In celebration of the United States Semiqunincentennial, the American Heritage Center is hosting three exhibits that examine our nation through its people—its citizens, authors, poets, workers, innovators, and leaders. These exhibits explore the diversity of thought and communication in the United States, how these differences unite us, and how they have shaped the country we live in today.
Wyoming Voices: Our Stories of America
Created in conjunction with the United States’ 250th anniversary, “Wyoming Voices: Our Stories of America” explores how communication has shaped Wyoming’s past and present. Drawing from photographs, letters, newspapers, and media held at the American Heritage Center, the exhibit highlights the many voices that have contributed to the state’s identity and invites visitors to reflect on how stories are shared—and remembered.
Pull caption from exhibit
Rather than presenting a single narrative, Wyoming Voices brings together a wide range of perspectives. Each section of the exhibit was researched and curated by a different contributor, resulting in a collection of panels that examine historical moments, themes, and experiences in American history. Some focus on political or social movements, others on cultural life, innovation, or the everyday experiences of people living in the region.
“Wyoming Voices: Our Stories of America” is on display through February 26, 2027.
Nellie: The First Woman Governor at America’s Milestones
Drawing primarily from the AHC’s Nellie Tayloe Ross papers, the exhibition examines Ross’s life and career through key moments in American history. Born in 1876 during the nation’s Centennial, Ross became the first woman governor in the United States in 1925 and later served for two decades as Director of the United States Mint. She lived to see the nation’s Bicentennial in 1976.
Guests explore the exhibit at the AHC’s Nellie Tayloe Ross Reception in May. Photo by UW Photographer Ian Bondi.
The exhibition uses the nation’s 100th, 150th, and 200th anniversaries to trace Ross’s development from her early life through her years in public service. It highlights her governorship during a period of economic hardship in Wyoming, her transition to federal leadership during the Great Depression, and her long tenure overseeing the Mint through major national events, including the Second World War.
Items on display include photographs, her Oath of Office, a scrapbook documenting her inauguration, the certificate signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointing her to the Mint, and a coin bearing her likeness.
“Nellie Tayloe Ross is a central figure in Wyoming and American history,” said Kail Moede, exhibit curator. “In curating this exhibit, I wanted to frame her life through key national milestones, especially as the country approaches its 250th anniversary. To highlight Nellie is to highlight Wyoming’s place in American history. The exhibit, designed to reflect her scrapbooks, brings those connections together.”
The exhibit features photos and objects from across Ross’ 100 year life.
Ross later chose to donate her papers to the American Heritage Center, ensuring her legacy would remain in Wyoming. As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, her life continues to offer a clear connection to the nation’s second century and its evolving history.
“Nellie: The First Woman Governor at America’s Milestones” is on display through April 2027 in the AHC’s Gallery One.
Turning the Pages of America: Celebrating 250 Years of the USA with a Roadtrip Across the Country Through Books
Curated by Laurel Carr, an intern at the Toppan Rare Books Library at the AHC, “Turning the Pages of America” celebrates the Semiquincentennial with a literary roadtrip across the country. The exhibit features a book for each of the 50 states from several of the rare book collections. Each book is representative of its state and shows the diversity of the country and its different regions. The books are from various genres, including fiction, nonfiction, memoirs, and photography, and date from 1627–1963.
Wyoming’s featured book is Women of Wyoming by Cora M. Beach, which highlights significant and influential women from Wyoming, such as Nellie Tayloe Ross and Grace Raymond Hebard. Other books include Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington, for Alabama, which is his autobiography describing his life, from growing up in slavery to founding a university, and As Maine Goes by Alta Smith and Esther Dunham, which presents photos of the state to show its essence and scenery.
Illustrated version of “The Ohio” by R.E. Banta. From the AHC’s Rea Family Collection.
“Books have long been a key way to communicate culture and character,” AHC Director Paul Flesher said. “Seeing books from every state provides an itinerary that reminds us of the shared elements of our national culture and the variety of our states’ cultures that seasons every citizen’s life.”
The books present the exhibit’s attendees with diverse views and lived experiences of the country through the medium of storytelling. They also highlight notable aspects of each of the 50 states and show the importance of literature throughout the history of the U.S.
“Turning the Pages of America” is on display through Friday, December 18th, 2026.
Universal Studios “For Your Consideration” poster sent to Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voters. Entertainment Industry collection, 1926–1982, 1979, Coll. No. 10513, Box 2 American Heritage Center.
When I got to the AHC in the spring of 2023, the material that excited me most was our Wizard of Oz related holdings. As a fan of L. Frank Baum’s fantastical novel, Oz and its many adaptations are an archival favorite of mine. Among these is the original script for The Wiz.
