Archives Display: St. Kate's Veterans

Private Verla Phillips, 1944

In honor of Veterans Day, there is a display featuring items from St. Kate’s archives that were collected by Verla Phillips. Phillips served in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) during World War II. She was originally from Minneapolis and was deployed to Italy to serve in the Army Air Force. During her time in service, she kept a scrapbook, which she filled with keepsakes, news clippings, postcards and other mementos she collected.

Items from her scrapbook include a WAC calendar, a newsletter and a nursing pamphlet published by the American Red Cross. She also kept ticket stubs and playbills from performances she attended during her time in service. 

In addition to items collected by Phillips, the display also features articles about St. Kate’s students who served in the military. In the 1940s, several students formed the St. Catherine's Veterans' Association (known as the K-Vets), a club for students who had served in WWII. An article from The Wheel shows members of the K-Vets looking at photos and reminiscing about their military days.

Another article features a story about former service women who were pursuing an education at St. Kate’s under the G.I. Bill. One of the women featured in this article is Catherine Moore (later Sister Anne Joachim Moore). She went on to become the president of St. Mary’s Junior College, which is now the Minneapolis campus of St. Kate's.

This display will be on view for the month of November on the lower level of the St. Paul Library, in Archives and Special Collections, room 62.