Guide to the William Ira Adelman Papers, 1943-1950
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- William Ira Adelman Papers,
- Creator
- Adelman, William Ira
- Collection Number
- MSS#524
- Extent
- .2 linear feet (1 box)
- Date
- 1943-1950
- Abstract
- William Ira Adelman was a Pittsburgh resident who served in the Navy during World War II. He was killed on December 10, 1944, when a kamikaze pilot struck his boat. This collection consists of reproductions of correspondence, photographs, documents, and news clippings pertaining to Adelman's involvement in the war from a scrapbook kept by the family.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
History
Born in Pittsburgh in 1914, William Ira Adelman was a graduate of Shadyside Academy and Harvard University. After graduating from Harvard in 1936, Adelman joined his father, Abraham Adelman, in business at the Adelman Lumber Company. In 1940, he married Meryl Jane Ruben.
In 1943, Adelman enlisted in the U.S. Navy, training at Fort Schuyler, New York, and Melville, Rhode Island. In July 1944, he was commissioned as an ensign and assigned to a patrol torpedo boat squadron with the Seventh Fleet in the Pacific. The following October, the boat on which Adelman served, PT-323, participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Philippines. According to published accounts from the time, PT-323 was credited with sinking a Japanese destroyer during the fighting. On December 10, 1944, Adelman was killed when his ship, PT-323, was struck by a kamikaze pilot near the island of Leyte.
In memory of his son, Abraham Adelman made a donation to Montefiore Hospital, which at the time was one of the largest single gifts the hospital had received. The gift established the Adelman Memorial, which consisted of a new floor above the Outpatient Department that served as a teaching unit.
Scope and Content Notes
The William Ira Adelman Papers consist of reproductions of correspondence, photographs, documents, and news clippings from a scrapbook kept by the Adelman family. The material mainly pertains to Adelman's military service during World War II.
Adelman describes his experiences in training and at war in four letters sent to his wife between 1943 and 1944. One letter, written in October of 1944, provides an account of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, in which Adelman's boat was involved. News clippings about PT boats and naval engagements in the Philippines are also included in the collection. The collection also houses news clippings about the Adelman Memorial at Montefiore Hospital, correspondence from the military regarding Adelman's death, and photographs of Adelman and his family.
Conditions Governing Access
No Restrictions.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Willa A. Shapiro on November 8th, 2001.
Preferred Citation
William Ira Adelman Papers, 1943-1950, MSS#524, Rauh Jewish Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Matt Strauss in May, 2009.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Senator John Heinz History Center. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.
Related Materials
To the museum division:
The military uniform and equipment of William Ruben, Adelman's brother-in-law (acc.2001.87)
Subjects
- Montefiore Hospital
- Jews--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh
- World War II--Philippines