Provenance
Items collected by Susan Hill ’67 and donated to Special Collections in September 2017 along with items in MS-221 Cpt. Robert L. Morris ’66 Papers.
Historical and Biographical Note
Susan Hill (née Colestock) ’67 was the wife of Cpt. Robert L. Morris ’66 and the brother of Lt. John M. Colestock ’65, both of whom died in service during the Vietnam War. John M. Colestock was a biology major and member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity at Gettysburg College. During his senior year in 1965, he won the Student Affairs Committee Award. After graduating, he married fellow Gettysburgian Linda Young ’65 and joined the U.S. Navy as a Naval Aviator. Three years later, they had a son. In 1969, Lt. Colestock died during a mid-air collision over Virginia. He was interred at Gettysburg National Cemetery. Colestock was one of the over 58,000 U.S. servicemen who died during the Vietnam War and one of the thirteen Gettysburg College alumni who died in service during the War.
Scope and Content Notes
The collection includes photographs, newspaper clippings, and other documents related to the life of John M. Colestock ’65. Series 1 contains items from Colestock’s life before joining the U.S. Navy, while Series 2 includes all items from his service with the Navy until his death in 1969. Potential research interests lie in Gettysburg College’s Vietnam War connections, the personal history of Lt. John M. Colestock, and photographs from the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War.