Foster School/King Lab 1966 Kindergarten Reunion

08/07/2016

More photos from our July reunion

07/12/2016

Hope to see you Friday night for some Hecky's BBQ, Las Palmas fajitas, and reminiscing about Foster School in the 1960s. Doors open 5pm. Tour at 6pm. DInner at 7 ($15 or whatever you can do).

06/25/2016

Hey folks! Thanks to Gail Hutchison we have found our 9th class photo from the 1966 Foster/King Lab kindergarten class. Who do you recognize? So far we have Gail Hutchison, Richard Kenner, Sherry Neyhus, Lisa Disch, John Gibson, and Glen Moore. Please tag or comment about anyone else you recognize in this photo. Looking forward to our 50th reunion July 15-17 at the old Foster School.

03/18/2016

Thanks to Peter Handler for Photo #7: Who's in this photo? Please tag and comment! Identified so far: Mrs. Lee, Ethel Perrin, Tonya Nicholson, Marla Kochin (?), Peter Handler, Greg Washington, Karen Holmes, Keith Jackson, Elaine Allen, Albert Rucker?, Melvin Dorsey, Marty Mussman, Amy Wadsworth.

03/13/2016

Now we are looking for a place for Sunday brunch. Walker Bros. can't accommodate us (too crowded, not enough space). Corner Bakery in Skokie also says they don't have enough space for us. Any other ideas of a place in Evanston, ideally near Foster, that could handle 50 or so on a Sunday morning?

03/06/2016

Hey everyone. Any suggestions for a local establishment that could cater our Saturday reunion lunch (July 16) at a reasonable rate? We are probably going with Hecky's for Friday dinner. Suggestions for vegetarians and vegans also welcome!

02/27/2016

Hi Foster/King Lab friends. We are still trying to identify kids in the 1966 Foster Kindergarten classes for our reunion this summer commemorating 50 years since the desegregation of Evanston's elementary schools. Please take a look at this album and see if you can tag or identify anyone. Thanks!

01/18/2016

An article from today's LA Times describing 1966 Chicago, the year we all started Kindergarten at Foster School.

When the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. stepped out of his car on Aug. 5, 1966, in his usual dark suit and polished shoes, he was met by a line of police and a mob of angry white people. His struggle hadn't gotten easier.

01/16/2016

The Foster School/King Lab 1966 Kindergarten Reunion project is a gathering to commemorate the teachers, families, administrators, leaders, students, and community that tried to shift Evanston from a segregated society towards an integrated one. Moving from de facto to de jure and back made national news, but also had lasting effects on many lives. We hope to gather as our central participants those who were there in 1966 when District 65 Superintendent Dr. Gregory Coffin was hired. We hope this gathering scaffolds the sixties environment, but also gives heft to the legacies that remain. We will be reflecting back about the impact of those efforts as we dialogue about the current situation of race relations in Evanston and the country. Please come prepared to reminisce, meet and greet, and have meaningful conversations.

The Foster School/King Lab 1966 Kindergarten Reunion will be held July 15-17, 2016 at the Weisbourd Holmes Family Focus Center (2010 Dewey Avenue, Evanston, IL) and will include presentations by those who participated in the Foster School desegregation effort as students, administrators, parents, and teachers; as well as by current scholars, educators and activists. The community is welcome to attend these open forums.

Additional activities for Foster/King Lab alumni will include shared meals, a family oriented dance, and opportunities to share photos and memories. The 1967 documentary by the late Larry Brooks "The Desegregation of Foster School" will be shown.

Current sponsors include Shorefront Legacy Center and Family Focus.

To express your interest in volunteering, contributing ideas for this event, or to help locate original participants (students, instructors, staff, parents, community leaders), please complete and share this on-line form: http://tinyurl.com/Foster-Kindergarten-Reunion

We look forward to hearing from you!
--Foster 1966 Kindergarten Reunion planning committee:
Doria Johnson [email protected]
Dino Robinson [email protected]
Sara Moran [email protected]
Gail Hutchison [email protected]
Lisa Disch [email protected]
Susan Hagstrom [email protected]

Please fill out this form if you would like updates about our July 15-17, 2016 Foster/King Lab 1966 Kindergarten Reunion. Add your name and contact info below if you would like to attend, volunteer, or be kept up-to-date for any other reason! Please help us find other alumni by sharing this link (ht…

01/16/2016

Brief PBS video clip from the late Larry Brooks' 1967 documentary, “The Integration of Foster School” (aired on Chicago Tonight Aug 6, 2009): http://video.pbs.org/video/1208023192/

In the 1960s, the primary-grade Foster School was located in an area with primarily African-American families. But the Evanston board was committed to integration. Parents and board members explain their thoughts on this issue in an excerpt from a 1967 documentary, "The Integration of Foster School.…

12/24/2015

We now have four 1966 Foster Kindergarten rosters. This is awesome and so exciting! Please tag and label anyone you know to help us find all of these kids for our July 15-17, 2016 Kindergarten reunion!