PITTSBURGH (PTTP) – On Feb. 7, the Soldiers and Sailors Museum here in Oakland hosted an event to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Museum staff searched through archives for letters from loved ones during difficult times, including World War II, the Civil War, and the Korean War. These letters show how love and connection can be expressed in many ways and have changed over the years, but love will always be the same.
Lisa Terrano, the collection manager at Soldiers and Sailors Museum, explains these archived letters and how “they give you this little glimpse of history that you don’t read in the history books.” History doesn’t show raw emotion, but guests share that these letters remind them these people are similar to human today and that those emotions haven’t changed.
Pitt students in the theatre department portrayed the voices of these couples, bringing the letters to life by reading them aloud. The actors also performed solos– singing love songs throughout the event. Guests attended the event as part of a Valentine’s celebration, which included food and drinks in the museum’s main hall.