The Whole Damned World: Aggies at War, 1941-1945
published with New Mexico State University Library

Publication date: October 2008
20 photographs – TBA pages
$TBA/PB (978-1-890689-38-4)

Jett cover
Daniel B. Jett, the Dean of Engineering from 1938 to 1947 at what was known then as the New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (later NMSU), carried on a personal correspondence with hundreds of his former students during World War II. Known affectionately as “Dad” Jett, Dean Jett was beloved by his students. During the war years, Jett composed class newsletters and wrote scores of letters to each of the men and women of the School of Engineering who served overseas or stateside. His tireless energy and enthusiasm boosted morale among those serving as soldiers or nurses, as well as those at home fighting to keep the school on an even keel during hard times. Jett’s students wrote to him as well. These letters provide indelible insights into the lives of young men and women involved in cataclysmic world events. The letters reveal a nostalgia for the college, infused with hope for returning to the school when the war ended.