Research: Military: They Also Served
They Also Served --- Series Descriptions
Office of War Training
A4377. Program Administration Correspondence, 1944-1945. 0.4 cu. ft.
Arrangement: Alphabetical by correspondent.
This series contains routine correspondence between administrators in the Office of War Training and those involved in specific programs, such as the School Bus Driver Training Program, the Bus and Truck Driver Training Program, and police and fire training. Topics discussed include certificate distribution, pamphlet requests, equipment distribution, meeting and conference scheduling, instruction sites, and training film distribution. Carbon copies of cover letters to individuals regarding their test results are found, though actual test results are not in this series.
A4381. Correspondence with Local War Councils and Other War Agencies, 1943-1944. 2 cu. ft.
Arrangement: Alphabetical by municipality or state.
This series contains correspondence between the Office of War Training and agencies interested in the office's programs and materials. While Albany and New York City organizations are well-represented, organizations from across the State as well as other states are also represented. The correspondence usually discusses instructor training and availability; handbook preparation and distribution; film preparation and distribution; certification of individuals for the office's many programs; and preparation and proctoring of qualification tests.
A4382. Training Programs Subject File, 1943-1944. 4.5 cu. ft.
Arrangement: By topic.
This series contains correspondence, memoranda, annual reports, field reports, pamphlets, tests, and speeches and lectures relating to the office's work training civilians for possible wartime emergencies. Programs represented in this series include fire fighting and auxiliary police training, school bus drivers' training, gas identification and response training, and public service training. Much of this series details routine aspects of the programs (travel, attendance reports, payroll, requests for materials, and personnel issues). Other materials, such as annual and field reports relating to the instructors' supervisors and the supervisors' staff, document activities, plans, goals, and policies of the programs.Pamphlets, speeches, and tests detail the information which the office wished to convey in the training programs.
Finding aids: Folder list.
A4373. School Bus Drivers' Training Program Administration and Certification Files, 1943-1945. 6 cu. ft.
Arrangement: Organized into two subseries: Subseries 1, Administration Files, 1943-1945, 2.3 cu. ft., is arranged by topic. Subseries 2, Examinations and Certification File, 1943-1944, 3.7 cu. ft., is arranged by topic, then alphabetical by school location.
World War II caused numerous shortages and affected many aspects of daily life. School buses, while an efficient means of transportation, required a great amount of resources, particularly fuel and rubber. Because better school bus driving techniques would help to conserve resources for the war effort, the War Council required all school bus drivers to be certified in the safe and efficient operation of buses. The War Council assigned the Education Department to this task, and it in turn requested that the Office of War Training administer the program. The program trained and assigned instructors in over 100 schools throughout the State and issued certificates to those who passed the course. The War Production Training Office, a subdivision of the War Transportation Office, assumed responsibility for the distribution of publications (though it did not carry out any other program activities) after the Office of War Training closed in 1944.
This series contains correspondence, memoranda, lists, manuscript drafts, and certification exams documenting the School Bus Drivers' Training Program. Requests for pamphlets, manuals, and information were directed to the War Production Training Office, and correspondence from that office is also found within this series. Materials found include drafts of the instructor's manual; correspondence from field representatives regarding program organization; correspondence to new instructors regarding duties and expectations; lists of the number of buses available; brochures from school bus driver training programs in New York as well other states; newspaper clippings documenting program activities; monthly reports from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles enumerating motor vehicle accidents involving property and personal injury; correspondence with other organizations interested in motor vehicle safety; and routine correspondence between program officers and instructors discussing training manual and instructional film distribution, prospective training locations, reimbursements, and program activities.
Also found are examinations taken by students in the School Bus Drivers' Training Program and lists of those who took the training course, kept to record which drivers were certified to drive. The sixty- question exam posed questions on traffic regulations, a bus's mechanical operation, passenger safety and behavior, and efficient driving habits. The lists contain the names of course attendants, their address, and their final certification status. Some correspondence between program officers and local training program administrators discussing issues regarding individuals' status is also found in this series, in addition to a set of 8" x 5" cards listing information relative to each training program.
Finding aids: Folder list for subseries 1 and a container list for subseries 2.
A4374. Bus and Truck Operators Training Course Administration Files, 1943-1944. 0.8 cu. ft.
Arrangement: Arranged by topic.
