1909: CENTENNIAL ON THE WAY!

THIS ARTICLE FROM MY EXTENSIVE COLLECTION OF KUSER SCHOOL MEMORABILIA WILL BE A PART OF THE DIGITAL GRAPHICS COLLECTION WHICH WILL REPOSE IN THE "KUSER SCHOOL" FOLDER AT THE HAMILTON TOWNSHIP PUBLIC LIBRARY'S LOCAL HISTORY COLLECTION. IF YOU ARE A KUSER SCHOOL ALUMNUS, BY ALL MEANS KEEP WATCHING THIS SITE; THERE WILL BE DETAILS ON THE VARIOUS CELEBRATIONS WHICH WILL BE HELD THROUGHT THE TWELVE MONTHS OF 2009. IN FACT AT THIS WRITING, THE CELEBRATION KICKS OFF IN DECEMBER, 2008.
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AN ASIDE: I AM COMPLETELY INTRIGUED BY THE STATEMENT IN THE ARTICLE THAT THE SCHOOL WAS ON
"THE KUSER TRACT, NEAR OLDEN AVENUE."
I HAVE FOUND NO MAPS WHICH INDICATE THAT THE KUSER PROPERTY EXTENDED BEYOND KUSER AVENUE (TODAY'S LEONARD AVENUE).

1989: Dr. Lois Braender

FROM THE "NOTABLE PERSONS" FOLDER IN THE HAMILTON LIBRARY LOCAL HISTORY COLLECTION, HERE IS DR. LOIS BRAENDER WHEN SHE WAS AT ALEXANDER SCHOOL. I REMEMBER HER FROM HER TIME AS PRINCIPAL AT KUSER SCHOOL. DR. BRAENDER IS NOW THE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES OF HAMILTON TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS.

ONCE AGAIN, FROM KUSER SCHOOL, ONE OF HAMILTON'S TREASURED "NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS," THIS PHOTO FROM ONE OF MY "HAMILTON SCRAPBOOK" FEATURED IN THE MERCER MESSENGER. ONE OF THE MORE CHARMING FEATURES OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL WAS IN THE FACT THAT THOSE OF US WHO ATTENDED CAN USUALLY FIND BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF CLASSMATES WITH WHOM WE ULTIMATELY ATTENDED SCHOOL. FLORA WURFEL IS THE SISTER OF MY HHS '51 CLASSMATE, AUDREY WURFEL KISH, AND ALICE SCHENCK IS PROBABLY RELATED TO BILL SCHENCK, A CLASSMATE FROM MY YEARS AT KUSER. LORRAINE MAY, THERE'S YOUR SISTER ALICE.

1952: Banking Day at Kuser School

How appropriate that I would be fortunate enough to receive this Trentonian photo of the Kuser School Banking Day program from Helen Lawton, a fellow "Kuser Kat." The centennial of Kuser School will be observed with a year long centennial celebration beginning in December, 2008 and running through each month of the centennial year of 2009. Details will be forthcoming. Those visitors to my site who want to be kept updated, please email me, and I will include your name in my email files for future information. Thanks Helen for this great photo. It is being preserved for posterity in the "KUSER SCHOOL" folder at the Hamilton Library's Local History Collection.

1947: CHINA BOY; KUSER ANNEX ANNUAL SPRING ENTERTAINMENT

THE NEXT 6OR 8 PAGES COMPRISE THE COMPLETE PROGRAM FROM KUSER ANNEX'S 1947 SPRING ENTERTAINMENT. MANY THANKS TO HHS '51 CLASSMATE ALICE SCHMIDT MULLEN FOR SAVING THESE TREASURES OVER THE YEARS. I HAVE A COPY OF THE PROGRAM, BUT IT IS TOO WORN TO POST, AND DOESN'T HAVE NEARLY AS MANY AUTOGRAPHS AS THE EVER-POPULAR ALICE SCHMIDT HAD. THANKS ALICE, ONCE AGAIN, YOU'RE THE BEST!

1947: CHINA BOY INSIDE FRONT COVER

1947: CHINA BOY PAGE ONE CAST

1947: CHINA BOY STAGE CRAFT, LIGHTING, ETC

1947 CHINA BOY ADMINISTRATION, ETC.

1947: CHINA BOY INSIDE BACK COVER

1947: CHINA BOY BACK COVER

KUSER SCHOOL MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES

THESE ARTICLES WERE COMPILED INTO A VIGNETTE GRAPHIC. THERE ARE MANY FAMILIAR NAMES THOUGHOUT. THIS IS ONE OF THE MORE CHARMING FEATURES OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL.

1916: PREDECESSOR TO THE PTA

THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY SAW THE LOCAL SCHOOLS GAINING SUPPORT FROM THE PARENTS. EARLY ON THE NAME MOST SCHOOLS CHOSE WAS "THE MOTHERS' CLUB." THAT NAME MORPHED INTO TODAY'S PTA. THEN, AS NOW, THE PARENTS PLAYED A VERY IMPORTANT PART IN THE SUPPORT OF THE TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND SCHOOLS.

1932: MS CLOWNEY, FACULTY

WHENEVER I FIND FACULTY MEMBERS FROM ANY OF OUR LOCAL SCHOOLS, I FILE THEM IN THE APPROPRIATE HAMILTON LIBRARY LOCAL HISTORY FOLDER. IN THIS CASE, THE "KUSER SCHOOL" FOLDER. CORILLA CLOWNEY WAS A PROMINENT TEACHER EARLY IN THE 20TH CENTURY.

1932: KUSER SCHOOL HOSTS A CARD PARTY

THE SCHOOLS SERVED AS MEETING PLACES FOR VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS BACK IN THE FIRST 30 YEARS OF THE 21ST CENTURY. FARMINGDALE SCHOOL HOSTED A RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION, AND AS ILLUSTRATED ABOVE, KUSER HOSTE THE COLONIAL DEMOCRATIC CLUB. GONE ARE THE DAYS!

