Name/Title
Letter From Elisha "Smokey" Stover to his Parents Dated August 18, 1943Scope and Content
In this letter to his parents Elisha "Smokey" Stover complains about the speed of mail delivery, has not heard anything from Ben or his sister-in-law since the birth of their daughter and that he is enclosing money for his mother to buy a war bond for his new niece Angela from his Uncle "Smokey", his new nickname.Context
Elisha Terrill "Smokey" Stover was a F4F Wildcat pilot with VF-8 on the USS Hornet (CV-8) and VF-5 aboard the USS Saratoga (CV-3) and later at Guadalcanal in 1942 where he downed 4 Japanese planes earning the Air Medal. Transferred aboard the USS Yorktown (CV-10) as a Fighter Director Officer in CIC in 1944, he appeared in scenes of "The Fighting Lady" and later returned to flight status with VF-5 when he was shot down over Truk Atoll on February 16, 1944.Collection
Smokey Stover CollectionAcquisition
Accession
2017.001Source or Donor
Daniel M. StoverAcquisition Method
GiftUpdate Date
October 13, 2026
