Kalamazoo Christian High School Collection
Scope and Contents
This collection is comprised of one 1963 Senior “Last Will and Testament,” and homecoming programs from 1963, 1964, and 1965, all from Kalamazoo Christian High School located in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
The Kalamazoo Christian Senior’s Last Will and Testament was a booklet created and compiled by the senior student staff of the “Clarion” the high school’s student newspaper. After a brief thank you letter from the senior class, a Last Will and Testament is written with each of the seniors making a statement of what they will “leave” behind for the remaining students and staff at K. Christian H.S. For example, senior Nancy De Young wrote, “I, Nancy De Young, leave my ability to talk in study hall and not stay after school, to Mary Leep.” Dow Haan wrote, I Dow Haan, leave my ability to do nothing and get caught for it to Doug Stapert,” and Bob Heerlyn wrote, I Bob Heerlyn, leave my school books to anyone who wants to buy them.” Some statements were heartfelt, while others were lighthearted.
After the Will and Testament, another section lists what members of the graduating class will do after high school. For example, Paula Bushouse wrote “going to attend the Henry Ford Hospital School of Nursing in Detroit. After three years of school and I get my R.N. diploma I hope to join the Navy Nurse Corp.” While some planned on attending college, others wrote that they would simply “go to work.”
After stating their hopes for life after high school a Class Prophecy was written to the class of 1973, as well as a short history of the senior class. A list of “Mosts and Bests” is written after those with “most likely to succeed” given to Paul De Haan, and “best school skippers” awarded to Marilyn Lynema and Dave Smith. Finally a page is devoted to the senior class trip and a final statement on graduating from K. Christian.
The Homecoming programs held in the collection provide good information on the Homecoming Court for each year and which football team K. Christian played against. Each of the three years they played the Muskegon Christian Warriors. The programs are also helpful in providing a list of graduates from the previous decade that corresponds with that year’s program.
Dates
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1963, 1964, 1965
Extent
0.05 Cubic Feet
Language of Materials
English
Physical Description
This collection amounts to 0.05 cubic feet of space and is comprised of one 1963 Senior “Last Will and Testament” that measures 8 ½x11,” and three Homecoming programs dated 1963, 1964, and 1965, all of which measure 8 ½x11.” The Last Will and Testament is 12 pages in length. The front cover consists of pictures of the senior class. The inside pages are type-written on white paper. The will is in good condition except for minor discoloration where the pages were stapled in the top left corner of the pages. The three Homecoming programs that are white with purple printing and have the pictures of that year’s Homecoming Court on the front covers, are in good condition except for creasing where each of them had been folded. There is some yellowing on the bottom of the 1963 program, and pencil marks on the inside where a tally had been kept. Each of the back covers lists the names of graduates from the previous decade corresponding to that year’s program. For example, a list of 1953 graduates is on the back of the 1963 program.
Notes
Purchased with funds from the Starring Endowment. The archive also holds another collection titled Kalamazoo Christian High School that consists of one folder that contains a thank you letter to parents from 1990. The collection number is A-3107.
- Title
- Kalamazoo Christian High School Collection
- Author
- Ashley Kirvan
- Date
- 1963-1965
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Western Michigan University Archives & Regional History Collections Repository
Charles C. and Lynn L. Zhang Legacy Collections Center
1650 Oakland Drive
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5307 US
(269) 387-8490
arch-collect@wmich.edu