Around 1919, the Kansas State Historical Society and the American Legion solicited biographical information from returning veterans (primarily members of the 35th and 89th infantry divisions) and the families of those who died in service, notably from the Gold Star Mothers. Each veteran or family member was asked to provide letters, photographs, a biography, and military records. This file contains information on Alfred Baker Carpenter, Headquarters Company, 75th Coast Artillery. Carpenter died from influenza on October 15, 1918, in Brest, France. Carpenter was born in Oswego, Kansas, on March 7, 1893. He grew up there and returned to Oswego after graduating from Highland Park College, Des Moines, Iowa, with a degree in electrical and mechanical engineering.