The Wiz, an all-Black adaptation of L Frank Baum’s book and the 1939 MGM film, was not popular when it came out. Marred with controversy about racial politics and casting choices, The Wiz did not break even at the box office. Despite this, The Wiz has been solidified in pop culture history for its iconic cast of stars, phenomenal score, and innovative interpretation of Baum’s story.
The cover of an early script treatment for the film adaptation of The Wiz for Universal and Motown. The Wizard of Oz scripts, 1976, Coll. No. 12780, American Heritage Center.
As discussed in my previous Oz film blogpost, the Wizard of Oz (1939) was not an immediate financial success. Nevertheless, it became the definitive Oz adaptation for a long time. From 1939 to 1978, there had only been a handful of adaptations, and they had mostly been adaptations that played on the 1939 MGM film. Television broadcasts of the 1939 film helped cement its status as an American classic, while animated productions introduced the story to younger audiences.
Meanwhile, stage adaptations kept the story alive in theaters across the United States. These reinterpretations demonstrated the enduring popularity of Oz and laid the groundwork for The Wiz.
Enter The Wiz. The aftermath of the 1960s Civil Rights movement and the explosive popularity of the Motown Music scene increased the demand for Black musical productions on Broadway. The Wiz premiered on Broadway in 1975, featuring a book by William F. Brown, music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and one song by an up-and-coming Luther Vandross, though that’s a blogpost for another day!). Rather than simply retelling Baum’s story, the production reimagined Oz through the lens of African American culture, incorporating soul, gospel, funk, and rhythm and blues into its score while celebrating Black identity and community. In Brown’s Oz, little Dorothy Gale is still a farm girl in a strange land, but she also becomes a liberator for the people around her.
Stephanie Mills as a young Dorothy on Broadway. Despite critical acclaim, Mills was not chosen for the film adaptation. Image from Blackfilm.com.
Its initial opening in Baltimore received mixed reviews, and its early Broadway performances struggled to attract audiences. Producer Ken Harper brought in director Geoffrey Holder to redesign the production, along with choreographer George Faison, whose energetic choreography became one of the musical’s defining features.
The Wiz finally opened on Broadway on January 5, 1975, at the Majestic Theatre and eventually ran for more than 1,600 performances. At the 29th Tony Awards, the musical won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Direction of a Musical (presented by none other than Ray Bolger of the 1939 film), and Best Choreography.
Adapting The Wiz into the 1978 film involved major creative decisions that reshaped the story for cinema while preserving its central themes of self-discovery, friendship, and believing in oneself. Universal, along with the newly conceived Motown Pictures, expanded the Broadway production into a large-scale fantasy that could take advantage of film’s visual possibilities, while producers made several high-profile casting choices that significantly influenced the adaptation.
Inside page of The Wiz script. The Wizard of Oz scripts, 1976, Coll. No. 12780, American Heritage Center.
Perhaps the most controversial decision was casting Diana Ross as Dorothy. In the stage musical, Dorothy is a 12-year-old girl, much closer to the character in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Ross, however, was 33 years old during filming and had actively campaigned for the role after the success of Lady Sings the Blues. Her persistence for the role is what helped get the film financed; Universal did not believe teenage Broadway actress Stephanie Mills to be a big enough box office draw to fund the film. To make the casting more believable, the screenplay reimagined Dorothy as a shy, 24-year-old Harlem schoolteacher living with her family. This change shifted the story’s focus from childhood innocence to adult insecurity. Dorothy earns her independence rather than simply finding a way home. The early script treatment we hold at the AHC still imagines Dorothy as a child, leading me to believe it may have been written while they were debating between Mills and Ross.
Universal campaigned all of the film’s actors for Academy Award nominations, including the controversial performance of Diana Ross as Dorothy. Entertainment Industry collection, 1926–1982, 1979, Coll. No. 10513, Box 2 American Heritage Center.
Another major casting decision was selecting Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow. Although Jackson was already internationally famous as a musician with his brothers in the Jackson 5, The Wiz marked his first major feature-film acting role. Raised in an abusive household with his siblings, Jackson cited his time working on The Wiz as integral to his career. He lived in New York alone without his father while transitioning from Motown to Epic Records. The Wiz’s musical director Quincy Jones would be so impressed with Jackson that they would collaborate on three albums—Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), and Bad (1987). This collaboration evolved Jackson from teen heartthrob to pop royalty.
Nineteen-year-old Michael Jackson was already a star when he stepped foot on The Wiz’s set, but the film established his longevity as a solo performer. Entertainment Industry collection, 1926–1982, 1979, Coll. No. 10513, Box 2 American Heritage Center.
