Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Maerose J. Evans papers
- Dates:
- bulk 1969-1975
- Creators:
- Evans, Maerose J.
- Abstract:
- Correspondence, minutes, reports, financial records, bulletins, newsletters, serial issues, clippings, and photographs relating to efforts to secure the release of American prisoners of war in Vietnam, efforts to secure information on American servicemen reported missing in action, and the families of those servicemen.
- Extent:
- 13 manuscript boxes (5.2 Linear Feet)
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Maerose J. Evans papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Correspondence, minutes, reports, financial records, bulletins, and newsletters from the National League of Families, supporting committees, and the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action League of Santa Clara County. The majority of the collection is made up of personal correspondence related to efforts to secure the release of American prisoners of war in Vietnam, efforts to secure information on American servicemen reported missing in action, and the families of those servicemen. A small amount of serial issues, clippings, and photographs related to the POW/MIA issue are also included.
Most of the materials focus on the Western Region or California families of servicemen who were prisoners of war or missing in action. There is also some focus on the issue at a national and international level.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Maerose J. Evans, originally from New Jersey, was the wife of Commander James J. Evans, United States Navy. Commander Evans was a naval aviator whose aircraft was lost during a reconnaissance mission over Laos in 1965. In 1974 he was presumed killed in action, and in 1977 his remains were positively identified and returned. At the time of his disappearance, the couple was living in Alameda, California, with their two children, Monica and James.
Maerose Evans was involved with the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia during its founding and incorporation in 1969 and 1970. She eventually became the Western Regional coordinator, which oversaw chapters in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, and Hawaii. She was heavily involved in the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action issue in the United States and gave many speeches and talks about the inhumane treatment of prisoners and the need for a full accounting of the missing men. Evans even travelled to Laos in 1972 in an attempt to gain more information about her missing husband. Eventually, she left the position of Regional Coordinator and the National League of Families over a disagreement about the direction of the organization, and she believed that her values no longer aligned with those of the League.
In 1984, Evans married George Humphreys, whom she remained with until her death in 1995. She was buried in Arlington National Cemetery next to her first husband, Commander Evans.
- Acquisition information:
- Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 1995.
- Physical location:
- Hoover Institution Library & Archives
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-02-23 09:52:02.135145
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
- Terms of access:
-
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Maerose J. Evans papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
- Location of this collection:
-
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford UniversityStanford, CA 94305-6003, US
- Contact:
- (650) 723-3563