1954
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Box
4
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Tokyo American School, 1948
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