By Traci Henning-Kolberg Do you believe in fate? I don't know if I do, but there are definitely moments that feel so serendipitous I can't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, there's something to this whole fate business. Let me explain. At the end of December, I attended my older son's band concert at North Side High School. He's a junior there so this was not my first time visiting the interior of NSHS, but this was my first time there after taking the Introduction to Public History course offered this last semester (Fall 2017) at IPFW. The course gave me different eyes when it comes to looking at buildings, organizations, and events of the past. Before the concert began I took a moment to peruse one of the beautiful glass cases outside the auditorium filled with photos from the very beginning of the school with various other photos in there as well. I couldn't help but apply this new found, critical interpretation to what I was looking at. This exhibit could be so much better, so much more! Some of the photos were dated from the early 1900's and I found myself thinking that this school would soon be 100 years old. A century is a long time in our super modern, ever changing world, and I felt that this accomplishment should be acknowledged in some way and, at the very least, the school could use to have someone come in and get these photos properly preserved and exhibited. And that's when the light bulb above my head began to glow. As I walked from the glass case to my seat in the auditorium, the light grew brighter and by the time I sat down next to my husband, I was in full beam. I had even encountered an alumni of NSHS and talked with him about his time at the school. He had been part of the desegregation of public schools in Fort Wayne in the 1970s and even the brief discussion with him had me feeling I was on to something with real potential. I also realized I was onto something with a massive work load attached to it and would need to be in contact with a lot of different people. Immediately I knew I would be talking with Professor Wooley, she taught the Public History course, Dr. Schuster, advisor to the IPFW History Club, and Dr. Weiner, the head of the IPFW History Department. They have been true mentors and a wealth of information. Within the first two weeks of Spring Semester 2018, I had been put in contact with the President of the North Side Alumni Association and had been invited to join them at their next board meeting. They were already looking for assistance with collecting a history for the school and they got a heap of ideas from me when I met with them; digitally archiving documents from North Side and collecting oral histories top the list of what we hope to add. With this came another important component to this project: The Allen County Genealogical Center. But that might have to be put off for next time. There's so much already unfolding with this project! Please subscribe to our email list to get notifications about what is happening with this project. We will also have regular updates on Facebook for both the IPFW History Department and the PFW History Club. Until next time! Stack of North Side High School Year Books and some documents that have been gathered by the North Side Alumni Association. The dig into this school's past is already in full motion! An admirable amount of work has already been done identifying potentially important areas to add to the history they are looking to put together.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Celebrating a centenaryNorthside High School holds nearly a century of history. This project aims to uncover and exhibit it's lengthy past with the help of many in the community. In particular, we thank the North Side Alumni Association and the Genealogy Center of Allen County Public Library. We look to expand this list in the near future. Archives
May 2018
Categories |