A centenarian weighs in

Editor’s Note: When we ran a story commemorating the 100-year anniversary of UNH being named a university, we asked alumni or family of alumni who were near or at that same 100-year mark to write us. Inspired by that, her 100th birthday in January and Joan Lamson ’49’s story of her laundry case, Shirley Newcomer Wagner ’46 shared her story:

“I enjoyed reading Joan Boodey Lamson’s story about her laundry case. How well I remember those cases. Sometimes the laundry case was returned to the student with homemade cookies or other goodies. When I returned to the UNH campus for my sophomore year in 1943, I found it swarming with young soldiers. Most of these men had been through basic training and had some college credits. They were eligible for the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP). Those soldiers at UNH were to study engineering. They were happy to be on campus with great food, comfortable barracks, a beautiful campus and plenty of girls! I met my future husband, John. We dated until the program closed in March 1944. Some of the soldiers were sent into the infantry, others to the paratroopers. John was placed in the infantry, served overseas and was taken prisoner of war in the Battle of the Bulge. Four months later, he escaped with six other soldiers in Germany and was rescued by the American forces. I write about the ASTP because it was such a memorable part of our campus life at that time. We had happy days and sad days, depending on those very special letters from overseas. I live in a retirement community in independent living. I continue to bake homemade cookies for my great-grandchildren like my mother sent to me in that laundry case. I still look back on those four years at UNH with many wonderful memories.”