Tag: History

“I suppose you are all worried sick since the war started . . .”

~ Dr. Matt Luckett ~ 53 Comments

I’ve started the process of scanning and transcribing my grandfather’s letters, only to quickly discover that my laptop (on which I have Dragon Naturally Speaking) is far too slow and cumbersome to carry this load. So as I start to shop for a new computer, here is one of the first letters I found, which just happened to be dated December 10, 1941 . . . three days after the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor.

My grandpa, a steam engineer aboard the U.S.S. Chew, tried to allay his parent’s fears. “Don’t worry about me,” he wrote reassuringly, “because everything is O.K. . . . keep your chins up.” The letter has few specifics beyond that, but with several hundred to go I think this is going to be a fascinating journey.

Next Entry:
“When this upset world straightens out we will all be together again.”

[Grandpa’s Homepage]

Welcome!

~ Dr. Matt Luckett ~ Leave a comment

Hi folks!

My name is Dr. Matt Luckett, and welcome to my new homepage! I will use this space to update everyone on my teaching, research, and film projects. This will be a one-stop shop, hopefully, for news and updates about whatever it is I happen to be working on at any given moment.

I believe that 2019 is going to be an exciting year up here in Orangevale, CA. For starters, I recently submitted my book manuscript draft, entitled Honor among Thieves: Horse Stealing and Culture in Western Nebraska, 1850 – 1890 to the University of Nebraska Press.

I am also developing a documentary film, Earthshaking, in partnership with Emmy Award-winning Director Mario Congreve. Our sizzle reel is almost done, and I will post a link to it soon. In the meantime, please check out our website: www.earthshakingdocumentary.com.

Soon I will begin posting letters and other materials from my grandfather, Elmer Luckett, a Pearl Harbor survivor from Saint Louis who passed away last March. He has given several interviews to Missouri media outlets over the past few years, as he was (I believe) the last Pearl Harbor survivor alive in the St. Louis area. In an effort to keep his memory alive (and in hopes of starting a book project) I will begin posting items from his voluminous letter collection.

Finally, if you are a student of mine, please check out my “Office Hours” page for up-to-date syllabi and some helpful links to a variety of research, writing, and history sites. I will regularly post updates here, so please check back frequently.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my page! Please feel free to send me a message in the Contact section, or send an email to my personal address at lucketthistory at gmail dot com.

Cheers,

Matt