Eleanor Elizabeth Crost, who introduced herself simply as Lyn Crost, was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 19, 1915, the daughter of Maurice Roland Crost and Eleanor Agnes Welch. Maurice Crost was born in Amsterdam (Holland) and had attended City College of New York for two years before meeting Eleanor Agnes Welch, who was from Hartford, Connecticut. Lyn Crost was raised in Hartford, Connecticut and entered Pembroke College in September of 1934, at which time she listed Mrs. Elizabeth B. Crost of Hartford, Connecticut, as her guardian and her church affiliation as Congregational. She received an A.B. in Social Studies from Pembroke College in 1938. By that time, she had been a Pembroke Scholar for three years, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and graduated magna cum laude with final honors.
During her student years at Pembroke College, Crost reported College Hill news for the
Just a few months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Crost returned to the mainland, finding employment in Washington, D.C. She first worked in the Executive Office of the President with Dr. Pendleton Herring assisting with a study regarding the war preparedness efforts of the United States. She later found a job with the Associated Press in Washington, covering the proceedings of Congress. As an AP correspondent in Washington, she interviewed Joseph R. Farrington, the publisher of the
In 1987, while following the Congressional debate on granting reparations to Japanese Americans who were interned in detention camps during the war, she became inspired to tell the story of the Nisei - second generation Japanese Americans - who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II. As a result, she wrote
Crost first married Edward Kennedy, an AP war correspondent, in 1946. They had a daughter, Julia Kennedy, but the marriage ended in divorce. In 1955, she married Thomas W. Stern, a geologist, and retired from her position at the White House shortly after that. However, she continued to write the occasional article or short piece for a book, as well as providing periodic contributions to the
This series is divided into three subseries comprised of business correspondence relating to Lyn Crost's research for the writing of
The Business correspondence comes from a wide range of correspondents representing literary agents, motion picture production companies, veterans groups, and institutions, such as museums and governmental agencies. Most of the correspondence relates to Lyn Crost's research for the writing of
The Fan mail is comprised of letters Lyn Crost received from individuals praising
This subseries of personal letters include a telegram dated 1946 congratulating her on receiving her Theater Campaign ribbon, a 1943 letter of invitation from Mrs. J. M. Helm, Secretary to Mrs. Roosevelt, for afternoon tea, Christmas cards, and correspondence from long-time friends - some of whom were members of the 100th/442nd Infantry Battalion.
This series contains photographs used for the publication of
This series is comprised of three subseries.
The first subseries contains two drafts, each of approximately 225 typed pages divided into nineteen chapters, of the manuscript,
Unlike the first two subseries, The Bull and the Contessa and Farewell to Paradise, this last subseries contains typed and handwritten research notes, interviews, and photocopies of maps that were used in researching and writing
This series contains a small number of materials and personal effects belonging to Lyn Crost. Included among the personal effects are her Pembroke College academic transcripts and diploma, press pass cards dating from the 1940's, her War Department identification card and U. S. Passport for 1945. Other materials include a photocopy of her personal bookplate, copies of the obituaries published after her death in 1997, and a number of news articles written about her, plus a copy of an undated speech prepared and given by her on the topic of her book
Folder 125 serves as a place holder file for this oversized item.
This series is comprised of three subseries.
The contents of this subseries for the most part consist of photocopies of the original news articles found in the subseries, Scrapbooks, which were written by Lyn Crost as a war correspondent between March 1945 and July of 1946. Within this series are two copies of
Folder 143 serves as a place holder file for this oversized item.
Folder 144 serves as a place holder file for this oversized item.
Folder 147 serves as a place holder file for this oversized item.
The subseries Scrapbooks is comprised of two unbound scrapbooks. The first scrapbook, titled "World War II, Volume I," contains the original newspaper articles written by Lyn Crost for the
The third subseries contain teletyped copies of articles written by Lyn Crost, while she worked for Time-Life at their Beverly Hills, California office from 1951 to 1953. The content of these reports detail various domestic news stories, such as the prominent 1951 Swan vs. Los Angeles Board of Education court case, the investigation of the film industry by the House Un-American Activities Committee, or coverage of well-known politicians, such as Adlai Stevenson, visiting the Beverly Hills/Los Angeles area.
