mnsss243 Alene Stern Erlanger Papers, 1942-1969 Finding Aid Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College
Northampton, MA
© 2005

Smith College. All rights reserved.

 Finding aid exported into EAD from InMagic DB/Textworks 7.01. Encoded by Margaret Jessup and Jennifer Smar. 2006-04-07 Finding aid written in English. Sophia Smith CollectionSmith College Alene Stern Erlanger Papers, 1942-1969 Finding Aid MS 56 2005 Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

© 2005 Smith College. All rights reserved.

 Collection Overview Erlanger, Alene Alene Stern Erlanger Papers1942-1969 MS 56 1 box (.25 linear ft.) English Sophia Smith Collection
Smith College Northampton, MA
Dog trainer and breeder. Small collection of material from Erlanger's work with war dogs during World War II, including correspondence, photographs, citations, and books on dog training. Biographical Note

Greer Garson and poodles with Alene Stern Erlanger, circa 1942

Alene Stern Erlanger graduated from Barnard College in 1912. She was captain of the Red Cross at Fort Monmouth (New Jersey) during World War I, and between the wars, she directed the Cellar Players, Hudson Guild, an amateur theatrical company. During the Second World War she organized Dogs for Defense, which arranged for the donation of dogs for military service and placed them in homes after the war. As a civilian consultant to the Quartermaster General, 1942-45, Erlanger helped found the K-9 corps, wrote training manuals, and supervised dog training programs. She was awarded the "Exceptional Civilian Service Award" in 1945. She was married to Milton Erlanger and had they three children. She was a well-known breeder of poodles and owned Pillicoc Kennels, Woodside Stud Stables, and a large aviary. Erlanger was considered one of world's leading judges of dogs of all breeds and was the author of Pet Poodle, a manual (1954). She was treasurer of the International Council on Bird Preservation and active in other conservation groups. Alene Erlanger died on June 26, 1969.

For more on Alene Erlanger's contributions to the k-9 corps, see http://www.poodlehistory.org/PoodlesinWWII.HTM

 Scope and Contents of the Collection

This small collection of material documents Alene Erlanger's work with war dogs during World War II and includes correspondence, photographs, citations, memorabilia, and books on dog training. There is one photograph of Erlanger with actress Greer Garson and her two standard poodles.

 Information on Use Terms of Access and Use

The papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection.

Copyright to unpublished materials may be owned by the creator, or their heirs or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights. Permission to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use" must also be obtained from the Sophia Smith Collection as owners of the physical property.

 Preferred Citation

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

Alene Stern Erlanger Papers, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.

 Search Terms World War, 1939-1945--Dogs Dogs--War use--History World War, 1939-1945--Women Erlanger, Alene Stern, d. 1969 Garson, Greer, 1908- --Photograph Contents List Correspondence 1 Murray D. Van Wagoner, Governor of Michigan (invitation to dog show), 1942 1 Henri Bonnet, Ambassador of France (in French), 1948 1 Yale U. Library (for gift of Joyce manuscript), 1964 1 NY Times obituary, 1969 1 Photograph: Erlanger with Greer Garson and two standard poodles, circa 1942 1 Cartoon from the N.Y. Tribune re: war dogs, 1942

[photocopy-original in flat file]

 1 Cover of Pathfinder magazine with photo of Erlanger receiving medal and citation for her work with K-9 corps, n.d. 1 Medals and citation for war work, n.d.

[see also oversized materials]

 Books 1 Technical Manual: War Dogs, War Department, 1943 (no author listed - Erlanger?) 1 Dogs for Defense: American Dogs in the Second World War, by Fairfax Downey, 1955 Oversized Materials Flat File Original cartoon from the N.Y. Tribune re: war dogs, 1942 Flat File Citation for war work, n.d.