Mary White Gaunt served in the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II as an air evacuation nurse was later a nurse at Wilford Hall medical facility at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, where she cared for National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut Alan Bean following surgery he had there. This collection consists of material relating to Gaunt's career including, military records, two small pocket notebooks where Gaunt kept notes on her missions, a scrapbook documenting Gaunt's time stationed in the United States, and a second scrapbook documenting her time stationed in England. The collection also includes a packet of material sent to Gaunt by astronaut Alan Bean following his post-surgery recovery at Wilford Hall medical facility at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, where Gaunt was his nurse. The packet includes a letter from Bean to Gaunt thanking her for her excellent care; a signed photo of Bean; some photos of other astronauts; and some National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) publications.

Mary White Gaunt served in the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II as an air evacuation nurse. She had worked as a night supervisor nurse at Midway Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota for a little over three years before joining the military in March 1941. Gaunt completed training at the Army Air Forces School of Air Evacuation and served in the United States including time in Colorado, at Camp Grant, Illinois, and as assistant chief nurse at Truax Field, Wisconsin. Gaunt was sent overseas in December 1943 where she was stationed at USAAF Station 489 (Royal Air Force Cottesmore), England and later transferred to USAAF Station 486 (Royal Air Force Greenham Common), England. During her service with the USAAF, which included assignment to the 811th and 816th Medical Air Evacuation Transportation Squadrons, Gaunt completed 99 combat sorties and 6 transatlantic air evacuation missions and participated in the following battles and campaigns: Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe. Gaunt separated from the USAAF in February 1946 at the rank of captain. In the 1960s, Gaunt was a nurse at Wilford Hall medical facility at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, where she cared for National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut Alan Bean following surgery he had there.