Keys for the new Peninsula School District buses are exchanged between the foursome standing in front of the buses on July 25, 1954. Five International Harvester buses were purchased by the school district to transport their growing enrollment. Photograph ordered by International Harvester Co.

School buses--Gig Harbor; Peninsula High School (Gig Harbor); Public schools--Gig Harbor; International Harvester Co. (Tacoma);

Exterior of school. Various local schools were photographed on October 24, 1954, on behalf of Ostruske-Murphy, Inc., contractors. This may be part of Browns Point School on 51st St. N.E. The buildings were constructed with flat roofs, long rectangular lines, and many multi-paned windows. A sign urging voters to cast their ballots on behalf of good schools is already on site despite the fact the election is not until May 18th.

Public schools--Tacoma--1950-1960; Signs (Notices); Ostruske-Murphy, Inc. (Tacoma);

A proud and happy group of school patrol leaders pose in front of Dupont School on October 1, 1954. The boys and girls all sport sashes with patrol badges pinned on them. School patrols provided protection for children walking to school by keeping a close eye on oncoming traffic; they may have had other duties as well. School administrative staff and honored guests were invited to join the children in the above photograph. One man seated in the front row holds a plaque with engraved names.

School children--Dupont; Dupont School Patrol (Dupont);

Interior- James Sales Elementary School. Just outside the school's auditorium doors is a large bulletin board with the silhouettes of two dark hands and the warning: "Clean Hands Are Important." The bulletin board is neatly placed on the brick wall next to the recessed auditorium doors. The James Sales Elementary School is in the Franklin Pierce School District and located in Parkland. It was designed by local architects Lea, Pearson & Richards. Photograph ordered by Lea, Pearson & Richards.

James Sales Elementary School (Parkland); Public schools--Parkland--1950-1960; Bulletin boards; Lea, Pearson & Richards (Tacoma);

Exterior of James Sales Elementary School. James Sales Elementary was named after the first white child born in the Tacoma area on October 23, 1853. His parents were William and Eliza Sales, mill-hand at Nicholas Delin's mill and cook, respectively. The Sales later took a claim in the Puyallup Valley. The James Sales Elementary School was designed by local architects Lea, Pearson & Richards. The school was a very contemporary brick building with a multitude of windows that allowed plenty of natural light. Photograph ordered by Lea, Pearson & Richards. (Morgan: South on the Sound, p. 34)

James Sales Elementary School (Parkland); Public schools--Parkland--1950-1960; Lea, Pearson & Richards (Tacoma);

ca. 1953. Artist's rendering of the Everell S. Collins Memorial Library, College of Puget Sound campus. The building was designed by Silas E. Nelsen and constructed by Bona Fide Builders. It was dedicated in May of 1954.

College of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--Buildings; Silas E. Nelsen Architects (Tacoma); Architectural drawings;

Pacific Lutheran College students Naomi Rasmussen (left) and Lois Ronell are studying in the tidy room they shared in the school's new women's dormitory in October, 1954. Drapes on the large window are open to let in natural light and provide a beautiful view of a large tree-filled lot. Each girl seems to have a bed, bookcase, and possibly separate desks. Large cuddly stuffed animals rest on top of their beds. Computers and refrigerators are conspicuous by their absence.The new South Hall dormitory was home to 129 women in the fall of 1954. It had many amenities such as two decorated lounges complete with televisions and a grand piano, four small kitchen units, complete laundry service and study rooms. Mrs. Clara Nelson was housemother. (TNT 10-13-54, C-2, 1955 Saga yearbook)

Students--Parkland--1950-1960; Pacific Lutheran College (Parkland)--1950-1960; Studying; Bedrooms; Stuffed animals (Toys); Bulletin boards; Rasmusson, Naomi; Ronell, Lois;

ca. 1954. Students are clustered close to the very modern brick South Hall dormitory for women on the campus of Pacific Lutheran College, in a 1954 photograph. Clothing styles have changed since then but the art of socializing has not. The students are taking advantage of a lovely day to converse with one another. The dormitory opened for the first time that year and was home to 129 students. The facilities included two lovely lounges with televisions and a grand piano, four small kitchen units, complete laundry service and two small lounge-study rooms. View of the south side of South Hall dormitory; dorm had four stories. Extending from the building is the lounge and recreation area; there is a sun deck on top of the lounge and concrete patio at its base. (1955 SAGA yearbook, p. 108, TNT 10-13-54, C-2)

Students--Parkland--1950-1960; Universities & colleges--Parkland--1950-1960; Pacific Lutheran College (Parkland); Dormitories--Parkland;

Eleven Lincoln High School leaders along with the school's principal stood on the steps of Lincoln High School with a large banner promoting school spirit in September of 1954. Principal Kenneth Flora is flanked by Sally Strobel, senior representative on the student council (on left) and student body president Robert L. Simpson and Ida Kvenild (on the right). Wonderful values were still available through the purchase of an Associated Student Body Membership Card, with admittance to various sporting events and reduced admission rates on plays, shows, bus fares and the school yearbook, the Lincolnian. School had opened earlier in the month so there was still plenty of time to get involved in the numerous activities that Lincoln offered. Photograph ordered by the Lincoln News, school newspaper.

