The James Rogers McConnell Memorial Collections

James Rogers McConnell, who is commemorated by the Aviator Statue outside of Clemons Library, was a UVA student who died while flying for France in the first World War. The James Rogers McConnell papers consist of approximately 210 items, including 160 letters written by McConnell. The letters date from 1915, when McConnell served with the American Ambulance service on the Western Front in France, 1916, the year of the formation of the Lafayette Escadrille, and, 1917, ending a few days before McConnell's death. The letters provide a vivid picture of McConnell's service in the cause of France.