Title: Mark D. Van Ells Papers and Photographs
Inclusive Dates: 1981-2001

Creator:

• Van Ells, Mark D.

Call Number: WVM Mss 46

Quantity: 1.6 linear ft. (3 archives boxes and 1 flat box) of papers, 0.1 linear ft. (5 folders and 1 oversize folder) of photographs, 0.1 linear ft. (3 folders) of paper prints.

Repository:

Wisconsin Veterans Museum
Have questions? Contact the Reference Archivist

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Veterans Museum (Map)

See the catalog entry for current shelf locations and additions.

Abstract:

Papers and photographs of Mark D. Van Ells, a member of the Air Force during the 1980s and an historian who worked at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum during the 1990s. The collection contains materials that document Van Ells' researching and writing of a history of the Wisconsin County Veterans Service Officers (CVSO). Correspondence relating to the project, questionnaires filled out by current and retired CVSOs, the written history, and several conference papers provide substantial information about the organization. Other writing projects in the series include an examination of Wisconsin German-Americans prior to World War II. Another large portion of this series consists of flyers, handbills, and posters that Van Ells collected in Madison, Wisconsin during the 1990s. The majority deal with the Persian Gulf War, 1990-1991. These flyers present the alternate view of a relatively popular war. Other flyers relate to American operations in Somalia, Haiti, and Bosnia. Materials from Van Ells' time in the Air Force include his enlistment and discharge papers, certificates, and some letters he wrote to his family. There are also several emails Van Ells exchanged with friends and students regarding their reactions to the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. Photographs contain several shots of Van Ells in Air Force uniform, both alone and in groups. There are also three photographs of the Madison 'Salute to the Troops' parade, held on July 6, 1991, that show protesters holding signs in the background.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.wvm-mss00046

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Mark David Van Ells was born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin on November 21, 1962. He attended local schools and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1981. Later that year he enlisted in the United States Air Force. He served for over four years as a physical therapy technician at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona and Lindsay Air Station, Germany.

Upon discharge in 1986 Van Ells enrolled at the University of Massachusetts. Two years later, he transferred to the University of Wisconsin where he received his bachelors (1990) and master's degrees (1992), as well as his Ph.D. (1999) in American history. His dissertation was titled 'To Hear Only Thunder Again': The Readjustment of World War II Veterans to Civilian Life in Wisconsin.

During his studies, he worked as an historian and archivist at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. He assisted in the museum's major redevelopment in 1993 and performed hundreds of interviews for the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Oral History Project. He was also instrumental in establishing the museum's Veterans Memorial Database.

In 1999 he was hired as a professor at Queensborough Community College in New York, where he teaches courses on American, military, and Southeast Asian history.

The papers of Mark D. Van Ells are divided into two series: Papers and Photographs.

Papers (1981-2001) consists of materials that document Van Ells' career as an historian as well as his time in the Air Force. A large component of this series relates to Van Ells' researching and writing of a history of the Wisconsin County Veterans Service Officers (CVSO). Correspondence relating to the project, questionnaires filled out by current and retired CVSOs, the written history, and several conference papers provide substantial information about the organization. Other writings document his research on German-Americans in Wisconsin prior to World War II and for the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. Another large portion of this series consists of flyers, handbills, and posters that Van Ells collected in Madison, Wisconsin during the 1990's. These papers protested several United States military actions, including Bosnia, Haiti, Somalia, and Kosovo. The majority deal with the Persian Gulf War, 1990-1991. These flyers present the alternate view of a relatively 'popular' war. Materials from Van Ells' time in the Air Force include his enlistment and discharge papers, certificates, papers relating to his education received in the service and afterwards through the G.I. Bill, and some letters he wrote to his family. There are also several emails Van Ells exchanged with friends and students regarding their reactions to the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.