Lincoln High School (Tacoma); Public schools--Tacoma--1950-1960; Students--Tacoma--1950-1960; Banners--Tacoma; Signs (Notices); Flora, Kenneth; School principals--Tacoma--1950-1960; Strobel, Sally; Simpson, Robert L.; Kvenild, Ida;

Selected members of a Citizens Advisory Committee toured three north end schools in late August of 1954. Three of the members, Don Burbank, Mrs. Robert Myers, and Dr. R.A. Norton (left to right), are pictured in the aging Grant School auditorium which was filled with desks stored for the summer. The Citizens Advisory Committee, which represented 175 civic and service organizations, recommended replacement of both Grant Elementary and Stadium High School to the Tacoma School Board. The Grant auditorium could no longer be insured against earthquake damage. The school's deteriorating floors and heating system, bad frame construction, and badly worn window frames, doors and casings were noted. In contrast, the committee members were delighted with the spacious new Sherman Elementary on North 39th St. which would open for the first time that September. (TNT 9-1-54, B-7-article & alt. photographs)

Public schools--Tacoma--1950-1960; Grant School (Tacoma); Auditoriums; Stages (Platforms); Committees--Tacoma; Desks; Burbank, Don; Myers, Robert--Family; Norton, R.A.;

A Sunnen crane hoists roofing materials to waiting workers on the rooftop of majestic Stadium High School on September 1, 1954. School would begin in a week so repairs would have to be completed by then. In 1954, the high school was nearly fifty years old. Built in the French Chateau style in 1891 and first intended as a hotel, it was converted into a high school and opened on September 10, 1906. The school was placed on the City, State and National Registry. Photograph ordered by Sunnen Auto Freight & Heavy Hauling Co. TPL-10056

Stadium High School (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Public schools--Tacoma--1950-1960; Sunnen Auto Freight & Heavy Hauling Co. (Tacoma); Hoisting machinery;

ca. 1954. Groups of students chat on the campus of Pacific Lutheran College in 1954 outside the new North Hall dormitory. The presence of long coats and sweaters may mean that it was taken in the fall. North Hall, along with the South Hall dormitory for women, was completed in fall, 1954; it housed 120 men students, two per room. Both new dorms were very large and made of brick with multiple windows to bring inside the beauty of the outdoors. They were designed by architects Lea, Pearson & Richards and built by Bennett-Campbell, general contractors, at a total cost of $1,150,000. The men enjoyed the same amenities as the women: two large lounges, several smaller ones and a complete self-service laundry. A busy social and spiritual life was planned by dormitory officers. (1955 SAGA yearbook, p. 109, TNT 10-13-54, C-2) TPL-9348

Students--Parkland--1950-1960; Universities & colleges--Parkland--1950-1960; Pacific Lutheran College (Parkland); Dormitories--Parkland;

Exterior of Horace Mann Elementary. The November 24, 1954, sepia photograph of Mann Elementary School resembles a painting more than an actual photograph. Nearly fifty years later, the school looks much the same as it did in 1954. Named after noted American educator Horace Mann, the southend school was first built at South 54th and "I" Streets in 1901. The present school was constructed a short distance away at South 52nd and "K"and dedicated in 1953. Additions were made in 1967 and further improvements are in the works in 2002-03 to accomodate displaced students from Seward Elementary. Photograph ordered by Jensen & Mills, Architects. (Olsen: For the Record, p. 83)

Horace Mann School (Tacoma); Public schools--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Exterior James Sales Elementary School. The local architectural firm of Lea, Pearson & Richards designed the James Sales Elementary School as a modern brick one-story school with many windows. The school was located on 112th Street in Parkland, part of the Franklin-Pierce School District. It was named after James Sales, first white child born in what is now the Tacoma area in 1853. Photograph ordered by Lea, Pearson & Richards.

James Sales Elementary School (Parkland); Public schools--Parkland--1950-1960; Lea, Pearson & Richards (Tacoma);

Members of the Citizens Advisory Committee inspect school classrooms on August 30, 1954. Mrs. A.A. Price is observed opening a small drawer in a large dilapidated work table while Mrs. Gordon Hartwick, of the League of Women Voters, looks on. William Rave of the Carpenters Union leans over a cracked and dirty fish tank. Peeling paint and dirt are clearly visible on the walls and shelves. This classroom has been identified as a fourth floor classroom in Stadium High School, probably Room 424 in the southwest tower. The Citizens Advisory Committee, representing 175 civic and service organizations, toured three northend schools and presented their findings to the Tacoma School Board. They advised replacement of Grant and Stadium schools and praised Sherman school for its modern facilities. (TNT 9-1-54, B-7)

Public schools--Tacoma--1950-1960; Classrooms; Committees--Tacoma; Stadium High School (Tacoma)--1950-1960;

The Peninsula School District purchased five new International Harvester buses to transport their students in July, 1954. The buses are parked outside the massive multi-storied brick building housing the Peninsula High School. A field of tall grass adjoins the parking lot. Photograph ordered by International Harvester.

School buses--Gig Harbor; Peninsula High School (Gig Harbor); Public schools--Gig Harbor; International Harvester Co. (Tacoma);

Five new International Harvester school buses are lined up beside the Peninsula side entrance to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge on July 25, 1954. They were purchased by the Peninsula School District #401 to transport the district's students. Each bus is lettered with the school district's name; in addition, each has a separate bus number labeled next to the doorway. Photograph ordered by International Harvester. TPL-2544

School buses--Tacoma; International Harvester Co. (Tacoma); Tacoma Narrows Bridge (Tacoma); Bridges--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Exterior James Sales Elementary School. A close-up view of the main entrance to the James Sales Elementary School was taken on October 31, 1954. Designed by local architects Lea, Pearson & Richards, the school was built mostly of brick as a one-story unit. A modern entryway with multi-paned windows and small porch would greet the children of the school. The name of the school is clearly stated in large letters close to the entrance. The James Sales Elementary School was located in Parkland and was a part of the Franklin Pierce School District. It was named after James Sales, first white child born in the Tacoma area in 1853. Photograph ordered by Lea, Pearson & Richards.

James Sales Elementary School (Parkland); Public schools--Parkland--1950-1960;