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Jerry N. HessJerry N. Hess (1931–2017) was a 20th-Century American oral historian of U.S. presidential libraries, particularly the Harry S. Truman Library: his name appears in numerous books which include research into major personalities related to mid-20th-Century American national politics and draw upon the more than 500 oral histories available at the Truman Library alone.[1][2][3] BackgroundHess was born on September 24, 1931, in Cedar Vale, Kansas. His parents were James Nelson and Mary Elixabeth Burge. He had one older brother, Norman Burge Hess. He obtained a BA from Kansas State University of Lawrence and MA from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.[1] CareerIn 1951, Hess entered the U.S. Navy, where he served until 1955.[1] Hess served as an oral historian for President Harry S. Truman Library as well as the National Archives in Washington, D.C. He helped develop other presidential libraries.[1] After retirement, he volunteered as an oral archivist for the Ringling Circus.[1] Oral historiesHess' Truman Library interviews include:
Personal and deathHess was a 32nd Degree Mason with life membership in the Scottish Rite Valley of Tampa. He was also a member of: the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Missouri, the Sons of the American Revolution, the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Shriners International.[1] On June 4, 1960, Hess married Barbara H. Neubauer; she died in 1994. In 1998, he married Bertie Lee Ruth; she died in 2016. In 2006, he and Bertie moved to Sunnyside, Florida.[1] Hess died age 85 on June 23, 2017, at Doctor’s Hospital in Sarasota, Florida.[1] References
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