Press Release

August 24, 2005

Release: Immediate

Contact: Jeff Ebbing

Phone: 319.752.2731, ext 8203

A Look Back at Burlington’s Schools

In the wake of this year’s tragic fire at Horace Mann Middle School, many Burlington residents waxed nostalgic about the school and its influence on the lives of local young people. Deb Kolz-Olson knows that Horace Mann is only one of the educational institutions that have played an important role in the history of Burlington, and she’ll share her stories of the city’s schools in a class entitled “A Look Back at Burlington’s Schools.”

Kolz-Olson works for the Des Moines County Historical Society and is editor of the Des Moines County Genealogical Society’s Quarterly. She will use information from county histories, old newspapers, and the files of the Des Moines County Historical Society to bring to life the stories of the schools that have educated the young of Burlington, from the city’s beginnings to the present.

The class will be held from 7 -9 p.m. on September 12 at the Center for Business and Industry Services in RiverPark Place at 610 N. 4th Street in Burlington.

The school program is the first of two classes on the history of Des Moines County being taught by Kolz-Olson at the CBIS facility in downtown Burlington. On October 3 she will offer “Des Moines County and the Civil War” from 7 to 9 p.m. This entertaining class will make you feel as though you were back in Civil War times with its discussion of “Ladies Aid, Copperheads and the River City.”

For more information contact Barb Blow, bblow@scciowa.edu or call 319.752.2731 x8221.

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