Thiel College students present World War II research at Reynolds VFW, public library

GREENVILLE, Pa.-- Thiel College students presented their research on the College’s connection to Camp Reynolds and World War II, at Reynolds VFW and Greenville Area Public Library recently.

After being awarded a $10,000 Humanities Research for the Public Good Grant by The Council for Independent Colleges in 2020, Professor of History David Buck, Ph.D., and Reference Librarian for Information Services Tressa Snyder worked with students to research “The Role of Thiel College and Camp Reynolds in World War II.” This research project built on the Thiel College Veterans Project, in which Buck and students in his research methods class have worked to document every veteran with a connection to the College.

Samantha Walker ’21 M.A.’23, Juila Langietti ’22, and Nathaniel Meth ’23 were among the students who presented on the project on May 9 at VFW. The research was also displayed at the Greenville library on May 19. 

• Langietti, of Greenville, Pa., is a history major with a secondary education certification and a 2018 Greenville High School graduate.
• Meth, of Pittsburgh, Pa., is a history major and philosophy minor and a 2018 Fox Chapel High School graduate.
• Walker, of Greenville, Pa., is a Master of Arts in Communication and Leadership student at Thiel and a 2016 Reynolds High School graduate.

Additional student researchers worked on the project looking for information on the conection between the College and Camp Reynolds. Limited findings on the connection altered the scope of the project and research to include World War II veterans from the area. The student researchers uncovered lists of World War II veterans and life at the base. Camp Reynolds, formerly Camp Shenango, was a 3,300-acre personnel replacement depot that opened in 1942. Aside from the thousands of troops coming in and out, in 1941, 800 German prisoners were housed at Camp Reynolds. In July 1943, the base was also the site of a race riot between black and white soldiers, where gunfire was exchanged.

Buck, Snyder, Frombgen, and Walker attended the CIC “Humanities Research for the Public Good Workshop,” where Walker presented about the project and the group’s research methods.

Related Links

• Department of History
• Military and Veteran Students
• Military Friendly® Schools

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