The supporting cast featured some of the most accomplished Black performers of the era. Nipsey Russell portrayed the Tin Man, Ted Ross reprised his Tony Award-winning Broadway role as the Cowardly Lion, and stand-up legend Richard Pryor played the Wiz himself. The film also featured acclaimed performers such as Lena Horne as Glinda and Mabel King as Evillene. Their inclusion reflected the filmmakers’ desire to assemble a cast that celebrated Black excellence across music, theatre, comedy, and film.
For Your Consideration posters for Nipsey Russell (The Tin Man) and Ted Ross (The Lion), respectively. Entertainment Industry collection, 1926–1982, 1979, Coll. No. 10513, Box 2 American Heritage Center.
Beyond casting, the adaptation expanded the visual scale of the story. Rather than relying on theatrical sets, director Sidney Lumet, known primarily for his work on dramatic films shot in and around New York City, transforming familiar urban locations into the fantastical Land of Oz. Lumet employed Quincy Jones to add, reduce, or altogether delete musical sequences to heighten the visual presence of the film.
The film was considered for Best Picture, but in the end, only secured four nominations in music and technical categories. It ultimately went home empty handed. Entertainment Industry collection, 1926–1982, 1979, Coll. No. 10513, Box 2 American Heritage Center.
The film cost $24 million to produce, but only grossed $13.6 million, making the film a massive commercial failure. Critiques against the film from Oz fans who disliked the film’s all Black cast paired with the narrative that Ross has pushed Stephanie Mills out of the role of Dorothy plagued the film’s critical response. Nevertheless, the film’s impact is felt even now. When Beyoncé became the first Black woman to headline Coachella, she opened her set with an altered version of Quincy Jones’ “Emerald City Sequence” from the film. Hip hop fans will remember Kendrick Lamar’s infamous “Euphoria” diss track against Canadian rapper Drake, which opens with Richard Pryor’s voice in reverse shouting, “Everything they say about me is true!” as he admits to Dorothy that he is a fraud.
The Wiz, despite being star studded and bleeding into modern popular culture, is still an under appreciated adaptation of Oz. While working on this post and doing this research, I’ve been fortunate to introduce this film to my friends and family for the first time.
Representing a shift in cinema where Black actors were no longer held back by the all-white studio system the original film was produced in, The Wiz has inspired multiple generations of people to feel a brand new day.
Post contributed by AHC Archives Aide Rhiannon Skye McLean
Many people remember Popeye the sailor man, either from the various cartoon iterations, the live action movie starring Robin Williams, or his beginnings as a comic strip. In the latter half of the 1930s, he also had a radio adventure series. Popeye would be joined by known characters like Olive Oyl, Whimpy, and the reprehensible Bluto in 15-minute episodes broadcast first by NBC radio then later by CBS radio on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. In these adventures, though, he no longer relied on his trusty spinach, as the first two seasons were sponsored by Wheatena, a hot breakfast cereal, and the final season was sponsored by Popsicle brand ice pops, which was a part of the Joe Lowe Corporation at the time. Though critically panned, the thrice weekly radio serial ended with an impressive 117 episodes.
Scripts for Popeye – May to July 1938 – The Anne and Frank Hummert scripts collection #7867
Housed at the American Heritage Center, the Anne and Frank Hummert scripts collection has drafts for all 39 episodes of the Popeye radio show’s final season. The Hummerts created and produced the first radio soap operas, going on to build an exceptional catalog of radio serials such as The Romance of Helen Trent and Backstage Wife. Their collection at the AHC is contained in 432 boxes, totaling 460 cubic ft of materials. The Popeye scripts are bound together in one large volume. The episodes of Popeye were written while they were working at Blackett, Sample & Hummert before Anne and Frank started their own production company.
Every Popeye script in the Hummert collection starts and ends with a reminder for kids to save their bags from their Popsicles, Fudgicles, and Creamsicles to send in for amazing prizes like roller skates, fishing tackle, and wrist watches. Fudgicles, while sounding exactly like what Popeye would call them, would later be renamed to the now familiar “Fudgesicles.” The same promotion would be heard for the “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” radio program. Kids could even obtain a prize catalog that had a coupon worth 10 bags. After reading some of the scripts, the Popsicle ads might have been the bigger draw.
