Grady Roy Pulliam, Jr., World War II Collection
Grady R. Pulliam, Jr. was a Winston-Salem, N.C. native and Triad Insurance Company executive who was a U.S. Army servicemember in Europe during World War II. Materials in this collection include letters and postcards sent to his wife Gladys and daughter Ann, other family, and friends, training manuals and notes, maps, a timeline of his service, programs, booklets, photographs related to the military and to European culture, K-type rations, magazines, and uniform clothing and related items. Some materials originate after the war but are related to his service, such as correspondence with veterans from his unit. Some materials are in French, but most of the collection is in English.
Biographical and Historical Note
Grady Roy Pulliam, Jr. was born September 3, 1919, and died October 24, 2004. Pulliam lived most of his life in Winston-Salem, N.C., where he served as President and Chief Executive of Triad Insurance Company and attended Knollwood Baptist Church following his service in World War II. From September 1943 to December 1945, he served as a tabulating machine operator and an administrative non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. His military career included service in the campaigns of Normandy and Northern France and included stays in England and Belgium. Pulliam rose from the rank of Private to Staff Sergeant during his time in the Army.
Pulliam also dedicated much of his life to philanthropy; he was an active member of the North Carolina Lions Foundation and spent time serving as International Director and Chairman of the Funding Committee.
He was married to Gladys Cain, a homemaker. Gladys was born November 17, 1917 and died January 11, 1988. Together they raised three daughters and a son, although during the war, they only had one daughter, Ann, born in 1942. His children established the Gladys Cain Pulliam and Grady R. Pulliam, Jr., Fund in their memory in 2007.
Collection Overview
This collection documents the World War II experience of Grady R. Pulliam, Jr., a soldier in the U.S. Army. Some materials originate after the war but are related to his service, such as correspondence with veterans from his unit. Materials in this collection include letters and postcards sent to his wife Gladys and daughter Ann, other family, and friends, training manuals and notes, maps, a timeline of his service, programs, booklets, photographs related to the military and to European culture, K-type rations, magazines, and uniform clothing items.
Correspondence is mostly letters that Grady sent home to his wife, Gladys, and daughter, Ann during his war service. Other correspondents include friends and family, such as his mother, sister Dorothy Bryson and her husband Vonnie (called "Dot and Bugs"), fellow soldier and brother-in-law Jim Blackmore, and individuals he met while serving abroad, including Gertrude Macey and Michelle Clause. In addition to personal letters, there are also business-related letters, greeting and holiday cards, and postcards.
Military papers include basic training and boot camp materials, Adjutant General's School instructional manuals covering different aspects of machine records accounting of Army personnel cards, and machine and code training materials. The collection also features personal military records, a religious meditation guide, and maps of post-liberation Paris. Timelines of Pulliam's military service were created by his children after his death. Artifacts include World War II-era realia such as uniform clothing, medals and pins, a tarp, a backpack, and ration boxes.
Some materials are in French, but most of the collection is in English.
Collection Arrangement
This collection is organized into five series: Series 1. Artifacts, Series 2. Correspondence and related materials, Series 3. Military documents, Series 4. Personal and biographical materials, and Series 5. Photographs.
Series 2. Correspondence and related materials is further divided into two sub-series, Subseries A. Correspondence and Subseries B. Postcards and envelopes. Both subseries are arranged in chronological order; all other series are arranged in alphabetical order.
Administrative Information
- Publication Information
- Processed by Patrick Fox and Stephanie Bennett, 2019
- Conditions Governing Access
- The collection is open for researchers.
- Conditions Governing Use
- The nature of the WFU Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Archives and Special Collections of ZSR Library claims only physical ownership of most materials. The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
- Preferred Citation
- Grady Roy Pulliam, Jr., World War II Collection (MS878), Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.