William Neill Bogan Jr. was born 31 December 1924 in West Point, Mississippi. He was the son of William Neill Bogan Sr. and Catherine Fenton. He married Clara Jean Hagan on 9 October 1971, by whom he had a son, William Neill Bogan the third. Bogan Jr. attended Mississippi State University (at the time Mississippi State College) for engineering in 1943. He then served in the Army and was in the European Theatre of World War Two. He served in the 283rd Combat Engineering Battalion. After serving, he came back to Mississippi State College in 1947, graduating in 1948. He worked as an engineer in the telecommunications industry.
Although the contents detail the span of Bogan's life, a significant amount of the collection chronicles his time serving during World War II. Documents include correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, family history, education, military, and miscellany. There are also many artifcats including Boy Scouts of American and military memorabilia.
Only a portion of the collection have been digitized. See Finding Aid for more information about the collection.