The Open Stacks: Sterns a prominent and influential family
Jennifer Olguin
Although we all are living through challenging and trying times during the pandemic, the New Mexico State University Archives and Special Collections is still receiving collections to add to our archival holdings in order to capture history and ultimately make available to the public. Earlier this summer, Dennis Daily, the ASC department head, received the papers of the late Donald D. Stern. In this post, I will share information on the recently acquired papers as well as provide a glimpse of the Stern family.
Donald David Stern was born Aug. 9, 1925, to Eugene and Mabel Stern. The Stern family was an influential family in the Mesilla Valley — they were Jewish merchants and farmers, and assisted in civic organizations around Las Cruces. Eugene and Mabel had six children and the papers housed at the ASC reflect the personal and military life of Donald. Donald was a 1943 graduate of Las Cruces Union High School and upon graduating, enrolled at New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (now NMSU). While attending college, Donald enlisted in the military. He served in the Air Force during World War II, and became a prisoner of war, held captive by the Germans. The bulk of the archival materials is made up of correspondence to and from Donald’s parents and siblings while enlisted in the military during 1940s. Interesting enough, in the papers are telegrams notifying Donald’s parents of his missing in action status, as well as the