Biography/History:

Peter Stevens Wheeler, son of Mrs. M. L. Wheeler of Goodman, Holmes County, Mississippi, was born on August 17, 1925. He was called to active duty from the United States Naval Reserves in October 1943. Wheeler subsequently attended the United States Naval Training School at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, where he completed a radio course in June 1944. He served in the Pacific theater until the end of World War II. In 1948, Wheeler moved to Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi, where he was a student. He was hired as an engineer at WSLI radio station in Jackson around 1950 and worked there until his retirement. Wheeler and his wife, Peggy, were married around 1951. They had two daughters, Gail and Janet. He died on December 4, 1998, and was interred at Lakewood Memorial Park in Clinton.

Scope and Content:

This collection consists of a letter, military records, and photographs of Peter Stevens Wheeler of Jackson. All of the items document his naval service during World War II. The March 5, 1945, letter is addressed to Wheeler’s mother in Goodman. He relates news of family members and mutual acquaintances but offers very few personal details, perhaps due to naval regulations or wartime censorship. Wheeler’s return address was the fleet post office in San Francisco, California. The military records are composed of an order, a certificate, and two passes. Wheeler’s active-duty orders were issued on October 21, 1943. The certificate indicates that Wheeler completed a radio course at the United States Naval Training School at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, on June 13, 1944. A special pass was issued to Wheeler by the United States Naval Yard at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on November 27, 1945. There is also an undated liberty pass. One undated photograph is of the USS Indianapolis, and the other is of seven unidentified sailors.

Series Identification:

1. Papers. 1943-1945; n.d. 1 folder.

   1 folder