Dupont School pictures; school girls. Dupont is located between Ft. Lewis and the Nisqually reach in Pierce County. It was named for E. I. du Pont de Nemours Company, a manufacturing leader in explosives. However, by the 1950's, most of the student body came from Ft. Lewis families. The girls are wearing skirts or dresses, no slacks were allowed at school. Many wear socks with their shoes.

School children--Dupont; Dupont School (Dupont); Girls--Dupont--1950-1960;

Proud members of the Dupont School Patrol and their honored guests pose for a group picture in front of school buildings on October 22, 1955. The multi-cultural school children seem to range from relatively young to early teens. Each is wearing a white sash with badge. School patrols were an important part of the community; they provided protection for children walking to and from school.

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

St. Ann's School was dedicated on December 11, 1955. The new parochial school was built next to the church after which it was named. Here Seattle Archbishop Thomas A. Connolly shares a friendly word with one of the school children. Photograph ordered by St. Ann's Parish School.

Church schools--Tacoma; Building dedications--Tacoma--1950-1960; Rites & ceremonies--Tacoma; St. Ann's Parish School (Tacoma); Priests--Tacoma--1950-1960; Connolly, Thomas A.; School children--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Archbishop Thomas A. Connolly of Seattle smilingly greets the school children of the new St. Ann's parochial school on December 11, 1955. He is surrounded by students, their parents, and beaming nuns. Archbishop Connolly came to Tacoma for the dedication ceremonies for the $240,000 school and convent which were held with a solemn high mass and blessing of the walls and interiors. St. Ann's had eight classrooms for the first eight grades and served 320 students. Photograph ordered by St. Ann's Parish School. (TNT 12-10-55, p.4-article; TNT 12-12-55, p. 16-article)

Church schools--Tacoma; Building dedications--Tacoma--1950-1960; Rites & ceremonies--Tacoma; St. Ann's Parish School (Tacoma); Priests--Tacoma--1950-1960; Connolly, Thomas A.; School children--Tacoma--1950-1960; Nuns--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Located at the corner of South 70th and "G" Streets in the city's south end, St. Ann's Parish School was dedicated on December 11, 1955. The new parochial school, which had opened in September, was built next to the church after which it was named. Archbishop Thomas A. Connolly of Seattle provided the blessing, which included the flag shown flapping in the breeze as well as crucifixes and the building itself. The modern brick veneer structure was equipped with a multitude of windows to let in the natural light. Designed by architects McGuire and Muri, it had a modern butterfly roof. A pylon rose above the school entrance; it had on it the school name in large letters. The school was built for $162,500 and contained eight classrooms with room for 320 students. Photograph ordered by St. Ann's Parish School. (TNT 10-23-55, A-6, TNT 12-12-55, p. 16)

Church schools--Tacoma; Building dedications--Tacoma--1950-1960; Rites & ceremonies--Tacoma; St. Ann's Parish School (Tacoma); Flags--United States;

Dedication by bishops and other clergy of St. Ann's Parish School on December 11, 1955. Archbishop Thomas A. Connolly is shown conveying his blessing upon the new parochial school's crucifixes and the American flag. He is flanked by Father J.F. Milner of St. Ann's Catholic Church and Father E.L. Berry, assistant director of the school. The new elementary school was located on the same block as St. Ann's Catholic Church in the southend of Tacoma. Sister Daniel was the school principal with nuns as most of the teachers. The $162,500 school was designed by architects McGuire & Muri; a $74,000 convent for teaching nuns was built at the same time in the vicinity of the school. Photograph ordered by St. Ann's Parish School. (TNT 10-23-55, A-6, TNT 12-12-55, p. 16)

Church schools--Tacoma; Building dedications--Tacoma--1950-1960; St. Ann's Parish School (Tacoma); Priests--Tacoma--1950-1960; Connolly, Thomas A.; Milner, J.F.; Berry, E.L.; Crucifixes; Flags--United States;

A classroom of beaming young girls greet the photographer on December 8, 1955. This was one of the primary grades at Annie Wright Seminary. The little girls are all wearing uniforms with white collars. Sandra Cheney, daughter of Ben Cheney, is seated on the extreme right, last seat. Sepia photograph ordered by Cheney Lumber Co.

