The first class annual was apparently that for the class of 1929, and was called "The Acorn." Gene Paskiewicz, Godwin class of 1978, interviewed Charles Saur in around 1978, and was told that the name Acorn was chosen because of all of the oaks, hence acorns, around the school in the late 1920s yet. This makes sense from the perspective of that time. A look at the one room schoolhouse in June, 1900, shows that there were many oaks on the property that time. The name "Acorn" was used in 1929, 1930, and 1931. There were then no class annuals for five years, and the name "Acorn" was apparently forgotten, including the reason the first three were even called that. Between 1937 and 1940 there was a great deal of construction on the school property, including the ten acres sold to Godwin in 1935 by Frank Rackett. By the end of 1940 almost all of the oak trees had been cut down, and replaced with everything from a library to football and baseball fields, tennis courts and new additions to the high school building. The rural feel of the area was fading fast, and that usually means most of the trees disappear. In the early 1950s yet there were some large oak trees in front of Frank Rackett's house, but those were removed when Division Avenue was widened. In 2004 the only original oaks are those in front of the former library building, which all apparently date from at least 1900.
The classes of 1927 and 1928 apparently did not have class annuals, even while they were the first two classes to have a twelve year program. Godwin only went to the tenth grade up to the 1924/1925 school year.
During the Great Depression years of 1932 to 1936 there were no annuals at all. Usually a copy of the "Godwin News," the school newspaper, would be devoted to the senior class, and serve as the class annual. In 1943 there was no annual. It was decided that it would be more patriotic to save the paper. In hindsight, it's too bad that an annual was not made up, and printed after the war ended. In reality, paper is one thing that was never in short supply during the war, but few could have known that at the time.
As of 2006, all annuals for the years 1929 to 1963 have been scanned, and are presented in section "C." Many were made available for the "Godwin's Past" web site by Edna ( Carpenter ) Keyes, class of 1934. Her father, Henry Carpenter, was the chief engineer at Godwin, and given a class annual each year. ( Note that his wife Catherine was president of the P.T.A. ) These still exist, are in perfect condition, and were used for scanning for many of the years between 1929 and 1949. Wayne Pierce, class of 1960, provided information about the annual collection, and paved the way for their use. Lee (Tanner) Collins, class of 1941 made a number of annuals from the late 1930s and early 1940s available. In all cases, those making the annual for a class year available for use on this web site are noted in section "C", in the area for that class year.
Material from annuals over the years mirrors to some extent the fashions and commerce of the school and the surrounding area, and to some extent recount the makeup of the businesses in the area over the years. Annuals are an ongoing record of fashions, fascinations, faculty, and other events and objects of interest to each class over the years. It is not that expensive - as of the year 2000 - to store information online and make it available via the Internet, so it remains a hope that one day all of the annuals can be made available online. But this web site will only go as far as the annual for the class of 1963.
Clearly intended to both show support for Godwin and help pay for the production of class annuals, the ad pages now form a chronology of businesses in the area, some long gone, some new, and some around for a long time. Some were hangouts for Godwin students, some simply places to shop, part of the strip malls of their day. Around and before 1950 or so many of the shopping areas were better defined - Home Acres, Godwin Heights, Burton Heights, Southlawn. Today many of these names mean nothing, and some have decidedly gone down hill. For those that remember when Burton Heights and other areas were thriving, family areas, the annual ad pages include businesses many Godwin students once found familiar.
Ad material can be found in the annuals, and scattered around the web site as appropriate.
Left click on the image below for a larger version.
The circumstances of superintendent Chambers' leaving are not completely clear. It seems to have been some kind of dissatisfaction on the part of the school board.
In any case, the era of long serving board members and superintendents was over. Charles Saur served for something like 25 years. Board members Rackett, Doxtator, and Bartels served from between 25 and 40 years. But with their retirement would come a quick succession of other superintendents and board members. Chambers stayed for three years, followed by Roscoe Miner, who stayed seven years, to be replaced by Cornelius Burggink. Board members came and went at a dizzing pace.
A 1907 Kent County Street Atlas shows the area comprising the Kent County Agricultural Industrial Society Fair Grounds. Grand Rapids always had a fair ground, but as the city grew, the land devoted to it moved continually south, for the last time to the area shown in the map. Like every city across the eastern US at the time, the fair grounds contained a one mile horse race track. Horse racing was apparently a major form of entertainment, perhaps replaced somewhat later by things like baseball and auto racing.
With the advent of the airplane in 1903 it was inevitable sooner or later that Grand Rapids would want an airport. Criag L. Lull, Godwin class of 1970, relates the following chronology: " The fair grounds became an aviation field in October 1919. Development did not start until July 1926. It was first named Daniel Waters Cassard Field. In 1949 they extended the runway to 44th st. In 1954 they extended the runway to the south of 44th st. A system of gates and signals closed 44th st when bigger jets would come in, 44th st was used for part of the runway. In June of 1960 the new airport was approved. "
In about 1935 the DC-3 was introduced, and was literally the wide body aircraft of it's day. Able to easily take off from the runways of the 1930s airport, they were a common sight, and flew right over Godwin school, as seen in this photograph from around 1938.
