With a shot from varsity track coach Jim Walsh's starting pistol, Lincoln High School speedsters Jerry Elmore, Jeff Terry and Bill Elmore are off their starting blocks for a 100 yard dash in April of 1956. Fellow track members look on from the sidelines. Coach Walsh, in his first year at Lincoln, and Chuck Gilmur, the field coach, had a rough year in 1956. With a team of mostly sophomores and juniors, Lincoln won 1 meet and lost 6. (1956 yearbook, The Lincolnian)

Lincoln High School (Tacoma); Track athletics--Tacoma--1950-1960; Running races--Tacoma--1950-1960; Runners (Sports)--Tacoma--1950-1960; Running; Elmore, Jerry; Terry, Jeff; Elmore, Bill; Walsh, Jim; Coaches (Athletics)--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Dupont School, Ft. Lewis Midget Team. The baseball team, the "Tigers," pose in uniform with their coach in the center of the back row. By 1975, DuPont students no longer attended high school in their own hometown. Ft. Lewis now sent all of its students to Clover Park. DuPont's school Laughbon High, a victim of boundary disputes with Clover Park school district and declining enrollment, closed on June 11, 1975. Weyerhauser bought the land and demolished the buildings.

School children--Dupont; Dupont School (Dupont); Baseball--Dupont; Baseball players--Dupont;

On September 26, 1956, the newly elected Lincoln High School yell staff for the 1956-57 school years posed on the school stairs. The octet included cheer leaders (back row) Mike Bashey, Sandy Toombs, Dick Davidson and in the center of the second row Carolyn Bartell; and song queens (second row, left and right) Kay Manful and Susan Gadbaw and (holding sign, left to right) Christine Hager and Margie (listed as Margery and also Marjorie) Lambert. All of the yell leaders, except Toombs, are listed with the 1957 graduating class. The yell staff of 1957 was instrumental in the adoption of "Onward Lincoln" as the Lincoln H.S. fight song. The group holds a sign with a new cheer (two cheer writing contests were held during the year): "Flying saucers, Man alive, Here comes Lincoln, In over drive, Do we love 'em, Well I guess, Lincoln High School, Yes Yes Yes!!" (The 1957 Lincolnian yearbook)

Lincoln High School (Tacoma); Cheerleading--Tacoma--1950-1960; Students--Tacoma--1950-1960; Teenagers--1950-1960; Bashey, Mike; Toombs, Sandy; Davidson, Richard; Bartell, Carolyn; Manful, Kay; Gadbaw, Susan; Hager, Christine; Lambert, Margery;

ca. 1956. Housemother Freda Rouze shows the "sign out" book to Nancy Iverson at Pacific Lutheran College's newest dorm, West Hall. Another coed, Katherine Almgren, checks her mail at the dorm mailboxes. West hall was completed in the fall of 1956 and housed 151 freshman and sophomore women. It had much the same plan as the college's North Hall, and offered a main lounge, kitchen for student use, study lounges on every floor and a self service laundry. (1957 "Saga" & TNT 10/19/1956, pg. B-2)

Pacific Lutheran College (Parkland)--Buildings; Pacific Lutheran College (Parkland)--1950-1960; Universities & colleges--Parkland; Rouze, Freda; Iverson, Nancy; Almgren, Katherine;

Pacific Lutheran College, exterior of the Music/chapel building with students. The building with the spire is the combination chapel, music and speech building dedicated in 1952 and designed by Lea, Pearson and Richards. The building is now known as the Eastvold Chapel, named after Dr. S.C. Eastvold, president of the college during its greatest period of growth. The three story building is concrete faced with brick and forms a quadrangle with the Science Hall, library (to the left of the picture) and Old Main. The library, science hall, chapel and student union buildings were all built around the same time period. The 126 acre campus had stately Douglas firs and lush green lawns that set off the neat modern buildings. It was considered one the finest small colleges in America. (TNT 10/19/1956, pg. B-1+)

Pacific Lutheran College (Parkland)--Buildings;

Two Annie Wright Seminary students stand at the net along with two men, perhaps their fathers, preparing to play tennis in May, 1957. Annie Wright traditionally had an annual Dads' Day when fathers spent the day with their children participating in various activities on school grounds. All four people pictured in this May 18, 1957, photograph are clutching wooden rackets; they are much smaller than the aluminum rackets used today. Photograph ordered by Annie Wright Seminary.

