A number of projects were undertaken by the Bronson Park Public Education Committee (BPPEC). Most central to its mission was the Bronson Park 21st Century Campaign, an effort to maintain the cultural identity of Kalamazoo and educate the public about the history of the Gun Lake Tribe and their relation to the Fountain of the Pioneers which was previously located there. It aimed to fund the construction of structures that would serve as an educational tool and pay homage to the former Pottawatomi reservation which covered much of the current limits of the city of Kalamazoo. The BPPEC worked with the members of the Gun Lake band (some of whom were members of the committee) to present an accurate history of their occupation of the area – from the latter’s perspective. All of the materials found in this collection have some connection to this project.

Efforts to preserve the Fountain of the Pioneers monument in Bronson Park coincide with the local history of Pottawatomi because of the controversial nature of the concrete sculpture. A Fountain of the Pioneers Issues Resolution Committee was formed by the city of Kalamazoo in 2005 over concerns about the offensive symbolism of the fountain. The FOTP Issues Resolution Committee determined that the fountain should be preserved but that the history of local Pottawatomi should be taught accurately. The BPPEC essentially inherited this mission when it was formed years later. Leaders of the BPPEC were convinced that it was possible to both preserve the fountain and promote the history of the Gun Lake band with educational programming and the addition of new constructions. However, in 2018, the City of Kalamazoo ordered the demolition of the fountain and the proposed structures never came to fruition.

David Brose was a member of the Bronson Park Public Education Committee as well as most of its subcommittees.