School children--Tacoma--1950-1960; Classrooms--Tacoma; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Private schools--Tacoma; Cheney Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Cheney, Sandra;

Dupont School, picture is labelled baseball team, but team members are wearing basketball uniforms with team jackets. By the fifties, Dupont district drew about 95% of its students from Fort Lewis. The students attended school in Dupont K-9 and attended Clover Park High School for their last three years of study. The boy sitting on the floor second from left has been identified as Ron Ratliff and the one in the second row in the dress shirt as Richard Ludeman. (information provided by a classmate)

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

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;

Annie Wright Seminary girls skiing at Mt. Rainier. Photos ordered by the Tacoma News Tribune. It must have been warm on the mountain this day as the girls pose in sweaters, not parkas. Two of the girls are not even wearing gloves. The ski facilities at Paradise were open for the first time since the severe winter of 1948-49. The quartet of skiers are, left to right, Virginia Hines from Anchorage, Alaska, Sharon McLallen of Vancouver, B.C., Roberta Allen of Hollister, Ca. and Philinda Parry of Twin Falls, Idaho. (TNT 3/6/1955, pg. D-1)

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Private schools--Tacoma; Students--Tacoma--1950-1960; Rainier, Mount (Wash.); Skiers; Skiing; Winter sports; Snow; Hines, Virginia; McLallen, Sharon; Allen, Roberta; Parry, Philinda;

Annie Wright Seminary girls skiing at Mt. Rainier. Photos ordered by the Tacoma News Tribune. The girls dubiously watch a skier performing a trick on his ski tips. A snow shrouded Paradise Inn is in the background. This is possibly a ski lesson, part of the ski school operated by the Rainier National Park Company.

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

Annie Wright Seminary girls skiing at Mt. Rainier. Photos ordered by the Tacoma News Tribune. Early form of a ski lift, the skier pulling herself up a rope hand over hand. The Rainier National Park Company maintained two tow ropes for skiers, ski school facilities, and lunch service on Saturday and Sunday at Paradise. The Interior Department had a ban on chair lifts and aerial tramways, feeling that they would mar the scenery at Mount Rainier. The Park Company also offered sanitary facilities, first aid service and a warming room. Almost 59,000 winter sports enthusiasts visited the Paradise area between December and April of 1954. (TNT 1/15/1955, pg. 2)

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

Annie Wright students and a faculty member pose in what appears to be the Seminary's library. These girls are busy reading from books and are wearing the traditional sailor style uniforms of the lower classes. This picture was published in the 1955 "Shield," the yearbook for Annie Wright Academy. This are the 5th & 6th classes of the lower school posed around Miss Edgerly, the school librarian. See yearbook for the student names.

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Private schools--Tacoma; Children reading & writing--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Five Annie Wright teachers are feeding a guinea pig that is sitting on the table in what appears to be one of the lower school classrooms. The teachers are, left to right, Mrs. Hatcher, 5 year old kindergarten, Mrs. Harding, 4 year old kindergarten, Mrs. Headley, 5 year old kindergarten, Miss Anderson, assistant in the lower school and Mrs. Post, Charles Wright Academy. ("The Shield," 1955 edition)

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Private schools--Tacoma; Teachers--Tacoma--1950-1960; Classrooms--Tacoma--1950-1960; Pets;

