Missouri scholar hard at work to give the Korean War its place in history
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Exactly 50 years ago, American troops were involved in the Korean War, a war most often called the “Forgotten War.” But there is a Missouri scholar who is hard at work to give the Korean War its place in history.
He is Paul Edwards, Ph.D., director of the Graceland University Center for the Study of the Korean War. Edwards will discuss the war, the Center and his work on the KXCV/KRNW-FM radio show, “Issues and Insights” at 11 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 24.
Show host Matthew Bosisio will interview Edwards for the program entitled, “A Korean War Retrospective.”
The Center for the Study of the Korean War, acquired from Edwards by Graceland two years ago, is located on the university’s Independence, Mo. campus. Opened to the public there on June 25, 2000 (the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the war), the Center contains more than 1,200 linear feet of archival materials from and about the war. It is believed to be the largest collection of its kind in the U.S. and is unique because of the number of personal history items that have been donated by Korean War veterans.
Included are more than 3,000 photographs, numerous diaries, letters, journals, orders, maps and other materials which generally can be described as “papers.” The collection continues to grow as Korean War veterans and their families make donations of items to ensure permanent safekeeping within a collection that is open to all.
The Center is the culmination of nearly 20 years of study and acquisition of materials by Edwards who himself served in Korea. It began when he retired from Graceland and decided to write about the Korean War. Soon stalled by the difficulty of finding reliable source materials, he took it upon himself to gather whatever he could that was pertinent to the war and those who were engaged in it. To date, Edwards has written eight books about the war and has established an annual conference which attracts historians and writers from around the world.
Graceland’s Independence campus is located at 1405 W. Truman Road, about five minutes from the Truman Presidential Library and six blocks from the Truman Home.