American, 1922–2015
In 1943, Virginia Becker filled a commercial scrapbook with all manner of photographs, letters, cards, and other ephemera she had diligently saved. Her goal was to recount the story of her college romance with Robert Maslin, whom she later married. Through photographs and paper scraps that she saved, as well as her own handwritten annotations, Virginia dramatically narrates their courtship at Temple University in Philadelphia, including such key events as their first date, his initiation into a fraternity, and their being voted "best looking couple." The album even includes a letter from the university president announcing the start of World War II. The album, labeled volume 1, spans the years 1941 to 1943, and ends ominously with Robert joining the Marine Corps, his wartime fate uncertain.
