Diplomas and Degrees
Among the stuff that I received belonging to Clara Kuck were all her various certificates of degrees that she received. They were all tightly rolled up like the hand drawn family trees but the cookie sheet and magnet trick allowed me to photograph them all for posterity. Above is her high school degree and below is another specifically for completing the curriculum in Latin.
After that, she evidently went to a local college first as you can see above and then traveled north to Minnesota where she attended Carleton College as well as you can see below.
However, typed onto a piece of paper that is wrapped around the roll of diplomas is a list of various diplomas she received and according to it, I'm still missing a few. It lists that she also received a "Certificate of Life" diploma at Utah State Teachers College. She also lists a Teacher's Diploma and a Master's Degree that she also received in Boston. The final one I knew about and that was another "Certificate of Life" diploma that she received at California State College where she also taught in the latter part of her life. She is definitely the most educated person in my entire family tree.
She earned so many degrees and certificates! I too would have loved to hear the public reading.
ReplyDeleteMe too! I suppose it is entirely possible that a recording could exist but I think my chances of locating such a recording would be similar to winning the lottery.
DeleteShe liked school! 1921...public reading...I think that was a social activity where young people could gather. In my husbands grandmothers diary she mentions Poetry readings...but then again she was very social and any excuse to leave the house and talk with others was great for her!
ReplyDeleteThe newspaper articles mentioning the readings of Clara often say they were of poetry or quite a number of times, one act of a play.
DeleteThis was one very bright lady.
ReplyDeleteI would have loved to have met her in person.
DeleteWhat a meaningful piece of history to preserve—there’s something really special about seeing those original certificates and imagining the effort behind them. The detail about them being rolled up alongside the family trees adds such a personal touch. And that Latin curriculum certificate is especially fascinating—you don’t see that every day. Glad you found a way to document them so thoughtfully.
ReplyDeleteThey definitely meant a lot to Clara to have been preserved for her lifetime and thus allowed to survive to my lifetime. Of all my genealogy research, I think besides those of my parents, hers are the only other degrees I have come across.
DeleteEd, that is very cool.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most treasured items my parents' had was my material grandmother's grammar school degree. I think it is easily 2' x 2'
They went all out back then!
DeleteThe "School of Expression" degree is interesting. Who knew such a thing existed? A lost art, as you said. I've never heard of a "Certificate of Life" either! But yes, she was definitely a lifelong learner, wasn't she?
ReplyDeleteShe certainly was and I’m pretty sure she would be highly entertaining to converse with.
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