Sunday, March 17, 2013

Kalamazoo Autographs 1928-1930

My grandmother, Emma, went to school in Kalamazoo in the late 1920s and early 1930s. At that time she lived on the east side of town not too far from Riverside Cemetery, though I'm not sure which school she attended. She may have received this book for Christmas 1928 (her sister signed it that day – the earliest date in the book). Emma was about to celebrate her eleventh birthday.



I'm including the names of the young people who signed the autograph book in case anyone recognizes one of them. If you do, I can provide a photograph of the page so you can see their signature. In some cases Emma's schoolmates provided their address and in others they wrote a cute saying, like those pictured below.




The following teachers also signed the book:
Electa S. Pierce, Coila Westgate, Margaret Burtrow, Wilma Kester and Hazel Van Horn.



Here are my grandma's friends who signed the book (as well as I could make out the names):
Cecil Welbaum. Lillian Russell, Dagmar DeVall, Wilda Walkinshaw, Lorene Johnston, Cora Fitzsimmons, Paul Foutz, Letha Phelps, Durwood Allworth, William Hale, Frank Kellors, Violet Varner, Velma Sutton, Doris Hawley, Marjorie Linzsieht, Emelyn Ferguson, Inez Kendall, Barbara Doyle, Rita Wiggins, Kathleen Potect, Eleanor Schipper, Alta Thompson, Vivian Drake, Bernice Monzulla, Josephine Goolsby, Durwood Allworth, Frank C. Kelley, Thyra Jennings (signed Hartford, Mich), Lorene Yeggy.



2 comments:

  1. Durwood Allworth was my great great uncle, he served in WWII, never married or had any children, loved baseball, and passed in 1983, on Chicago ave in Kalamazoo Michigan.

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    1. According to the autograph book he lived at 157 Chicago. He wrote: "As sure as Lindy crossed the Blue, I wished good luck would fly to you. Yours forever, Durwood Allworth, DUKK"
      If you're interested in seeing his handwriting you can comment with your email address and I will send you a photo of the page and just not post the comment so no one can see your address.

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