Mrs. Richard Swanson, dressed as a "gypsy" fortune teller, sees a Carnival in the near future for Horace Mann students (l-r) Ann Michels, Richard Butsch, Phyllis Landis and Richard Swanson. The Parent Teacher and Preschool Association of the Horace Mann (Elementary) School at 5211 South K Street sponsored a carnival on Friday afternoon April 22, 1955 at the school. The "Gypsy Jamboree" had a candy shop, a bakery booth, ice cream sandwich bars and a country store. There were also games, a comic book shelf, a garden shop, a fish pond, novelties, a talent show and booths with dolls, toys and fancywork. (TNT 4/18/1955, pg. 12)

Horace Mann School (Tacoma); Public schools--Tacoma--1950-1960; Michels, Ann; Butsch, Richard; Landis, Phyllis; Swanson, Richard; School children--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fortune telling--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Dupont school's basketball team, the 1955 West Central Juniors Champions. #3 has been identified as John Welker, #9 as Scott Drysdale and #8 as Jerry Conwell. Noted educator Wendell B. Laughbon is standing at far left with principal John Zurflugh in bow tie in the second row. In the fifties, Dupont was a junior high school. Students attended Clover Park High School for the last three years of their study. In the early 70's, the Dupont school (by that time used only as a high school) closed. Weyerhaeuser purchased the old Dupont school property. (" A History of Pierce County, Vol. 1;" identification provided by a schoolmate)

Schools--Dupont--1950-1960; School children--Dupont--1950-1960; Basketball players--Dupont--1950-1960; Laughbon, Wendell B.; Zurflugh, John; Welker, John; Drysdale, Scott; Conwell, Jerry;

Queen Anne Cameron presided over traditional May Day ceremonies at Annie Wright Seminary on May 14, 1955. She is seated in the queen's chair decorated with blossoms while holding a golden scepter, symbol of her reign. Miss Cameron is the daughter of Harold W. Cameron and Mrs. Elford Cameron of Seattle. The queen's mother is also an alumna of Annie Wright. (TNT 5-22-55, D-7)

Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Private schools--Tacoma; Cameron, Anne; May Day; Festivals--Tacoma--1950-1960; Students--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Dupont school baseball team of 1955, the Tigers. By 1975, the high school had closed and children no longer attended school in their home town. Anderson Island, Steilacoom and DuPont formed one school district, Steilacoom Historical District #1.

Schools--Dupont--1950-1960; Students--Dupont--1950-1960; Baseball players--Dupont;

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);

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.;

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 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);

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;

ca. 1979. Tacoma Central School, 601 So. 8th St. (Now houses administrative offices.) Central School was built in 1912 and designed by the architectural firm of Heath and Gove.

Central School (Tacoma);

ca. 1979. 1979 photograph of "Fidelity" inscription over the door at McCarver School, 2111 So. J St. The school was Tacoma's third intermediate school, opening in 1925. It was part of the plan to arrange Tacoma Public Schools in a 6-3-3 year ratio, representing years in elementary, junior and high schools. The structure was designed by architects Hill & Mock. Elementary classes were added in 1938. In 1968, the School Board discontinued junior high classes at McCarver to facilitate desegregation.

Public schools--Tacoma; McCarver Elementary School (Tacoma);

ca. 1979. 1979 photograph of "Veracity" inscription over the door at McCarver School, 2111 So. J St. The school was Tacoma's third intermediate school, opening in 1925. It was part of the plan to arrange Tacoma Public Schools in a 6-3-3 year ratio, representing years in elementary, junior and high schools. The structure was designed by architects Hill & Mock. Elementary classes were added in 1938. In 1968, the School Board discontinued junior high classes at McCarver to facilitate desegregation.

Public schools--Tacoma; McCarver Elementary School (Tacoma);

ca. 1979. "Veracity" is carved over the door of McCarver School, 2111 So. J St., circa 1979. The modified Gothic structure was designed by Hill & Mock, architects. It opened its doors November 2, 1925 as the city's third intermediate school; elementary classes were added in 1938 and the junior high portion was discontinued in 1968. The school was named for Tacoma pioneer and early school district director Morton Matthew McCarver.

Public schools--Tacoma; McCarver Elementary School (Tacoma);