The AFS Archives is pleased to announce the online accessibility of 375 photographs from the Arthur Howe, Jr. Collection! The collection documents the impactful life Arthur “Art” Howe, Jr., an AFSer who had, in his own words, “a burning desire to do what one could” to make the world a better place. The photographic material depicts his volunteer activity in North Africa and the Middle East during World War II, including camp life, ambulance maintenance, group photos, individual AFS volunteers, British military personnel, local civilians, scenery, occasional visits to cities and archaeological sites, sand the transfer of the AFS ambulances to Italy on an LST (landing ship tank), which transported vehicles and personnel during the war. The photographs also document his service as a volunteer with the AFS exchange programs after World War II, including visits to local AFS chapters.
The digitization of this collection was completed thanks to generous donors from around the world who contributed to the Arthur Howe, Jr. Archival Project. Started in September 2016, the project aimed to preserve and make accessible a historic collection of photographs, documents, and artifacts donated by Art and his family to the AFS Archives. Click here to learn more about this historic collection, which also includes hundreds of pages of digitized letters and other documents, and here to view all the photographic material in his collection.
In conjunction with the online availability of the collection photographs, AFS launched a new online exhibition titled Arthur Howe, Jr: From Watertown to the World with AFS! Click here to view the exhibition, which enables visitors to follow in the footsteps of AFS World War II volunteer, president, and life trustee Arthur “Art” Howe, Jr. on some of his many adventures, discovering the world through his eyes and words. Using an interactive map feature and many of the newly-digitized photographs, visitors to the exhibition will learn more about Art, a lifelong and passionate AFSer who had a significant impact on people and communities around the globe. Driven by his desire to help others, Art traveled the world, discovering new cultures and meeting new friends while embarking on important work with AFS. For him, interacting with different people around the world was a way to promote open discussion, mutual understanding, and ultimately, peace.
Banner image: Arthur Howe, Jr. and Kirk LeMoyne “Lem” Billings watching a dogfight overhead in Tunisia in 1943. All photographs are courtesy of the Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs, and cannot be used outside the guidelines of United States Fair Use (17 U.S.C.,Section 107) without advance permission.
