January 22, 2010 by Kristi Young
Leonard Brostrom entered the army March 16, 1942. He had several stateside assignments. He went overseas in May 1944; however it was October 20, 1944 before he saw any action. 
Killed just eight days later, he was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. The citation says:
“Leonard C. Brostrom was a rifleman with an assault platoon which ran into powerful resistance near Dagami, Leyte, Philippine Islands, on 28 October 1944. From pillboxes, trenches, and spider holes, so well camouflaged that they could be detected at no more than twenty yards, the enemy poured machine gun and rifle fire, causing sever casualties in the platoon. Realizing that a key pillbox in the center of the strong point would have to be knocked out if the company were to advance, PFC Brostrom, without orders and completely ignoring his own safety, ran forward to attack the pillbox with grenades. He immediately became the prime target for all the riflemen in the area, as he rushed to the rear of the pillbox and tossed grenades through the entrance. Six enemy soldiers left a trench in a bayonet charge against the heroic American, but he killed one and drove the others off with rifle fire. As he threw more grenade from his completely exposed position he was wounded several times in the abdomen and knocked to the ground. Although suffering intense pain and rapidly weakening from loss of blood, he slowly rose to hes feet and once more hurled his deadly missiles at the pillbox. As he collapsed, the enemy began fleeing from the fortification and were killed by riflemen of his platoon. PFC Brostrom died while being carried from the battlefield, but his intreidity and unheaitating willingness to sacrifice himself in a one-man attack against overwhelming odds enabled his company to reorganize against attack, and annihilate the entire enemy position.” (MSS 2350 no.1099)
January 21, 2010 by John Murphy
The L. Tom Perry Special Collections is pleased to announce that curatorial work has been completed on the Laurie Teichert Eastwood collection of Minerva Kohlhepp Teichert and Herman Adolph Teichert family papers. The collection was donated to Special Collections by Laurie Teichert Eastwood, daughter of Minerva Teichert and Herman Teichert, and contains the personal and professional papers of Minerva Teichert and Herman Teichert.
Noted American artist, Minerva Bernetta Kohlhepp was born August 28th, 1888, in Ogden, Utah, to Frederick John Kohlhepp and Mary Ella Hickman. Following graduation from high school, Minerva taught school in Idaho, and at age 19, had saved enough money to attend the Chicago Art Institute. In 1915, she moved to New York City to study at the Art Students’ League, where her teachers, George Bridgman, Dimitri Romanoffski, and Robert Henri, recognized her talent and encouraged her to pursue a career in art.
In 1917, Minerva returned to Idaho. On September 15, 1917, she married Herman Adolph Teichert, right before he left to fight in World War I. Together, they had 5 children: Herman, Hamilton, Robert, Laurie, and John. Minerva spent much of her life on a ranch in Cokeville, Wyoming. As she raised her family and ran the ranch, she continued to paint, focusing on the American West and the LDS faith as her principle subjects.
She painted the murals in the World Room in the Manti Utah LDS temple, and painted an entire series of paintings on the stories of the Book of Mormon. Minerva died May 3rd, 1976, in Provo, Utah.
Materials in the Laurie Teichert Eastwood collection of Minerva Kohlhepp Teichert and Herman Adolph Teichert family papers include scrapbooks and sketches, correspondence, postcards, photographs, and ephemera, all relating to her life as a mother, artist, and LDS Church member. The collection also contains the personal papers of Herman Teichert, Laurie Teichert Eastwood, and Marian Eastwood Wardle.
John Murphy, Curator
L. Tom Perry Special Collections
Harold B. Lee Library
January 5, 2010 by Kristi Young
Henry Lavelle Stewart tells the following story about entering Tokyo after V-J Day. “When we arrived in Tokyo, not a living thing could be seen. No birds, no traffic, no people. Unoccupied cars lined the streets. The survivors were still hiding under ground. Gradually we were able to coax them to come out. Their leaders had told them that we would kill all of them. An old Japanese lady gradually approached me making eye contact all the while. I wondered if she might have a grenade so I held up my hand for her to stop. I counted to ten and then decided she didn’t have a grenade. I then motioned for her to approach. When she reached me she knelt down and began kissing my shoes. I gently raised her up and pointing to my feet I shook my head indicating No. I pointed to my face and I smiled. I next pointed to her face indicating for her to smile also. She did so revealing very bad teeth. I gave her a chocolate bar.” (Stewart, Henry L. MSS 2350, No. 1495, pp 38-39.)
September 21, 2009 by John Murphy
The L. Tom Perry Special Collections is pleased to announce that all Geneva Steel photographs and negatives in the Geneva Steel Holdings Corporation records (MSS 3122) will soon be available for public use and access. The collection includes over 16,000 gelatin silver, black-and-white, and color photographs, as well as 33,000 negatives, slides, and transparencies. These photographs and negatives, found in Series I of the collection, span a sixty year period, from approximately 1940 – 2002.
The Geneva Steel photographs are organized into eight archival sub-series, and document all aspects of the development and history of the plant, as well as several Utah mines that produced coal for Geneva. All photographs and negatives have been housed in acid free sleeves and folders, and have been described in the archival finding aid which will be available online.
Built in 1942, Geneva Steel was one of the largest World War II construction projects. During the Second World War, steel from the Geneva plant was used in the production of more than 2,000 Liberty Ships. Geneva’s steel was also used in the production of armaments, bombs, and tanks.
The Geneva Steel plant transformed the culture, environment, and society of Utah County as well as our state and region. What was once a regional society and economy rooted in the daily rhythms of the small town and farm was forever changed by the construction of one of the largest steel plants in the United States.
By the time Geneva Steel closed its gates for the last time in 2002, the plant had generated millions of dollars in income, had employed over 70,000 individuals, and had radically altered and changed the environment and landscape of Utah County.
The historical value of these materials is great. These photographs constitute a literal treasure trove of unique primary source materials that will, for years and decades to come, further inform our understanding of our state and region.
John Murphy, Curator
L. Tom Perry Special Collections
Harold B. Lee Library
September 16, 2009 by Kristi Young
Our 15th flight was April 9, Easter Sunday, to Posen, Poland. When we went into briefing we were told this was a must hit the target raid! We were going into Poland to bomb the first jet aircraft factory in the world! The Intelligence Officer informed us that the first operational jet airplane was on the runway and the factory was full of them being processed. We flew up over the North Sea between 25,000 and 30,000 feet, dropping down to 15,000 feet for the bomb run. On the way in we had a lot of anti-aircraft fire and as we came in over the bomb run, several miles before the drop point a 66 mm anti-aircraft shell made a direct hit on our No. 2 engine, scooping it right out of the wing. This is the engine that runs all the instruments! We immediately dropped out of formation but continued behind and dropped our bombe on the target. Darcy yelled, “Get the hell out of here–we’re sitting ducks.” So we flew over the North Sea, because fighter planes didn’t like to stay too long over open water. About the next five hours we spent trying to keep enemy aircraft away from us. The fog came in: we flew through it. During one opening in the fog we looked down and there was the ocean right under us! We immediately threw out everything that was loose, including our parachutes. We were too low for them to be of any use to us anyway. The white cliffs of Dover looked really close that day as we just barely skimmed them and flew just above the ground to our base. We did not circle the base as is required. We landed straight on…happy to be back on the ground! (Grant Douglas Johnson, MSS 2350 no. 277.)
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