This series contains materials that fall outside the scope of the others series of this collection and reflect some of the varying interests of Lyn Crost. There are a few news clippings, for example, about cowboys, Hawaiian culture, or of long-time residents of Hawaii. For example, one clipping dated April 5, 1939, from the
Among the other materials within this series is an extract of
This series contains two subseries of materials that was used in the writing of
This subseries is comprised of materials directly related to information regarding the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd RCT, and the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion that was used in the writing of
The additional materials in this subseries include photocopies of relevant sections of published works cited in Honor by fire, which was published in 1994. These materials give background and historical information about events that occurred during World War II that help place the role of the Japanese American involvement in the war in context.
This series is comprised of published materials that include newsletters, programs of events sponsored by Club 100 and the 442nd Veterans Club, the
The highlights of this small series of memorabilia includes Lyn Crost's war correspondent hat with the official U.S War Correspondent insignia and her European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, plus the accompanying certificate issued by the U.S. War Department. Also of special interest in this series is a boxed medallion of appreciation given to her by the 442nd Veterans Club on the 50th anniversary of the formation of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in 1943. The other items within this series are 3.5" floppy disks containing copies of
This series contains two subseries of incomplete runs of the serials
The
The
The series contains videocassettes of various movies and documentaries about the Japanese American experience in America and as members of the U.S Armed Forces during World War II. Examples of titles within the series are the classic 1951 film about the 442nd Regimental Combat Team
The Lyn Crost papers consist of a wide variety of materials relating primarily to her experiences as a war correspondent covering the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team in Europe during World War II, and research materials collected and used in writing her book
Among the many unique items that can be found in this collection are her World War II theater campaign ribbon and war correspondent's hat, an invitation to the White House for tea with Mrs. Roosevelt, and copies of Hitler's personal letterhead stationery. First hand accounts by individual members of the 100th/442nd Infantry detailing their war experiences, and a rich assortment of photographs are also contain in this collection.
Overall the collection comprises correspondence that includes subject matter of a business and personal nature, as well as fan mail. The Photographs series contains photographs used for the publication of
Additional materials in the collection include copies of relevant sections of cited works used in writing
The Lyn Crost papers represent a valuable resource for those researching the role of women correspondents in World War II, the 100th /442nd Regimental Combat Team, and the Nisei experience in America.
All researchers seeking to publish materials from the collections of the John Hay Library are requested to complete a Notice of Intent to Publish, available on the John Hay Library website or by request, prior to reproducing, quoting, or otherwise publishing any portion or extract from this collection. Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Lyn Crost papers, Ms. 2005.46, Brown University Library.
This collection is arranged into the following eleven series:
Series 1 (Correspondence, 1942-1997) is comprised of three subseries, each arranged alphabetically by author and divided as Business, Fan mail, and Personal.
Series 2 (Photographs) contains photographs taken by Lyn Crost during World War II and those used in the pubication of
Series 3 (Literary manuscripts) contains three subseries; The Bull and the Contessa, Farewell to Paradise, and Honor by fire. Each subseries are arranged by chapter, except for
Series 4 (Personal) contains items relating directly to the author and are arranged as the author originally filed them.
Series 5 (Journalism) contains three subseries. The subseries Lyn Crost articles and scrapbooks are arranged alphabetically. The subseries Time-Life is arranged chronologically.
Series 6 (Subject files) are arranged alphabetically.
Series 7 (Research materials) contains two subseries, General research files and Photocopied extracts. They are arranged alphabetically.
Series 8 (Printed materials) are arranged alphabetically.
Series 9 (Memorabilia) are arranged alphabetically.
Series 10 (Serials) contains two subseries; Go for broke and Puka Puka parade. The subseries are arranged chronologically.
Series 11 (Audiovisual materials) are arranged alphabetically.
There are no restrictions on access for non-digital materials, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested. Advance notice is required to view born-digital records. Born-digital materials in this collection have not been reformatted yet. Researchers may request access to copies by contacting the John Hay Library with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. Access to original physical digital media is restricted.
These papers were a gift of Lyn Crost's husband, Thomas W. Stern, on 22 May 1997.
Brown University Library catalog record for this collection:
The books that belonged to Lyn Crost are cataloged separately and can be found in the Library's catalog under the heading: