Sharon Carlson Will Present Andrew Carnegie's Michigan Libraries Michigan communities were the recipients of $1,655,950 awarded by the Carnegie Corporation from 1900 to 1918, resulting in 61 funded Carnegie libraries. There were eight grant applications that failed. Interestingly, there are no Carnegie libraries in Kalamazoo County and the possible reason will be revealed during this program! Sharon Carlson will provide an overview of the Carnegie program and describe how it evolved in Michigan. Sharon retired as head of the Zhang Legacy Collection Center at Western Michigan University. Her research interests include the role of women’s organizations in supporting public libraries.
They Built This City Presented by Lynn Houghton November 5, 2018 Portage District Library 7 pm
*************************************** Lynn Houghton Presented Kalamazoo in the 1870s
Last year, the Kalamazoo Public Library celebrated its 150th anniversary as a public library with a bevy of programs, webpages and other activities to note the occasion. It is a good opportunity to examine what the village was like during this decade. This program, given by Lynn Houghton will closely look at other facets of Kalamazoo during these ten years, many of which, like the Library, are still with us today. Lynn is the Regional History Curator at the Zhang Legacy Collections Center at Western Michigan University and one of the co-authors of Kalamazoo: Lost & Found
********** Tom Dietz Presented "Where People are Buried in Kalamazoo." November 6, 2017 Kalamazoo and Kalamazoo County feature a range of cemeteries including a pioneer cemetery and park-like inspired Mountain Home Cemetery. The township cemeteries are smaller and provide documentation of Kalamazoo's earliest settlers. In this post-Halloween program, Tom Dietz will provide an updated look at the history of several cemeteries in Kalamazoo and Kalamazoo County.
Kalamazoo's Extraordinary Inventor J. B. Rhodes, 1865-1931
October 2, 2017 Portage District Library 7 pm Kalamazoo is known for many areas of invention and innovation, but you may not know of the contributions made by J.B. Rhodes. Beginning in the late 1800s through the mid 1900s, J. B. Rhodes created some major inventions connected with automobiles and railroad cars used in the building of the Panama Canal, as well as many other extraordinary inventions. Join Cynthia Jeffrey for a new in depth look at her discoveries of his remarkable life and history in Kalamazoo and around the world.
Thomas Schippers: An American Story William Braaksma April 3, 2017 Thomas Schipper's life is a truly American story. He came from ancestors who emigrated from the rul Netherlands in the late 1800s to become celery farmers in Kalamazoo County. Schippers rose from a middle class background to become an internationally known orchestral and operatic conductor. He conducted the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera, for divas such as Beverly Sills, Maria Callas and Eileen Farrel, and at opera houses all over Europe. Thomas Schippers is one of the most accomplished and yet least known Kalamazooan in the history of the area.
History of the Oakwood Neighborhood Keith Howard March 6, 2017
Engaging the Wisdom Bruce Mills, Kalamazoo College, and Donna Odom, SHARE February 6, 2017
Yeggs and Other Bank Robbers of Kalamazoo County December 5, 2016 7:00 pm Portage District Library
The Thirteenth Michigan Memorial Association Michael Culp November 7, 2016
Monday, October 3, 7pm, Portage District Library "The Library Ladies of Kalamazoo" "The Library Ladies of Kalamazoo, their Home and History" is a newly published 208 page full color pictorial guide to the art, architecture and history of the beautiful, historic, Ladies' Library Association and building.
Why Michigan Is So Square, presented by Tom Dietz, on April 4, 2016
March meeting The Underground Railroad in Kalamazoo County, presented by Sharon Carlson on February 1, 2016
