"Cadet Battalion marching on Franklin Field…at the reception tendered Marshal Joffre, Savior of France and Champion of World Liberty, May 9, 1917."
From Pennsylvania Military College: The Story of 100 Years by Henry J. Buxton
Sylvanus Griswold Morley, class of 1904, was a Harvard-trained archeologist and Mayan scholar, who worked as a spy for the Office of Naval Intelligence during WWI. He gathered valuable information on German operations in Central America. "The best secret agent" in his day, Morley was reportedly an inspiration for the character of Indiana Jones.
For more information on the extensive digital and print collections of the Widener University Archives, contact University Archivists:
Jill Borin - jmborin@widener.edu
Kayla Van Osten - kmvanosten@widener.edu
View the many Archival Artifacts about World War I on the Wolfgram Memorial Library Digital Collections website.
Over 300 Pennsylvania Military College Alumni served in WWI; 11 paid the ultimate price and gave their lives to their country. The Fallen Soldiers - PMC and Widener Alumni Who Died in Combat digital exhibit includes profiles for the 11 Alumni who died in WWI as well as alumni who died in service, from the Civil War to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
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During active duty, Alumni serving in the war effort wrote letters to Colonel Charles Hyatt, the president of Pennsylvania Military College. View the letters in the Alumni-War Experiences digital collection, which includes personal military experiences from the Spanish-American War, WWI, WWII and Korea.
Letters - WWI
James Campbell, Jr. - 07/01/1919
The P. M . C. News started publication in November, 1916. The first volumes of this student newspaper contain many articles about the war, the cadets who enlisted and how Pennsylvania Military College responded to the war effort.
May 1917 January 1918
"P. M. C Boys "Doing Their Bit" in the Conflict Overseas" -- December 1916
"Graduates, Ready for Service, Commissioned High in Reserve Corps" -- March 1917
"College Does its Bit as U. S. Enters War - Free Training for Citizens and High School Boys' - April 1917
'P. M. C. Men from 26 States and Cuba Offer Themselves to Their Country" -- May 1917
"Young Graduate is Decorated for his Service on Battlefield of France' -- October 1917
"With the Colors; Honor Roll of P. M. C. Trained Men in Their Country's Service" -- December 1917
'With the Colors; The Honor Roll Lengthens" -- January 1918
"Cheery Picture of Life Overseas by Lt. Moore' -- February 1918
"Three More Captains are with the Colors" -- March 1918
'Huns by Sea and Air Strike near to Blake" -- April 1918
The 1956 Alumni Directory listed the nearly 100 P. M. C. graduates who received this honorary degree for their service in the war.
