Updates on the Alma Powell Branch Library can be found on kpl.gov/pow

Biographies

Dunbar, Willis Frederick Dr.

“The only way we can plan for the future is to understand our past” –Dr. Willis F. Dunbar, 1961 The name Dr. Willis F. Dunbar is synonymous with the history…

Fetzer, John E.

When John E. Fetzer died on 20 February 1991, he left a life replete with the legacy of a broadcasting empire, a World Series winning baseball club, philanthropy, and exploration of the mystical fringes of science.

Fischer, Charles L. and Burton E.

Kalamazoo has long had a strong connection with the production and performance of music. Since the mid-nineteenth century, local, nationally-recognized, and even world-famous instrument makers, educators and performers have actively pursued their...

Follett, James I.

Military service became something of a tradition in James Follett’s family. His paternal grandfather served in the Revolutionary War. James Ivan Follett enlisted in Company F, 12th Michigan Infantry as a Corporal on 4 December 1861 at Kalamazoo...

Folz, Samuel

“Sam Folz, as everyone already knows, is big-hearted, broad-minded and noble spirited, and is always foremost in any movement that has for its purpose the betterment and upbuilding of Kalamazoo,…

Ganzel Brothers

Long before the Kalamazoo Growlers, a thriving batch of nineteenth century independent and semi-pro teams helped put Kalamazoo in the forefront of organized baseball across the state and beyond....

Gibson, Orville H.

When did O.H. Gibson arrive in Kalamazoo, and why? Volumes have been written about the Gibson Guitar company and its musical legacy, but less is known about the man behind the name; the musician, the performer, the craftsman, Orville H. Gibson.

Ham, Caroline

First elected to the Kalamazoo City Commission in 1975, Caroline Ham has the distinction of being the city’s first woman mayor, having beat out several other candidates in 1981 in…

Harris, Enoch and Debra

Among the earliest pioneers in Oshtemo Township were Enoch Harris and his family, the first black settlers in Kalamazoo County. They arrived in Michigan from Marion County, Ohio, in approximately 1830, bringing with them seed from which they are...

Harrison, Bazel and Martha

Although the majority of early Kalamazoo County settlers came from New York, a significant number arrived from the south. Among these was Bazel Harrison, who led the first party of white settlers in the county. Harrison was born in Maryland in...

Hascall, Volney

Like many Kalamazoo pioneers who settled in the Village of Bronson (later changed to Kalamazoo) during its earliest years, Volney Hascall hailed from the state of New York (Leroy, Genesee…

Hays, Charles B.

There are few people who have contributed as much to the city of Kalamazoo as Charles B. Hays. He was born, lived, worked, played, and died in Kalamazoo, and he left his city a much better place then he found it. “The man who helped build...

Henshaw, Luna "Lou"

Kalamazoo Valley Museum, 2006.39.3 Luna “Lou” Henshaw (later Zwisler) holds the distinction of being the first woman elected to sit on the Kalamazoo City Commission. On 14 November 1921, Henshaw…

Holton, Frank E.

Among the leading musicians of the late nineteenth century, Frank Holton emerged from humble West Michigan roots to become not only a celebrated trombonist but one of the most successful musical instrument manufacturers in the world...

Hull, Blanche

Most Kalamazooans remember Blanche Hull as the donor of the Hull Preserve adjacent to Milham Park, but that gift was only the last act in a long life as a civic and cultural leader. She came by her leadership qualities honestly...

Israel, Edward

Edward Israel was born in Kalamazoo on 1 July 1859. He died almost 25 years later on 27 May 1884 in a tent at Cape Sabine on Ellesmere Island far to the north of the Arctic Circle. The story of how he came to die so young in such a forsaken place...

LaCrone, William L.

William L. Lacrone William L. LaCrone’s influential tenure as the superintendent of the city’s parks and forestry division (1911-1935) was marked by a significant increase in number of parks developed,…

Landes, Harold D.

“Self Portrait”, 1930. Kalamazoo Institute of Arts Collection Today, Kalamazoo has a healthy, vibrant arts community, with both individuals and organizations endeavoring to contribute to Kalamazoo’s rich cultural heritage. Yet,…

LeRoy, Rockwell A.

During the first decades of the 20th century, few Kalamazoo architects were perhaps as successful or as well respected as was Rockwell A. LeRoy, who designed many of the area’s finest municipal, residential, and commercial structures.

Little, Frank

Little was twenty-one when the harvest was finished in October, 1844. He left the farm then and established himself as a merchant, hoping to make a go of it in Grand Rapids with his Uncle Lovell Moore. Another pioneer Richland farmer, Rockwell...

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