The Donald E. Fisher collection is organized roughly along the same lines as it was set by his son Michael, and falls into three series: Donald E. Fisher, Relatives, and the Research File.
The Donald E. Fisher series encompasses papers and photographs relating to the life and service of Donald, the bulk of which coming from immediately before, during, and after the war, and is organized chronologically. Biographic and memoirs pertain to personal accounts written by Donald E. Fisher about some of his experiences during the war.
His pre-war materials largely consist of photographs and negatives from a visit to Ft. Sheridan, Illinois, which was a major Army recruitment center during the war. The date of this visit is not certain, but it was indicated as being pre-war by Michael Fisher, and it would be safe to surmise it is sometime between Donald's graduation in 1943 and his enlistment in 1944.
The military service subseries first covers the period of Donald's training, from his enlistment in Jacksonville, Florida, radioman training in Auburn, Alabama, to the commissioning of RON 34 in the Brooklyn Naval Yard and its subsequent shakedown cruise to Miami, Florida. Portland, Britain contains photos of the harbor that RON 34 was berthed in, as well as photographs of maintenance and repairs being done on the boats, and American personnel and their lodging. D-Day photographs include images of American personnel and equipment being loaded onto transports, the invasion stars that were painted on the bows of participating vessels, and ships sailing to Normandy. Of note from D-Day are photographs of wounded and killed sailors from the mine-sunk destroyer U.S.S. Rich being loaded onto PT 503. Photographs of Cherbourg highlight the harbor, French civilians, the war damage, and U.S. equipment and personnel at the landing beaches near the city surrounding areas. This also includes a description of the skirmish between RON 34 and a German convoy that occurred off of the coast of Jersey, and photographs of the wreckage of PT 509, which was sunk during the battle. The photographs of London and Rosneath, Scotland, as well as the Blue Network interview, were made after the end of Donald's combat operations in Europe, and cover his period of leave in London and the preparation of PT 503 and other boats for transfer to the Soviet Union under the terms of Lend-Lease. Philippines include photographs of boat crews Donald served with, souvenirs, and civilians and architecture, and both American and Japanese aircraft.
Donald's post-war materials largely come from immediately after the war. They include photographs of Donald and his crew in Hawaii after their return from the Pacific Theater, correspondence and records pertaining to the completion of Donald's service and the rights and opportunities now available to him as a veteran. Also included are a series of letters dealing with his application to the Naval Reserve, lists of fellow graduates of West High School's Class of '43, and an article on the funeral of Boyd Brumm, a crewmate from PT 503 who was killed in action off of Jersey.
Relatives covers material related to Donald's family included in the collection, especially including photographs of his father, and of his siblings Bob, Jerry, and Peggy, and sister-in-law Helen. The photographs of his father, Robert W. Fisher, include pre-war photographs from his days as a Civilian Conservation Corps camp commander as well as a wartime photograph when he was an Army major and commander of a Womens Army Corps camp in Florida.
The Research File consists of materials gathered by Donald E. Fisher during and after the war pertaining to the PT boats he served on and with, and includes pictures of PT boats in action (on patrol, performing maneuvers) which is primarily organized by the PT boat's number. Two boats, upon which Donald served, PT 277 and PT503, are particularly represented. The file also includes a poster showcasing the unit artwork of all the PT boat squadrons from the Second World War, a DVD of digitized material both from Donald E. Fisher's collection as well as additional material from fellow PT boat sailors, and a DVD copy of “The Last Patrol,” a documentary exploring RON 34's skirmish off Jersey and the search for the wreck of PT 509.
