| Quantity: | 3 boxes (0.75 cubic ft.) |
|---|---|
| Access: | Open to research |
| Acquisition: | Gift of T.E. Vadney, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, August 2019 |
| Processed By: | Jill Tominosky, Student Assistant - Manuscripts and Special Collections, September 2019 |
Claude Henry Vadney was born November 19, 1903, in Meriden, Connecticut. He was the son of Henry A. Vadney (June 30, 1883-August 23, 1965), a "master craftsman," and Lucinda Laquerre (July 7, 1885-March 17, 1970). Vadney graduated from Colgate University in 1926 and from Syracuse University Medical School in 1929. He married Olive Lida Goodrich (September 8, 1904-January 21, 1981) on September 29, 1929, in New Haven, Connecticut. They had at least five children: Elinor Mary (1930-1986), Richard Claude (1931-1998), John David (1934-2010), Thomas Eugene (1939- ), and Paul Henry (1942- ).
After completing an internship at Cooke County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, in 1929, Vadney moved later that year to Copenhagen, Lewis County, New York, and then settled in Lyons Falls, Lewis County, New York, in 1930. He was on the staff of the Lewis County General Hospital in Lowville and served as the Lewis County health officer and coroner. Just after the start of World War II, the Vadney family moved to 2037 Genesee Street, Utica, Oneida County, New York, and Claude opened a family practice at 264 Genesee Street; in 1958 he moved the practice to the family home.
In 1943 Vadney was commissioned a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy and reported to Sampson Naval Station on Long Island, New York, in December of that year. In 1944 he was sent to Bethesda Naval Hospital to train in tropical medicine and malaria control. Later that year he was sent to Klamath Falls, Oregon, to care for malaria victims returning from the Pacific front. In November he was assigned to the Seventh Fleet and sent to San Francisco to await transport to the Far East, arriving at the Philippines in January 1945 and being stationed at Leyte and Samar. He also served in New Guinea. Later that year he was tasked with the oversight of 33 malaria-control units at the Navy headquarters in Manila. He returned to New York in December of 1945 with the rank of commander.
Vadney served as the deputy health commissioner for the City of Utica in the 1950s and 1960s and, for thirty years, was the physician at Utica College, then an affiliate of Syracuse University. Claude Henry Vadney died in Faxton Hospital, Utica, New York, on November 17, 1978.
From: Vadney, T.E. Who Are the Vadneys and Where Did They Come From?
(Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: self, 2012)
The papers document the World War II experiences and activities of Lieutenant Commander Claude Henry Vadney while he was stationed at Sampson Naval Station in Long Island, New York; Bethesda, Maryland; Klamath Falls, Oregon; San Francisco, California; and the Philippines as a malaria-control doctor. Many of the letters are from Claude to his wife, Olive, and were written almost daily during his time away. Supplementing the collection are military papers, journals, photographs, and printed ephemera from his travels.
| Box | Folder | Description |
|---|---|---|
1 |
0 |
Finding Aid |
1 |
0 |
Biographical essay: One Lucky Sailor: Claude Henry Vadney, MD, USN, 1943 – 1946 by TE Vadney |
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Series I – Correspondence |
1 |
1 |
Claude H. Vadney (Long Island, New York) to Olive Vadney, December 1943-April 1944 |
1 |
2 |
Claude H. Vadney (Bethesda, Maryland) to Olive Vadney, April 1944-May 1944 |
1 |
3 |
Claude H. Vadney (Klamath Falls, Oregon) to Olive Vadney, June 1944-October 1944 |
1 |
4 |
Claude H. Vadney (San Francisco, California) to Olive Vadney, November 1944 |
1 |
5 |
Claude H. Vadney (Philippines) to Olive Vadney, January 1945-June 1945 |
1 |
6 |
Claude H. Vadney (Philippines) to Olive Vadney, July 1945-September 1945 |
1 |
7 |
Claude H. Vadney (Philippines) to Olive Vadney, October 1945-November 1945 |
1 |
8 |
Military (Navy) Correspondence and Papers |
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Series II – Miscellaneous and Business Papers |
2 |
1 |
A Manual of Qualitative Chemical Analysis by J.F. McGregory (annotated copy) |
2 |
2 |
C.H. Vadney. Medical Journal/Diary (Klamath Falls, Oregon), June-November 1944 |
2 |
3 |
C.H. Vadney. Journal (Philippines), November 1944-August 1945 |
2 |
4 |
Envelopes (with cancelled postage): 16 letter and 3 document-size from the Navy or War-Navy Department |
2 |
5 |
Financial Records: Mortgage, etc. |
2 |
6 |
Photographs
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SERIES III – Ephemera |
2 |
7 |
Matchbooks
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2 |
8 |
Membership cards: Navy / Marines
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2 |
9 |
Menus
|
2 |
10 |
Miscellaneous including
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2 |
11 |
News clippings re: Vadney, 1943-1945 |
2 |
12 |
Postcards
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EL1 |
Maps
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