1915: KUSER SCHOOL MINSTREL

MINSTRELS ARE NOW POLITICALLY INCORRECT. BACK IN THE 20'S AND 30'S THEY WERE A POPULAR FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT. HERE'S THE KUSER KATS WHO TOOK PART IN THE MINSTREL IN 1915. MANY OF THE NAMES ARE QUITE FAMILIAR TO THOSE OF US WHO GREW UP IN THE HAMILTON-LIBERTY-COLONIAL GARDENS AREA.
IMMY BACHMAN WHO IS OBVIOUSLY RELATED TO THE JAMES BACHMAN IN THE FIRST ROW, FAR RIGHT, WENT THROUGH ALL THE KUSER YEARS WITH ME, GRADUATING WITH ME IN THE CLASS OF '51 AT HAMILTON HIGH SCHOOL.

1928 JULIA MCCLAIN, TEACHER EXTRAORDANAIRE

EACH OF US HAS ONE, TWO, OR MAYBE MORE TEACHERS WHO HAD A POSITIVE INFLUENCE ON US. IN MY PERSONAL CASE, I HAD 4. JULIA MCCLAIN WAS ONE OF THEM. SHE DEMANDED PERFECTION AND WAS A STRICT DISCIPLINARIAN. IT WAS SHE WHO ENCOURAGED ME TO SHARPEN MY READING SKILLS, TELLING ME THAT I HAD THE NATURAL GIFT OF ELOCUTION. I DIDN'T QUITE UNDERSTAND WHAT SHE MEANT BACK THEN IN 6TH GRADE, BUT I SURE DID LEARN!

HONESTLY, I REALLY TRIED!

YOU KNOW THAT OLD SLOGAN THAT HAS BEEN
TRIPPING AROUND FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS:

"SUPPOSE YOU GIVE A PARTY AND NO ONE COMES?"

WELL, THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT HAPPENED. THE WEDNESDAY EVENING HAMILTON HIGH SCHOOL PRESENTATION WENT EXTREMELY WELL, (AS DID THE KUSER SCHOOL PESENTATION A FEW MONTHS EARLIER). BOTH PRESENTATINS TURNED OUT A PITIFUL FEW HISTORY-ORIENTED CITIZENS. IN THE WEDNESDAY EVENING HAMILTON HIGH SCHOOL PRESENTATION, ALUMNI FROM THE CLASS OF '39, '46 AND '47 ATTENDED, AND APPRECIATED THE PROGRAM, SO THAT MADE IT ALL WORTH WHILE. THERE WAS LITTLE INTEREST IN THE KUSER SCHOOL PRESENTATION WHICH IS COMPLETELY PUZZLING, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE KUSER CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER.

ACCORDINGLY, I WILL CONTINUE GATHERING AND RECORDING LOCAL HISTORY AND PRESERVING IT FOR POSTERITY ON THE COMPUTER'S HARD DRIVE. AS TO THE VERY LOW TURNOUT, I HAVE TAKEN A PAGE FROM THE GOOD BOOK AS WE RECALL THE ADMONITION IN THE "GOOD BOOK:"

"WHEREVER TWO OR MORE ARE GATHERED IN MY NAME...."

I LEARNED A VALUABLE A LESSON: JUST BECAUSE I HAVE A DESIRE TO SHARE LOCAL HISTORY WITH THE COMMUNITY, I SHOULDN'T HAVE ASSUMED THE COMMUNITY HAS THE SAME ZEAL FOR HISTORY. LESSON LEARNED.
I WILL STAY WITH MY POPULAR KUSER MANSION MUSIC PROGRAMS, AT THE SAME TIME CONTINUE MY NEVER ENDING SEARCH FOR HISTORICAL GRAPHICS AND ARTICLES FOR THE LIBRARY'S LOCAL HISTORY COMPUTER.

NO HARD FEELINGS, JUST SOMEWHAT DISAPPOINTED.

1908: KUSER SCHOOL: IN THE BEGINNING

WITH THE KUSER SCHOOL (AND KLOCKNER SCHOOL?) CENTENNIAL LOOMING AHEAD IN THE YEAR 2009, I DECIDED TO BEGIN POSTING GRAPHICS FROM THE EARLY YEARS OF KUSER. ABOVE ARE ILLUSTRATED TWO LEGAL NOTICES WHICH WERE PUBLISHED IN THE LOCAL PRESS IN JULY, 1908, WHEN THE HAMILTON BOARD OF EDUCATION BEGAN THE PROCESS OF PLANNING THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE ROSALIE KUSER SCHOOL. BOTH KLOCKNER AND KUSER WERE THE PROJECTS OF THE DAY, AND I BELIEVE THE BROAD STREET PARK SCHOOL FIGURED IN THE SAME GENERAL TIME FRAME.

(SORRY ABOUT THE MIS-SPELLING OF "LEGAL;" IN THE LOWER RIGHT BOX IN THE ABOVE GRAPHIC. I TOUCH TYPE, AND APPARENTLY MISSED THE "L.")

Ca 1943: MISS LACY'S ROOM

ANNA LACY WAS MY FIFTH GRADE TEACHER. A NUMBER OF THE PHOTOS IN MY COLLECTION ARE OF THE VARIOUS CLASSROOM PROJECTS. THEY ALL SEEM TO BE FROM THE EARLY 40'S WHEN I WAS STUDENT AT KUSER. THE MEMORY IS FADING AS TO WHETHER ANY OF THEM WERE PART OF MY CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES, BUT THEY VERY WELL MAY HAVE BEEN.