Capturing the recollections of the “Candy Bomber”

Texas A&M University Libraries has prided itself on exposing students and faculty to information resources and special collections that might otherwise be unavailable to the campus population. In the past, these collections have only been available within the parameters that physical control would allow. The University Libraries, the Bush School of Government and Public Service, and the History Department at Texas A&M have jointly organized a symposium, The Berlin Airlift and the Making of the Cold War, to mark the 70th anniversary of the airlift (1948-49). As part of this event, we are honoring U.S. Air Force Col. Gail Halvorsen, who flew many airlift missions, and won the affection of Berliners by parachuting candy to children in the city, who nicknamed him the “Candy Bomber.” We will be recording and digitally archiving an interview with Col. Halvorsen about his experiences in the Berlin Airlift. Due to exciting new technology combinations and implementations, a research group is creating a digitally archived collection of the event that will include photographs, text, and digitally captured oral history that is cohesively captured to meet the demands of the modern visual, aural, and verbal learners, and preserve the access to this information for future generations. This presentation will discuss the importance of the event, the methods of information capture, and the significance of collection delivery.