The Register of
Chiyo Thomas Telford Papers
1939 - 1953

MSS 0151

Mandeville Special Collections Library
Geisel Library
University of California, San Diego

Extent: 0.60 linear feet (2 archives boxes)

Abstract

The Chiyo Thomas Telford Papers contain correspondence, memorabilia and photographs from the World War II period, when Telford was with the American Red Cross in the Philippines, to the early 1950s. Principal correspondents include Elbert D.Thomas, her father and senator from Utah (1932-1950), and Claude S. Snow, a friend. The memorabilia include personal and World War II ephemera. The collection is arranged in three series: 1) CORRESPONDENCE, 2) MISCELLANEOUS MATERIALS and 3) PHOTOGRAPHS AND SKETCHES

Biography

Chiyo Thomas Telford was born on December 25, 1910, in Japan. Her parents were Mormon missionaries. Her father, Elbert Duncan Thomas, served as United States senator from Utah (1932-1950), chairman of the Senate Military Affairs Committee and high commissioner for the Pacific Islands Trust Territory (1951-1953).

Chiyo Thomas Telford grew up in Salt Lake City, attended Latter Day Saints High School, and was graduated from the University of Utah in 1931. After teaching school in Salt Lake City, she went to Washington, D.C., where she worked in her father's Senate office. She joined the American Red Cross after the outbreak of World War II and in 1943 was sent to the Philippines as a recreational therapist.

After the war, she returned to Salt Lake City and earned a master's degree in education from the University of Utah in 1947. In 1950 she married Horton Telford, an official with the U.S. State Department. After a series of overseas assignments, they returned to the United States in the mid -1960s and settled in California.

Scope and Content

The Chiyo Thomas Telford Papers consist of letters from her family, including her father, Senator Elbert D.Thomas of Utah, letters from U.S. military personnel , miscellaneous material, and photographs. The papers are arranged in three series: 1) CORRESPONDENCE, 2) MISCELLANEOUS MATERIALS and 3) PHOTOGRAPHS AND SKETCHES.

SERIES 1: CORRESPONDENCE

The major part of the CORRESPONDENCE is to Chiyo Thomas Telford from her father, Elbert D. Thomas, her sisters, and members of the U.S. military writing from Europe, North Africa and the Philippines.

SERIES 2: MISCELLANEOUS MATERIALS

MISCELLANEOUS MATERIALS include clippings, personal and World War II memorabilia, and speeches by Elbert D. Thomas.

SERIES 3: PHOTOGRAPHS AND SKETCHES

The PHOTOGRAPHS AND SKETCHES series contains photographs taken during her work with the American Red Cross in the Philippines, photographs of members of the armed forces, mostly unidentified, undated photographs of people and places, an undated portrait proof of Elbert D. Thomas, a watercolor portrait, and two pencil sketches of Chiyo Thomas Telford.

Finding aid generated: 2005-10-31