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Private schools--Tacoma; Tennis--Tacoma; Tennis rackets;

ca. 1955. Framed here in a darkened arch, the combination chapel/music/speech building was the religious and cultural center of the Pacific Lutheran College in Parkland. The groundbreaking for the $750,000 structure was in 1949 and the building was dedicated in May of 1952. Dr. S.C. Eastvold was President of the College. The three story building was built of concrete faced with brick, designed by Lea, Pearson and Richards to harmonize with the new library, science and Student Union buildings. It lay to the west of Old Main, forming a quadrangle with the Science Hall, library and Old Main. It held a large chapel/auditorium that seated 1200 with a oversize stage of 36 x 72 ft., a smaller devotional chapel directly under the 150 ft. spire that held 75, radio and speech studios, 17 piano and 2 organ practice rooms, several music studios, a music library and a small stage. In 1967, it was renamed Eastvold Chapel in honor of the retiring President who oversaw much of the growth of PLC. TPL-8607

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

ca. 1955. Pacific Lutheran College's "Old Main," renamed Harstad Hall in honor of school founder Rev. Bjug Harstad in 1960. PLC was founded in 1890 by Rev. Harstad. Construction on Old Main began in 1891 and the building was opened for use in 1894. At that time, tuition was $1.00 a week and the six story building on the Parkland prairie 40 minutes from Tacoma (by street car or railroad) was the whole school. It housed dormitories, classrooms, library, chapel, offices and the dining hall and kitchen. Over the years, the building has undergone changes. Its famous ivy was removed in 1950 because it was damaging the building. The cafeteria was moved in 1955 to the Student Union and the offices and classrooms moved in 1960 to the new administration building. The entire building was converted to men's dormitory rooms.

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

Bob Keister appears to be preparing to punt as the Lincoln High School sophomore practices with his varsity teammates on November 1, 1955. Besides lettering in football, Keister also was on the successful Sophomore Blacks basketball team and on the Reserve baseball roster. By the time his career concluded at Lincoln, Keister also lettered in varsity baseball as a pitcher and served as Hi-Y president. (1956 Lincolnian yearbook, p.52, p.63, p. 66; 1958 Lincolnian yearbook, p. 23)

Football players--Tacoma--1950-1960; Lincoln High School (Tacoma); Keister, Robert;

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;

Annie Wright Seminary girls skiing at Mt. Rainier. Photos ordered by the Tacoma News Tribune. In 1954, winter sports attracted around 59,000 enthusiasts to the Paradise area during the prime season of December-April. In 1955, the visitor count for the first 3 months of the winter season was 56,789; an increase of 170 %. 35 % of these guests were bound for the Cayeuse Pass Winter use area, primarily to ski. On weekends and holidays, the park service operated two ski tows, a warming shelter, public toilets, lunch and first aid service. The ski facilities at Paradise were operating for the first time since the severe winter of 1948-49. Rainier never developed as a skiing area, like the surrounding smaller mountains, because the National Park Service forbade the erection of chair lifts or an aerial tramway, feeling that it would negatively impact the natural beauty of the area.

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Private schools--Tacoma; Students--Tacoma--1950-1960; Rainier, Mount (Wash.); Skiers; Skiing; Winter sports; Snow;

Each year the students of Annie Wright Seminary held a May Day festival to welcome back the blooming life of spring to the cool and gray Northwest. The ceremony in 1959 was held on a bright, sunny May 9th with the air stirred by a stiff breeze. 1959 was a special year, the 75th anniversary of the founding of the school, which opened in 1884 with a class of 93 from Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. Since most of the upper class girls were directly involved in the pageant, the entertainment was usually provided by the lower and middle school classes. This group appears to be performing a folk dance, perhaps from the Netherlands. Some girls are dressed in full skirts with aprons and boxy bonnets, some are dressed as boys in knee length pants and vests.

