Diary, 1 January 1940-16 August 1944

The Lois Elaine Bergren diary is a single volume written between 1 January 1940 and 16 August 1944. It is formatted as “one line a day,” resulting in a collection of brief snapshots of everyday life over the five year period in which Bergren was writing. A common format includes names of friends Bergren spent time with, highlights from the day’s activities, evening engagements, and what time she went to bed. Among her most frequently documented activities are sorority and other club meetings, choir practices, studying, attending movies, and going out with friends and romantic interests. At Augustana, she was involved with choir, the Chi Omega Gamma sorority, Lutheran Students’ Association (L.S.A.), Women’s League, and the Rockety-I yearbook. Later entries, particularly those between 1943 and 1944, document the ways in which Bergren’s social life was affected by World War II. She maintained letter correspondence with friends and romantic interests while they were deployed. Bergren’s first husband, Don Griffee (“Griffee” or simply “Griff” in diary entries), features regularly across the diary as both a friend and later boyfriend.