Photographs (1982-1991) contain several shots of Van Ells in Air Force uniform, both alone and in groups. There are also three photographs of the Madison 'Salute to the Troops' parade, held on July 6, 1991. The photos show protesters holding signs in the background.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Mark Van Ells, Bayside, NY, 1989-2002. Accession Number: VA1989 Sep 11, V1990.3, I1991.1, VAI1991 January 25, VAIL1991.21, VAL1993.92, TR0199, and TR1327.. This collection was organized as a result of the National Historic Publications and Records Commission project grant (2003-075).

Processing Information

Processed by Russell Horton in 2005.

	Series: Papers
	Subseries: Air Force
Box   1 Folder   1	Certificates, 1982-1985
Box   1 Folder   2	Correspondence, 1982-1985
Box   1 Folder   3	Education, 1982-1988
Box   1 Folder   4	Ephemera, undated
Box   1 Folder   5	Military papers, 1981-1988
Box   1 Folder   6	Physical therapy study cards, undated
Box   1 Folder   7	Yearbook, Lackland AFB, undated
Box   1 Folder   8	County Veterans Service Officers History Project, 1991-1994
	Correspondence
Box   1 Folder   9	County Veterans Service Officers (CVSOs), 1991-1994
Box   1 Folder   10	University of Wisconsin History Dept., 1991-1994
Box   1 Folder   11	Prospectus, 1991
	Questionnaires
Box   1 Folder   12-13	Active CVSOs (alphabetical by county), circa 1991
Box   1 Folder   14	Retired CVSOs (alphabetical by county), circa 1991
	Writings
Box   2 Folder   1	Conference papers, 1994-1997
Box   2 Folder   2	'Serving those who served,' circa 1994
Box   2 Folder   3	Correspondence re: September 11, 2001
Box   2 Folder   4	Flyers and handbills protesting military actions, 1991-1992
Box   2 Folder   5	Bosnia, 1992-1995
Box   2 Folder   6	Haiti, 1994
Box   2 Folder   7	Kosovo, circa 1999
	Persian Gulf War
Box   2 Folder   8-12	1990 - April 1991
Box   3 Folder   1-2	May 1991 - 1997
Box   3 Folder   3	Bumper stickers, undated
Box   3 Folder   4	Committee against registration and the draft, 1990-1991
Box   3 Folder   5	Essay, circa 1997
Box   3 Folder   6	Gulf War syndrome, circa 1993
Box   4 Folder   4	Grocery Shopping Bags, 1991
Box   3 Folder   7	Somalia, 1992-1993
	Subseries: Posters protesting military actions	⇧
Box   4 Folder   1	Persian Gulf War, 1990-1991
Box   4 Folder   2	Eagle Heights peace walks, 1991
Box   4 Folder   3	Wisconsin salute to the troops parade, 1991
Box   3 Folder   8	Wisconsin National Guard Museum cataloging project, 1990-1991
	Subseries: Writings	⇧
Box   3 Folder   9	'Assuming the white man's burden: seizure of the Philippines, 1898-1902,' 1995
Box   3 Folder   10	'Wisconsin's German-Americans and the fascist threat of the 1930's and 1940's,' 1990
Box   3 Folder   11	Wisconsin Veterans Museum articles, undated
	Series: Photographs	⇧
Ph   15 Folder   34	Mark Van Ells [1] , circa 1986
Color Ph   2 Folder   47	Mark Van Ells [1] , circa 1986
Paper Print Box   2 Folder   47	Mark Van Ells, (paper prints) [3] circa 1986
Ph   15 Folder   35	Air Force [2] , circa 1982
Color Ph   2 Folder   48	Air Force [2] , circa 1982
Paper Print Box   2 Folder   48	Air Force (paper prints) [3] , circa 1982
Color PhOv   1 Folder   2	Lackland AFB group shot [1] , 1982
Color Ph   2 Folder   49	Wisconsin salute to the troops parade [3] , 1991
Paper Print Box   2 Folder   49	Wisconsin salute to the troops parade (paper prints) [3] , 1991