Wayne Oncale Collection

Wayne P. Oncale was born to Claiborne P. and Blanche Schexnayder Oncale Sr., and raised in Thibodaux, Louisiana, having attended Thibodaux public schools graduating in 1967 from Thibodaux High School. After high school, following in the steps of his U.S. Navy father and WWII veteran who participated in the Pacific arena from 1944-1946, he volunteered for six years (4 active/2 inactive) in the U.S. Navy spending almost four years on a naval ship sailing through the Mediterranean Sea in the Sixth Fleet (as well as the Second Fleet stationed in Norfolk, VA) where he was fortunate enough to have visited thirteen foreign countries that expanded his "hands-on" education related to people and places of historical significance. After leaving his active-duty service in 1972, he entered Nicholls State University attaining a degree in Psychology. Oncale spent close to thirty years as a Mental Health Professional in Chicago and Rockford, IL.

His passion for history, as well as family history and genealogy, was enhanced when he started his journey of autograph collecting in 1974. While living in New Orleans in the 1970s, his first important historical document purchased was a framed treasury note signed by Sam Houston acquired from an antique dealer on Magazine Street. He was also a past member of The Manuscript Society having been on the arrangements committee during their 1979 annual meeting in New Orleans where he met the late Steven L. Carson, who worked at the National Archives for decades and who was a past editor for the international Manuscript Society Quarterly for 15 years. Mr. Carson became a close friend, as well as a mentor regarding manuscripts and documents.

As Wayne's collection expanded, he acquired insight into the world of autograph collecting. He sold many items on eBay for years, yet he wanted to preserve the history of the Lafourche Country and the New Orleans area. His first contribution to the Nicholls State University Archives was in July 2003 which was a rare copy of a Civil War Union newspaper, published in downtown Thibodaux, LA titled, " Banner of the Ironsides" dated April 14, 1863. Since that first donation, Wayne has continued to donate items to the Archives to preserve and protect the history of Southeast Louisiana for future generations.