The US Navy Japanese/Oriental Language School Archival Project
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The US Navy Japanese/Oriental Language School Archival Project The Interpreter Archives, University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries Number 147 zRemember September 11, 2001z [email protected] May 1, 2010 Our Mission In 1949 he was elected as the A couple of years following America (now ALCOA, Inc.) in then youngest mayor in the the death of his wife Helen, he Massena, NY. In early 1944, In the Spring of 2000, the history of the city of Augusta moved to his college town of President Roosevelt said things Archives continued the origi- and served two terms. Brunswick and married Priscilla were going to be tightened, nal efforts of Captain Roger Very active in the civic life of A. Keene of Old Orchard. deferments were going to be Pineau and William Hudson, the community, he was a director Survivors include his wife looked at. So to keep from being and the Archives first at- and president of the Augusta Priscilla A. Sanborn of drafted I went to an Office of tempts in 1992, to gather the General Hospital, president of Brunswick; his children, Stephen Naval Officer Procurement [Now papers, letters, photographs, the Kennebec Bar Association, W. Sanborn of Dresden, Jeffrey I was trained, as in ROTC. News and records of graduates of and charter member and M. Sanborn of Owings Mills, to me that officers could be the US Navy Japanese/ president of the Augusta Junior Maryland, and Carol A. Sanborn “procured”, I thought they were Oriental Language School, Chamber of Commerce. of Livermore; several “shaked and baked”.] in Utica, University of Colorado at For about 20 years each he grandchildren; a great- NY, to find out about getting in Boulder, 1942-1946. We was a director of the Bank of grandchild; step-children; his the Navy. They gave me various assemble these papers in Maine, the Kennebec Savings brother, John M. Sanborn of tests, said I could be recognition of the contribu- Bank and the Augusta Federal Augusta; and sister, Margaret S. commissioned an Ensign and tions made by JLS/OLS Savings Bank, becoming Hodgdon of Boothbay. gave me orders to report to instructors and graduates to chairman of the latter. Indoctrination School in the War effort in the Pacific Boothbay Register Mr. Sanborn served as July 1, 1999 Plattsburg, NY, August 1, 1944. and the Cold War, to the director of the Augusta Board of Vol. 123, No.26 While I was there (only 2 creation of East Asian Trade, the Boothbay Region _______________ months) they asked a few of us if language programs across YMCA, the Indian Point we would like to go to the the country, and to the Association, the Barter's Island My Wife Liked the Communications School at development of Japanese- Association, the New England Way It Went Harvard University. My wife and American cultural rec- Carriage Association and the I had been married in August onciliation programs after Maine Standardbred Breeders Your two letters dated January 1943 and this sounded very nice, World War II. and Owners' Association. He 24, 2007 were certainly so we went to Cambridge, MA. Richard B. Sanborn was a member of the Maine Bar surprises. It is 62 years ago that I And while at that school they Association, the Republican was in Boulder at the Navy asked me (possibly others, I OLS (Russian) 1945 State Committee, the Litchfield Language School (Russian). don’t know) if I wanted to go to Planning Board and trustee of I didn’t know that the the Russian Language School at Richard B. Sanborn, 80, of the South Parish Congregational language school started in 1942, the University of Colorado. That Brunswick, died Wednesday, Church of Augusta. while I was there I don’t sounded good to us so we went, June 23, 1999 at Maine Medical He held memberships in the remember seeing or even hearing arriving in January 1945. During Center in Portland. Born in Brunswick Rotary Club, the about the other languages [good our eight months there, President Augusta on August 16, 1918, he Litchfield Lions Club, the security?]