John H. Armstrong Papers, 1932-1974 (bulk 1950-1960)
General International Standard for Archival Description
Amherst College Archives and Special Collections
Finding aid encoded using Perl scripts and edited in XMetal 2.0. Encoded by Sarah Sorscher. 2002-07-25
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
Armstrong Papers
Creation of Armstrong Papers
Time of Creation of Armstrong Papers
1 records storage box, 4 archives boxes, 1 flat box
Armstrong, John H., 1932-1959
Biographical History for: Armstrong Papers
Biographical Note Following his graduation from Amherst in 1954 with a BA in English, Armstrong attended Harvard University where he received a Master's degree in English Literature in 1955. In 1955 Armstrong joined the United States Army and attended the Army Language School in Monterey, California where he studied Chinese. In 1958 Armstrong received a Fullbright Scholarship and studied French and Chinese at the Institute for Advanced Languages at the Sorbonne in Paris. It was during his stay in Paris that he met Yves Tommy-Martin (AC 1958), who was planning an automobile trip from Paris to Cape Town, South Africa. When Armstrong's Fullbright Scholarship was not renewed in 1959, he decided to join Tommy-Martin and Jean Pillu, Tommy-Martin's childhood friend. Another American, Donald Shannon, a Milwaukee native and former Air Force lieutenant, joined them not long before they left. Mindful of the dangers ahead, the four set off in specially equipped Citroen cars. Citroen, the French automaker, supplied the cars and offered a prize for the most interesting account of a trip by automobile. The four, dubbed the Franco-American Student's Automobile Tour of Africa," left France on July 4, 1959. Following a route along the Mediterranean, they arrived in Egypt later that month. The low level of the Nile made it impossible to travel the customary ferry route and the travelers were forced to drive across they desert from Aswan, Egypt to their next stop in Wadi Halfa, Sudan. Well supplied and accompanied by the requisite guide, the party drove into the Egyptian desert expecting to be in the Republic of Sudan in two of three days. The four men never made it out of Egypt. Having heard nothing form their son in over two months, Mrs. Catherine Armstrong contacted the U.S. State Department for help. The Egyptian Government was notified and a search was begun. Egyptian patrols found the bodies on October 26, 1959. It was estimated that the party had died sometime in early August. There was a great deal of controversy, never officially resolved, concerning the cause of death. Official reports claimed the four died of thirst and exposure. The families found evidence that indicated the four young men were murdered.
Scope and Contents of the Collection The papers include correspondence, photographs, diaries, journals, publications and vital and legal documents, such as his birth certificate, passport and insurance papers documenting Armstrong's days at Amherst College and Harvard University, his foreign language studies and a 1959 automobile trip to Africa. Also contained in the papers of John Armstrong are those of his mother, Catherine M. Armstrong. They relate almost exclusively to her son's death and include correspondence with the families of Armstrong's fellow travelers, official correspondence relating to the investigation, notes on her trip to Paris to visit the family of Tommy-Martin and notes of sympathy following her son's death.
Automobile travel--Africa.
lcsh
Automobile travel--Europe.
Armstrong, John H., 1932-1959.
lcnaf
Tommy-Martin, Yves Marc, 1935-1959.
Armstrong, Catherine M.
Pillu, Jean.
Shannon, Donald.
Amherst College--Students.
Harvard University--Students.
Amherst College. Class of 1954. Armstrong.
Amherst College. Class of 1958. Tommy-Martin.
aat
Correspondence 1950-1958
Correspondence 1955-1958
Correspondence 1956-1958
Correspondence 1958-1959
Accounts of expedition 1959-1960
Accounts of expedition: news clippings 1959-1960
Accounts of expedition: magazines 1959
Address books n.d.
Chinese language material n.d.
Chinese language material (1envelope, 1 bound volume) n.d.
Diary 1955-1956
Diary 1959
Diplomas and certificates 1951-1956
Expense ledger 1950-1956
Honors Thesis 1954
Journal 1959
Miscellaneous 1950-1959
Photographs n.d.
Publications (JHA) 1957-1959
Vital and Legal Documents 1932-1960
Catherine Armstrong Papers: correspondence 1939-1959
Catherine Armstrong Papers: correspondence, diaries, sympathy cards 1960-1971
JHA Realia (memorabilia) 1950-1959