Colleen Alles | The Legacy of Captain Charles E. Belknap: 100 Years after The Yesterdays of Grand Rapids
Colleen Alles is a writer and native Michigander. For six years, she worked as a library assistant for the Grand Rapids Public Library, mostly in the Grand Rapids History Center. A graduate of MSU and Wayne State University, she currently works as a Developmental Editor for Atmosphere Press.
Sophia Ward Brewer | Before Jerry & Betty, There was Another Prominent Ford Couple in Grand Rapids
Sophia Ward Brewer is a librarian at Grand Rapids Community College, specializing in collection development and teaching information literacy. She is on the boards of several organizations, including the Greater Grand Rapids Women’s History Council and Michigan Library Association.
M. Christine Byron | Before Jerry & Betty, There was Another Prominent Ford Couple in Grand Rapids
Christine Byron is a retired local history librarian for the Grand Rapids Public Library. Her interest in the history of Michigan tourism led her and her husband to write six books on that subject.
Peter and Mary Lewandoski | Coldbrook Creek: Rediscovering a Hidden Urban Stream
Mary Lewandoski is a retired environmental educator with an extensive history of working with students on watershed projects. She also worked in resolving groundwater issues with the Michigan DEQ. Her interest in the environment led her to form the Coldbrook Creek Community, which she co-chairs with her husband Peter.
Peter Lewandoski is a retired librarian who taught information literacy skills to both students and the public. He and his wife Mary have lived in the Coldbrook Creek watershed for decades.
Hannah McBride | The Experiences of Women in Homes for Unmarried Mothers, 1945-1985
Hannah McBride is an undergraduate student at Grand Valley State University studying Social Studies. She received the Student Summer Scholars award through Grand Valley’s Office of Undergraduate Research. Her research has focused on women’s history and the social aspects of maternal health in post-World War II America.
Adam Oster | Return to Peppermint Street: The Life and Works of Grand Rapids Author Meindert DeJong
Adam Oster is the Community Engagement Librarian for the Library of Michigan. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Grand Valley State University with a minor in Political Science and Secondary Education Certification. He also has a Master of Library Science degree from Indiana University. Adam’s interests include genealogy and local history research.
Nora Salas | The Experiences of Women in Homes for Unmarried Mothers, 1945-1985
Dr. Nora Salas is an Associate Professor of History at Grand Valley State University and the Director of the Kutsche Office of Local History. At the Kutsche Office she helps diverse communities claim their place in West Michigan’s history. Professor Salas regularly teaches U.S. Women’s History and Latino History.
Jon VanderPloeg | The Republican Home Front vs Frank McKay
Jon VanderPloeg is a lawyer, specializing in appellate practice for over 40 years. Jon’s upbringing in the 1950’s and 1960’s with his father, a Kent County assistant prosecutor, city attorney, and judge in the Grand Rapids Superior Court and Kent County Circuit Court, nurtured Jon’s life-long interest in local law, history and politics.
History Detectives GR 