. We had our class of Roosevelt died, the war in was the son of Walter M. and Kennebec Yacht Club, the 19 (?) members, met from 8 to Europe ended, and the war in the Nita L. Sanborn. Abenaki Ski and Outing Club, 12 five days a week, had a test Pacific ended. Just after Labor He attended Cony High the Augusta Country Club, the every Saturday morning and free Day we were sent to School for two years and Kennebec Valley Bowdoin Club to do whatever the rest of the Washington, DC and I worked graduated two years later from and the Friends of Bowdoin. time. Study in the afternoons for the National Security Phillips Exeter Academy. At In 1965 the Franco-American usually, but we played some Agency, which I recall was Bowdoin College he was Calumet Club made its first golf, too. My wife began to learn located then at Arlington Hall in president of his fraternity, Alpha award to him as the Outstanding golf some of the afternoons and Arlington, VA. (to be cont’d) Delta Phi, a varsity track man, Citizen of the City of Augusta. years later we went on many and Marshall of his class. He Lynn Edward Gleason He greatly enjoyed the trips and played fine golf courses OLS 1945 Russian graduated in 1940 Phi Beta outdoors, including extensive (including St. Andrews). _______________ Kappa and summa cum laude. mountain climbing in his early The only reason I went to He then attended Harvard Law years, skiing from his chalet at Boulder was because the Navy Questions About School where he was treasurer Sugarloaf, sailing and scuba asked me if I wanted to go. I the ’42-’43 and an editor of the Harvard Law diving at least once a year from didn’t know that the Navy had Summer Group Review. various Caribbean islands. this school. After Pearl Harbor he After his retirement he First, let me give a little Dear David, volunteered in the U.S. Navy and operated a 200-acre farm in background. I am a native of Des Thanks for the info about pay for served four years until the end of Litchfield from which he bred Moines, Iowa, went to Iowa July 43 JL group. Why does World War II. He received his and raised Standardbred harness State University (back then it Dan say "most renown?" L.L.B. from Columbia Law horses and competed in carriage was Iowa State College of Seriously, I would like to know School. driving contests in the New Agriculture and Mechanical how many were in that group, Returning from the war he England states. At one time he Arts). I graduated in engineering did they all stay and get practiced law with his father and had a collection of 65 antique in June 1942 and went to work commissions, and what was the later formed the firm of Sanborn, carriages. for the Aluminum Company of size of the group before, which, I Moreshead, Schade and Dawson. believe, Marshall Green belonged to and which may have mess hall and then headed for the Paul F. Boller in 1951-52, before completing started in Monteray [sic]? POW camp, where I was JLS 1943 his studies at Harvard. In 1955, Dallas Finn working with some of the he joined the American [Ed. Note: I gave Ms. Finn the prisoners preparing leaflets to [Ed Note: Admiral Nimitz has had Universities Field Staff, an background history of the Tokyo- drop on Japan. I hadn’t gone far, the singular compliment of having educational foundation dedicated Harvard/Berkeley, Berkeley, Boulder when to my consternation, been played by Henry Fonda in Otto to providing in-depth studies of and Stillwater JLS/OLS and Admiral Nimitz and Admiral Preminger’s In Harm’s Way and contemporary foreign societies. recommended the Slesnicks’ book as Raymond Spruance loomed on Midway. He seemed to be portrayed He lived in Japan for most of the a primer. I corrected the Monterey as described here. Frank B. Huggins the horizon with their aides, and became a writer, it seems. I found an next twelve years, serving first as notion and told her that Monterey I instantly snapped to attention a staff associate with the did not become a center of language article by him: "Girls, Girls, Girls," until after the War, and then, for and saluted as best I could, with The New Yorker, April 5, 1952, p. organization and, from 1962 to decades, only for the US Army. As my hopelessly unmilitary ways. 125, about an American boy in 1966, as a senior staff associate. for the fame of the “Summer Group”, Ronald Reagan could have done Japan. I am looking for more He and his family also I supplied some suggestions. But Dan better, of course, but I think I did information.] maintained a home in _______________ will have to answer that question.] pretty well. The Admirals and Manchester, Massachusetts, _______________ the other officers gravely Obituary: during those years. Levinson & Bryson returned my salute and it may Lawrence Olson Olson wrote many articles well have been my finest minute and reports on Japanese social, Reprise (1918-1992) in the Navy. political, and economic issues Thank you for sending me the There were two other officers Lawrence Olson, a widely that were important reading for splendid obituary of Joseph for whom I worked when I was known authority on Japan and U.S. government officials and Levenson. It is exactly right. overseas, and I remember them retired Professor of History at others concerned with Japan.