Provenance: Gifted to the Portsmouth Athenaeum in 2019 by daughter of the subjects, Julie M. (Giambalvo) Pouliotte
Citation: Saverio and Mildred Paterson Giambalvo Collection, MS137, Portsmouth Athenaeum
Size: .5 linear feet (1 Hollinger box)
Access: No restrictions
Processed by: Susan Stowe Kindstedt in 2019
Scope and Content:
The Saverio and Mildred Peterson Giambalvo Collection includes papers documenting the education, employment and volunteer/organizational involvement of Saverio and Mildred. Included are materials related to the couple’s service during World War II, working at Camp Langdon in New Castle. There are also records of Mildred’s studies at Portsmouth High School and the University of New Hampshire. Mildred was active with many societies and organizations, represented in the collection. There are also materials (mostly newspaper clippings, awards and letters) related to Saverio’s time working for the Portsmouth Housing Authority.
Biographical Note:
Saverio Giambalvo was born in Brooklynn, New York 1 Apr 1915. He served in the Army during World War II and was stationed at Fort Langdon in New Castle with the 22nd Coastal Artillery Harbor Defense Unit. While at Fort Langdon he met his future wife, 7 May 1944 he married Mildred Florence Peterson, whom he married 7 May 1944. In 1946 the couple returned to Portsmouth to live. Saverio was a member of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners (Local No. 921) and served as treasurer. In 1962 he was appointment to the Board of Commissioners of the Portsmouth Housing Authority From his obituary in the Portsmouth Herald: During his tenure he helped to guide the city’s commitment to urban renewal, historic restoration and the construction of affordable housing units. He encouraged the provision of programs such as nutrition, health and transportation for the elderly and disabled, the Retired Senior Volunteer and Youth Programs, a respite care program for care givers, the Parrot Avenue Senior Center and the state’s first Alzheimer’s clinic. Mildred Florence Peterson was born 29 May 1914 in Biddeford, Maine, the daughter of Frank and Mary (Leavitt) Peterson. Mildred graduated from Portsmouth Junior High, Portsmouth High School and the University of New Hampshire (1936). In Portsmouth she worked as a recreational supervisor for the YWCA and as a cashier and stenographer at the Arcadia Theater. She worked as a stenographer with the Works Progress Administration. From 1941 to 1944 she worked at Camp Langdon for the War Department as a clerk and later had a similar position at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Mildred was active in many organizations including the Aircraft Warning Service, the National Rifle Association, the Motor Corp and the American Red Cross. When Saverio and Mildred settled in Portsmouth in 1946, they built a home on Cliff Road in Portsmouth and had three children. Mildred died 16 June 1999 and Saverio died 6 Feb 2007, both in Portsmouth.
Separated materials:
Photographs were separated and cataloged in the photo collection.
Folder list:
Box 1
F1: Saverio Giambalvo – 22nd Coast Artillery
F2: Saverio Giambalvo – Portsmouth Housing Authority, Minutes and Articles
F3: Saverio Giambalvo – Portsmouth Housing Authority, Letterhead
F4: Saverio Giambalvo – Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce, Man of the Year, 1968
F5: Mildred Peterson – Portsmouth Junior High School, Ephemera, 1932
F6: Mildred Peterson – Portsmouth High School, Ephemera
F7: Mildred Peterson – Portsmouth High School, Class of 1932
F8: Mildred Peterson – Portsmouth High School, Autograph Book, 1932
F9: Mildred Peterson – Portsmouth High School, Class of 1932 Reunions
F10: Portsmouth High School, Class of 1948
F11: Mildred Peterson – University of New Hampshire
F12: Mildred Peterson – University of New Hampshire, Ephemera
F13: Mildred Peterson – Employment History
F14: Mildred Peterson – Aircraft Warning Service
F15: Mildred Peterson – Rifle Association
F16: Mildred Peterson – Motor Corp
F17: Mildred Peterson – Red Cross
F18: Mildred Peterson – Certificates
F19: Mildred Peterson – Miscellaneous
F20: Mildred Peterson – Newspaper Clippings
F21: Mildred Peterson – ID Cards
F22: Giambalvo House on Cliff Road, Portsmouth