Betty Bridgman Papers on West High Class of 1932

Collection

Identifier: M/A 0043

Staff Only

Description of Contents

Documents West High Class of 1932 reunions, with bulk of collection focusing on the 55th Reunion in 1987 and the 60th Reunion in 1992.

The collection consists of the working papers of the reunion planning committee which also included Clarence Adams and David Dole. It includes intermingled personal notes, committee correspondence, official class correspondence, class member contact information and short biographies, and drafts and final copies of reunion registration forms, programs, and speeches. Also includes biographical information on speakers, presenters, and class members of note.

Notable graduates include Lester Breslow and Curtis L. Carlson. Lester Breslow, a West High Class of 1932 alumnus and nationally renowned public health expert, addressed the class at the 1987 Reunion. Curtis L. Carlson, founder of the Carlson companies and the namesake of the Carlson School of Management, provided the venue for the 1987 reunion at his newly rebuilt Radisson hotel in downtown Minneapolis.

With the exception of the 55th Reunion at the Radisson Hotel, all of the class reunions, beginning with the 50th reunion in 1982, were held at the Minikhada Club, where the class had held their senior prom in 1932.

Dates

Creation: 1932 - 2000

Creator

Bridgman, Elizabeth Klein (Person)

Access Restrictions

The collection is available for use in Special Collections at Minneapolis Central Library during the department's open hours.

Biography

Elizabeth "Betty" Bridgman was a local poet, playwright, teacher, and speaker. Born Elizabeth Klein, she graduated from West High School in Minneapolis in 1932. This collection documents her involvement in the planning process of West High Class of 1932 Reunions.

Betty Klein received her bachelor's degree in English literature from Hamline University in St. Paul. She married Donald Elliot Bridgman and they had 5 children. Betty Bridgman published poems in national magazines and was the author of the books "This is Minnesota" and "Pioneers in Progress: Chorus for American Women."

She received many awards for her community service work, including the Rotary Club of Edina Outstanding Woman award in 1976, the WCCO Radio Good Neighbor Award in 1984 for her volunteer work in the Women in Service to Education program, and the Hamline Distinguished Service Alumni Award 1990.