Richard James Rendleman of Salisbury, N.C., served as a lieutenant in the United States Navy during World War II. After the war, he returned to Salisbury, where he worked in the chemical field and became a well-known businessman. The collection includes correspondence, official United States Navy documents, and photographs, 1921-1969, with the bulk dating 1943-1946, when Richard James Rendleman was serving in the Navy. Letters deal with the Port Chicago explosion and its aftermath, as well as Rendleman's daily life during his service in Guam; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Okinawa, Japan. Included are a few items relating to a tennis tournament in Guam at which Rendleman met several players, including Bobby Riggs. Official documents relate to Rendleman's naval service during and after World War II and include service records, travel expense vouchers, orders to report to various bases, separation records, and discharge records. Many of the photographs, 1941-1946, provide visual evidence for subjects described in the letters, including the Port Chicago Incident; the tennis tournament in Guam; and a typhoon that hit Okinawa while Rendleman was stationed at the naval base there. Individuals in the photographs include Rendleman, his parents, friends, and Bobby Riggs. Also included is a photograph album that contains images, 1942-1946, mostly of family members, many of them unidentified.