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Private schools--Tacoma; Festivals--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Production crew at work. In 1960 Pacific Lutheran celebrated its 70th year of existence along with a change to university status. Now known as Pacific Lutheran University, the school maintained its well-known music and theatrical departments. Students and staff are shown backstage in this April, 1960, photograph preparing for an upcoming event. Props and scenery are being put into place. This may be the Curtain Call Club which furnished the assistant directors and back-stage crews for many campus plays. Membership in the club was open to all students interested in any phase of the theater, from directing to make-up and costume design. (1961 SAGA yearbook, p. 151)

Pacific Lutheran University (Parkland)--1960-1970; Universities & colleges--Parkland--1960-1970; Theatrical productions--Parkland--1960-1970; Stage props;

Pacific Lutheran University students pay close attention to their professor in this April, 1960, photograph. Gordon O. Gilbertson was an associate professor of music and director of the P.L.U. band. These musicians probably make up the woodwind and brass sections of the school band.

Pacific Lutheran University (Parkland)--1960-1970; Universities & colleges--Parkland; Students--Parkland--1960-1970; Musicians--Parkland--1960-1970

ca. 1960. Color architectural drawing of Mount Tahoma High School. Robert Billsbrough Price, noted Tacoma architect, designed the "campus style" format of the new Mount Tahoma High School, located at 6229 So. Tyler. Mr. Price had received much praise for his innovative design of Hunt Junior High School. The architect's drawing made full use of the new campus' 76 acres. Built by Strom Construction, Mount Tahoma would be the first "all-electric" school in Tacoma and would have the first "school-within-a-school" where sophomores, juniors and seniors would be in separate sections. It would have its first classes in September, 1961, and be officially dedicated on November 8, 1961.

Mount Tahoma High School (Tacoma); Public schools--Tacoma--1960-1970; Architectural drawings;

Two Henry F. Hunt Junior High (now Middle School) students take a break in the peaceful courtyard of the West End school in April, 1961. Wooden benches are placed beside a large square pond which contains a small rock garden with a newly planted fir. The ultra modern school was built in 1958 by noted architect Robert Billsbrough Price and heavily utilized wood instead of the more common brick or concrete. Photograph ordered by Vanzant, Dugdale & Co., Baltimore, MD.

Henry F. Hunt Junior High School (Tacoma); Public schools--Tacoma--1960-1970;

These young students appear to be getting an early start at Mount Tahoma High School in mid-June, 1961, since the school did not open until September of that year. Built to accomodate the growing South End neighborhoods, the award winning school was designed by Robert Billsbrough Price using an open campus style. The tower pictured on the upper campus would later house a bell; it would become a tradition for seniors to ring the bell on the last day of school. Photograph ordered by the Weyerhaeuser Co. for the cover of the company magazine.

Mount Tahoma High School (Tacoma); Public schools--Tacoma--1960-1970; Students--Tacoma--1960-1970; Bell towers--Tacoma;

This Brookdale Elementary School teacher appears to have called upon one little longhaired girl for her response to the "Bossy R" lesson in this Valentine Day, 1962, photograph. Children in this classroom were seated in the new portable building built extensively out of wood. Brookdale Elementary was built for the Franklin Pierce School District in 1957; classrooms could be added at a reasonable cost using wooden portables that were both modern and appealing to the eye. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Brookdale Elementary School (Parkland); Public schools--Parkland--1960-1970; Classrooms--Parkland; School children--Parkland--1960-1970; Teachers--Parkland;

A Brookdale Elementary School teacher happily accepts a bouquet of posies from a young student at the doorway of a new portable classroom in August, 1962. Two buzz-cut boys holding books await their turn to greet the teacher. The portable building is colorfully decorated in bright, vibrant shades of blue and pink with brown cutouts of children playing on the school walls. Portable buildings were a welcome addition to schools coping with growing populations.

