Holding the Army chaplain uniform of the Rev. Edward O. Clark, Class of 1915, in my hands made the journey from Bucknell to Vineland, N.J., worth it.

Over lunch at a local diner, Julia Carita ’20 and I met with Elizabeth Clark Haynie ’53, who had invited us to visit her and talk about the subject of our History 100 project — her father. Our talk was just a start to understanding who the Rev. Clark was as a father, student and religious man in a violent conflict.

We laughed as Haynie reminisced about her time at Bucknell and listened intently as she recounted stories of life with her father.

Before our visit, we had read documents and letters about the Rev. Clark and his experiences in World War I, but speaking with Haynie made everything so much more personal. Her donations of her father’s uniform and Bucknell scrapbook, which are now valued additions to the University Archives and Special Collections, were priceless to us.

As Julia and I flipped through the scrapbook, it felt as though we were right alongside him during his time at Bucknell. Photos and news clippings were the puzzle pieces that came together to depict Clark’s student days. But most of all, it was his uniform that made his presence seem palpable. That uniform went everywhere he went and saw everything he saw — his entire service experience, enclosed within a suitcase.

Though we may never fully understand what it was like for him to serve, we are now one step closer.