During World War II, limiting truck and bus use was a crucial part of home front efforts to conserve resources, such as fuel, rubber, and metal, needed for the war effort. These efforts tried to balance conservation with the recognition of the integral role that trucks and buses played in the nation's economy. The Office of War Training implemented a program aimed at educating drivers through trucking company managers. The United States Office of Education awarded a grant to the New York State Education Department to provide one-week training sessions to "essential transport operators" in cities around the State. The program was primarily for managers who, after training, would develop training programs within their organizations to encourage driver safety and efficient driving habits. Courses given included Driver Selection and Training, Preventive Maintenance, Safety, Conservation of Equipment, Customer and Public Relations, Developing Better Employer and Employee Relations, and Teacher Training.
This series contains correspondence, pamphlets, and instructors' manuals documenting the Office of War Training's administration of this driver's education program to improve both truck and bus driver safety and the conservation of resources. Much of the series contains routine correspondence regarding the program's administration (registration, requests for material), but also found are instructors' manuals and syllabi, including tests, and promotional flyers for this and similar programs in other states. Other records in this series document the training institutes held in Albany, Buffalo, New York City, and Syracuse. These records usually include lists of student names and final scores by section; lists of student names and addresses (business, home, or both); students' employers; students' positions; and number of drivers and/or equipment for which students are responsible.
Finding aids: Folder list.
A4375. Civilian Defense Driver Corps Instructors Organization and Training Files, 1943-1944. 0.75 cu. ft.
Arrangement: Arranged by topic.
The Civilian Defense Driver Corps was formed to train instructors in emergency driving techniques. These instructors would then teach others the techniques in order to provide civil defense organizations with drivers who would be capable of transporting essential supplies, evacuating children, or ferrying civil defense units. Training included instructions on emergency traffic regulations, emergency repairs, and driving in rough terrain, mud, and during blackouts. This program was administered by the Office of War Training for the Office of Civilian Protection with courses held in Albany, Buffalo, Long Island, New York City, Rochester, Syracuse, and Utica. This series contains correspondence and instructional materials documenting the organization of this program in its mission to train drivers. This series contains lists of instructors; course registration forms; lesson outlines; a final examination; emergency traffic regulations; and routine correspondence regarding reservation of meeting sites, information requests, and instructor requirements.
Finding aids: Folder list.
A4376. Food and Drug Chemists Institute Organization Files, 1939- 1943 (bulk 1942-1943). 0.25 cu. ft.
Arrangement: Arranged by topic.
Food and drug supplies are crucial to both soldiers and civilians in wartime. In New York State efforts were undertaken to prevent contamination, spoilage, improper labelling, or other threats which would lessen supplies. The Office of War Training arranged two training institutes to teach food and drug professionals about possible threats and how to avoid them. The first, held December 8-10, 1942, focused on food and drug issues such as shelf life, contamination prevention, and proper packaging and storage. The second, held January 19-22, 1943, was directed toward health and food inspectors. Both were held in Albany, with speakers from the federal and State governments and the private sector conducting lectures. This series contains information from both institutes, including a transcript of the first two days of the first institute, and registration forms from the second institute which include name; address; job title; job duties; and educational background.Also found is routine correspondence detailing speakers' arrangements, meeting places, and other organizational details of the two institutes, and a pamphlet from a similar institute held by New York State in 1939.
A4378. War Training Institutes Organization Records, 1942-1944. 0.65 cu. ft.
Arrangement: By topic.
This series contains announcements, program schedules, certificates of attendance, and instructors' manuals and other teaching materials relating to several training institutes conducted by the Office of War Training. The records document the office's efforts to educate civilians for a variety of war time programs. This series contains training program materials for air raid wardens, block leaders, fuel conservation, gas reconnaissance officers, general war training, including first aid, and plant protection.
A4380. Film Distribution Correspondence, 1943-1944. 1 cu. ft.
Arrangement: Alphabetical by county.
The Office of War Training accumulated a sizable film library encompassing a wide range of topics related to the home front and war education topics. The office distributed these films to local war councils and their subunits, schools, businesses, and other organizations involved in war work. The correspondence in this series contains requests for specific films from various groups and the office's response. Films requested covered subjects such as automobile conservation, child care, civil defense, fire fighting, physical fitness, safety, salvage, school bus driving, and volunteer activities.