Brookdale Elementary School (Parkland); Public schools--Parkland; School children--Parkland; Teachers--Parkland;

Sixteen youngsters pose outside Annie Wright Seminary in March, 1963, for annual class pictures. These were members of the K-5 kindergarten group as eight little boys are included. Annie Wright accepted boys in this age group but girls only in later grades. L-R listed from the 1963 Annie Wright yearbook: First row: Nicholas Malden, William Rabe, Paul Rush, Caroline Wiborg, Rebecca Scott, Valerie Graves, Ann Rhea, Steven Crounse. Second row: Courtney Reid, Katherine Hokanson, George Buell, John Holl, Rodney Rosenthal, Jan Savini, Scott Dickman, Greta Simonson. (1963: The Shield, p. 29)

School children--Tacoma--1960-1970; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1960-1970; Private schools--Tacoma;

The Nell Hoyt Primary School., as pictured in September of 1959. The school was built as an addition to the Washington School at 3701 No. 26th St. It was designed by award winning architect Robert Billsbrough Price. The dome roofs on this portion of the school were pre-fabricated. TPL-10160

Nell Hoyt School (Tacoma); Public schools--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Professor Gunnar J. Malmin, Director of Music at Pacific Lutheran College. Malmin was a music professor at Pacific Lutheran College for 32 years, starting in 1937. He directed the Choir of the West for 26 years and also taught Latin and Norwegian. Known for his dedication, he never missed a concert. He also directed Tacoma's Normanna Male Chorus from 1946 to 1961. He was intensely proud of his Norwegian descent and was a member of the Sons of Norway. He spent a year in Norway and Europe on a Fulbright scholarship in music education in 1952. He and his first wife Dorothy wrote compositions for choirs in both English and Scandinavian languages. He died July 23, 2000 at the age of 97 of natural causes. (TNT 08/11/2000)

Conductors; Universities & colleges--Parkland; Pacific Lutheran College (Parkland)--1950-1960; Malmin, Gunnar J.; Composers; Portrait photographs;

ca. 1959. Hunt Junior High School, aerial photograph ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. Designed by Robert Billsbrough Price, the school design was the recipient of numerous awards, most dealing with the cost effectiveness of the school and its use of wood. The schools most distinctive feature was its circus tent like cafeteria/auditorium. The loaf shaped building at the rear is the gymnasium.

Henry F. Hunt Junior High School (Tacoma); Public schools--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Henry F. Hunt Junior High School was applauded for its innovative use of wood. Architect Robert Billsbrough Price designed the new West end school to be built on one-level using primarily wood instead of the traditional brick or concrete. Costs were kept low at 15 cents a square foot because of the wood usage. View of Hunt cafetorium, an unusually shaped cafeteria/auditorium, showing huge curved glue-lam beams. Photograph ordered by American Lumberman, Chicago.

Henry F. Hunt Junior High School (Tacoma); Public schools--Tacoma--1950-1960;

ca. 1964. Students at Annie Wright Seminary. Small classes were the norm at Annie Wright. These 13 little girls were in the lower school at Annie Wright. Dressed in school uniform and saddle shoes, they posed for their Class 2 picture in early 1964 in the school library. According to the Shield yearbook, they were: (L-R) Katherine Wilson, Deborah Owen, Thea Wickstrom, Laura Jones, Wendy Sanford, Lisa Weyerhaeuser, Susan Ellison, Margaret Ann Swain, Christina Gratzer, Jaynee Crepin, Lorie Long, Elaine Cashar, and Elizabeth Merrill. With the group was Mrs. J.C. Chapman. Photograph ordered by Annie Wright Seminary. (1964 Shield, p. 10)

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1960-1970; Private schools--Tacoma; School children--Tacoma--1960-1970; Uniforms;