Click here for a closer look at the poster.

Lander University Archival Research Project: Piano Lessons

Lander College opened in 1872 as an all-girls college, and many archival photos have been researched to learn more about the school and its history over the years. Participating in an archival research project, using photos from the Lander archive, I was able to learn more about a specific image and how it relates to the University and its history. Upon receiving this image, I quickly perceived it as a piano class, where there is a group of young girls learning to play together. Through further research I was able to trace the photo and learn more about the teacher who was Ms. Estill Blocker, the time frame being around the 1930s, and the music club that this photo was taken from, The Kinscella Piano Class. Research for this photo included looking through local newspapers and yearbooks to find the origin of the music club from Miss Hazel Gertrude Kinscella, who was a noted musician and originator of the Kinscella method of piano teaching. This music club being an area where children could grow in their confidence of playing the piano and perform annual recitals for the local community. I was able to use new strategies to research the Kinscella Piano Class and apply what I learned into additional research of archival photos from Lander University. This archival research photo project explores the history of Lander University and the different organizations that were offered almost 100 years ago.

Kalisyn Deese graduated from White Knoll High School in Lexington, South Carolina and is a Freshman Medical Biology major with a minor in Chemistry. Her achievements include being a Senior graduate from the Center for Public Health and Advanced Medical Studies and completing over 240 internship hours with Bela Family Dentistry and The Braces Place.

Click here for a closer look at the poster.

Mary Elizabeth Horne and the Rennie L. Hook Home Ec. Club

This research poster examines Mary Elizabeth Horne, a 1951 Lander graduate. She was very involved in the Rennie L. Hook Home Ec. Club, where she was the secretary-treasurer in 1950 and the vice president in 1951. Her passion for home economics led her to many great opportunities in the respected discipline. The women in the Rennie L. Hook Ec. Club went to seminars and conventions with other home economics club students from other universities in South Carolina, where they went to presentations and raised money for their program. The information described is from Lander University’s archives in the library. This poster will uncover Ms. Horne’s life before, during, and after Lander, and how home economics shaped her life. 

Destiny Goralski graduated from Powdersville High School in Greenville, SC, and is currently a freshman psychology major minoring in human services and child and family studies. She was a member of the National Honors Society as an upperclassman in high school, currently is a member of the Honors College here at Lander University, and has worked at a non-profit since 2022. 

Click here for a closer look at the poster.

A Glimpse of Lander Colleges History During World War II

Lander Library has ample amounts of archives from the history of the institution, in this research poster, I explore a piece of that. I was given a picture from the collection over the years with not a lot of details. After I completed some research, I realized my picture was from 1945. This period was the time of World War II coming to end and Lander College wanted to do something to recognize the men who fought for the freedom of the United States. I soon realized that was a moment caught in time an event that Lander College hosted to acknowledge the soldier's bravery. To honor these soldiers, female students from Lander would hold a contest between the men and vote for the most popular. The male who had the majority of votes would become Lander College’s “Pin-Up Boy”.  Continuing to research through newspapers and articles, I found more information that would explain the photograph I was given and further my knowledge of the history of Lander College that is displayed within my poster.   

Makayla Hardin graduated from Chapman High School in Inman, South Carolina and is a Freshman studying Early Childhood Education. One of her achievements is being a Teaching Fellow at Lander University.  

Click here for a closer look at the poster.

Lander University Archival Research: Freshman-Junior Ceremony

This research poster explores an old "Lander College" tradition from the Lander archive that is represented in a historical photograph. The picture depicts the classic "Freshman-Junior Ceremony" from 1955. The ceremony was used to unite the freshman and junior classes. It was created to send the message that class shouldn't cause a division in unity. The annual tradition, including the photo taken at the ceremony and who was involved, was published in the local Greenwood newspaper.

Hailey Luna graduated from North Myrtle Beach High School in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and is currently a freshman nursing student. Her academic achievements include attending a STEM academy, earning her Electrocardiograph technician license, and being on the Dean's list.