Like so many developments in technology, it was unappreciated in 1919 just how much air travel would grow, and that the airplanes of the future would need longer runways that could be accommodated by the land available. The land was already somewhat hemmed in by housing developments in the 1920s, and in the 1940s it was apparent that providing long enough runways for modern passenger jets was a losing battle. The scheme for closing off 44th street when a plane needed to take off or land was clearly impractical, and spelled the end of any hopes of further expansion. The topology of the land going east was not suitable for expanding in that direction, but in any case there was a still somewhat active railroad track on the east side of the airport, the NY Central tracks from Grand Rapids to Jackson, and residential areas further east.
Left click on either image below for a larger version.
Material provided for scanning by John Kamstra, a local collector.
The exact meaning of the "First Flight" envelopes above is unclear at present. Aviation was still young in 1928, regular service in Grand Rapids only started in 1926, and the flight from NYC to Seattle might have been a first for air mail for cities along the route, which tended to be northern states. Perhaps the trip and things like the envelops were part of a promotional for air mail. In any case, the envelopes were clearly carefully signed and stamped, with collectors in mind.
There are colorful stories about Bill Lear coming to Grand Rapids in the 1930s, and being a major booster for an enlarged airport. One involves a large old tree on the southeast corner of Eastern Avenue and 36th Street. The airport needed the tree removed because it was at the end of one of the runways. The owner refused. One rainy night a group of men came around and cut the tree down. Though no one was ever caught, a death bed confession by one of these made it clear that it was Bill Lear and some others. That kind of swashbuckling activity was more common in the 1930s and 1940s when people of substantial means, including Howard Hughes, were media regulars for their exploits with aircraft and record setting. Different laws, and a more crowded world, make it unlikely that people like that could function today.
Material above made available by LeRoy Rockwell, class of 1959.
A June 26, 1943, note of appreciation for the Grand Rapids airport, containing some amusing facts and figures about the airport at that time. What became of the Skyfarer project is not clear.
The photographs above are a reminder of what the airport by Godwin looked like.
Left click on the image below for a much large version.
Use of the postcard was provided by LeRoy Rockwell, class of 1959.
The view of the old airport in the postcard images above probably dates from the mid 1950s - the one car in the image that could be used to give some idea of the date cannot be seen very well. Lake Central disappeared. On July 1, 1968, Lake Central merged with Allegheny Airlines, and the combined system was called Allegheny Airlines. The DC-3 was last used in 1967. Allegheny Airlines later became US Airways.
While "Detroit" still means automobiles to many, it doesn't mean it in 2005 in the same way that it meant it in, say, the 1950s. For generations of Godwin students, up to perhaps 1980 yet, Michigan, was dominated by the auto industry, right down to the local level. The General Motors stamping plant on the southwest corner of 36th and Buchanan Avenue, completed in 1936, ( there's reason to believe that Charles Saur was instrumental in getting the plant located in the area ) employed generations of Godwin students, and paid off many a mortgage and college education. Division Avenue, between 28th and about 52nd, contained seemingly endless new and used car lots, with large strings of light blazing away at night, reflecting a time was electricity was cheap. Along with them were a similarly endless number of gas stations and garages of various kinds. Most gas stations had garages staffed with knowledgeable mechanics.
Godwin rose to the challenge of supplying skilled labor for the local auto industry. The Quonset Hut (developed in 1941 in anticipation of war time needs, in Quonset Point, RI ) located north of the library was obtained in 1944 from the National Youth Administration, and ready for use in September, 1944. It contained shops for woodworking, metal arts, including welding, machining, and cutting, and an engine overhaul area, where three or so engines were endlessly torn down and rebuilt. In all of this one again sees the hand of Charles Saur, together with businessmen in the area, who all saw this as a good way to train future laborers for local industry of all kinds. It's said that the GM plant on 36th Street supplied some of the machinery for the shop, at Charles Saur's behest.
In the classroom, students took mechanical drawing, which taught the importance of careful, neat work. Math and science courses were no doubt a help to those that wanted to later do design work, or perhaps get training in tool and die making.
Once prepared, students had little trouble finding jobs in any of the automotive settings mentioned above. Many students of the time lived and breathed cars, and even Saturday mechanics could do the routine work required to keep a car running well. It was not unusual for a student to quit school at age 16, which tended to be the 10th grade, and go to work for GM, and retire 40 or 45 years later with a pension. By year 2005 the situation had decidedly changed.
A necessary evil, countless garages kept cars and other vehicles running all through the 20th century, as they still do, albeit with rather fewer visits necessary, in the 21st century. Cars were simpler in the early and mid 1900s, but much less reliable than the cars of 2005, where things like materials, filters, and oil are superior to what was previously available. So many people spent their working years repairing cars and otherwise keeping them running well.
Leon Smith, class of 1953, says his father owned a number of garages around Grand Rapids over the years. The one below, located at 234 Market Avenue, in downtown Grand Rapids, dates from about 1930.
Lee Smith, class of 1953, provided the photograph.
|
|
Lee Smith, class of 1953, provided the photographs.
Clearly the Grand Rapids area where Smith's Auto Service was located in the 1930s has changed dramatically. Little around the building has survived, and the building itself houses an adult book store in 2005.
A couple of unusual photographs show the interior of Smith's Auto Service.
|
|
Lee Smith, class of 1953, provided the photographs.
In year 2005 insurance companies would surely have fits to see how the cars in the photographs are propped up. People in the 1930s had a more practical view of life, and were probably mostly dimly aware of what a lawyer is. They did get the job done.