Popeye’s radio program was criticized for its poor production quality, sounding like it was recorded in a tin can. Noticeably absent from the series were Popeye’s use of spinach for strength and the well-known musical theme. Without these hallmarks, the show felt disconnected from other Popeye media, and struggled to maintain an audience. The show further struggled as each season saw a new voice actor for Popeye. Popsicle pulled their sponsorship at the end of the season, seeing greater success with Buck Rogers, and the Popeye radio show ended as they were unable to secure sponsorship for a 4th season.
It is well known that travel in the 1950s and 60s in America was highlighted by decadence. Everyone has seen the ads for airplane luxuries like cocktail lounges and sleeping sections—unfathomable to the contemporary air traveler in America—but the railroad had just as much luxury. In the AHC’s Paul Victor De Ford collection, meticulous records of rail menus have been preserved for us to look at.
It is important to note that rails hadn’t always had food on them, and in fact the creation of a food cart was such a revolution that it changed the way that rails functioned. Before meal carts, it wasn’t uncommon for passengers to stop for food during short stops (30 minutes), but it also wasn’t uncommon for them to miss the departure and be forgotten by the rails, leaving them stranded without their luggage.
Amtrak passenger menu, which, in addition to illustrating the prevalence of chicken and beef dishes, also includes such staples as Bismarck Hering in Cream with Sliced Apple and Seafood Newburg with Rice Pilaf. Paul Victor De Ford railroad collection.
The creation of the luxurious food cart can be chalked up to one man: Fred Harvey. Fred Harvey worked with the Santa Fe Railway to create a food cart that would elevate the experience of the ride. He originally pitched the idea to another railway but was turned down. His close connection to the CEO of the Santa Fe Railway also helped him get a sweetheart deal he likely wouldn’t have gotten elsewhere.
Harvey’s company hired attractive young women to run the front of the cart. These employees were called Harvey Girls, which even inspired a movie with Judy Garland in 1946. To become a Harvey Girl was to achieve high status as a young lady. Harvey Girls were often highly sought after by suitors, and the girls were paid very handsomely for their time and received free meals, housing, and even laundry.
Golden State breakfast menu featuring Kippered Herring on Toast and Shirred Eggs with Chicken Livers in Sauce Bercy (a reduction sauce made with white wine, shallots, and fish velouté). Paul Victor De Ford railroad collection.
In the De Ford collection, the average price of a morning cup of coffee (from 1946–1972) was only 32 cents. If you wanted some eggs for breakfast, you’d spend about $1.12 on average. But there were some choices that were a little more unique, like the Southern Pacific’s 40 cent stewed prunes, or the luxury Golden State liner’s kippered herring on toast, or shirred eggs with chicken liver. Safe to say there was something for everyone!
If you were looking at getting any other beverage, you were in for a treat too. You could purchase the obvious—sodas, juices, and teas—but there were also some rarer finds. One example is medication-based drinks like laxative water and Bromo seltzer, which contain aspirin for headaches and stomach issues, both for 25 cents. Cordials could range from 75 cents to $1.35. Hard liquors like whisky and gin were around the same price.
Cocktail menu advertising various beverages, including Alka Seltzer and Bromo Seltzer in the “Miscellaneous” section. Paul Victor De Ford railroad collection.
For lunch or dinner, there were some common options. Almost every meal was a protein, vegetable, and other side like a bread roll or starch. You could also get a la carte options like hot broth for 15 cents, salad for 30 cents, and crackers for 10 cents. Steak and chicken were the most common mains, with vegetables being whatever was in season. Potatoes came in many shapes and forms like lyonnaise (which is thinly sliced with butter and parsley), persillade (fried cubed potatoes in butter and herbs), Delmonico, mashed, and even french fries in the later rail rides. Cottage cheese was also a common side one could order. For pescatarians, there were imported sardines and even Beluga caviar for a steep $2.35.
What were commencement exercises like at the University of Wyoming a century ago? The question might seem rather mundane at first, but when the American Heritage Center recently received a UW diploma from the family of 1926 graduate Carl A. Johnson, the question became much more intriguing.
The diploma itself is stunning. Enclosed in a leather-bound volume with the graduate’s name embossed on the cover, the diploma includes a gold seal with gold and brown ribbons. Even more stunning, the diploma that Carl Johnson and his fellow classmates received was personally signed by President Arthur Crane; Board of Trustees President Joseph Elliott, who was a prominent businessman from Wheatland; and Board Secretary Fay E. Smith, who later became the university’s land coordinator overseeing the university’s land grants.
Though having a president and members of the trustees sign a diploma might not seem completely uncommon, the UW diplomas of the era also were signed by the entire body of faculty. Some names still recognized today include Aven Nelson, June Downey, Grace Raymond Hebard, S. H. Knight, Clara McIntyre, John Corbett, Harriet Orr, Oscar Schwiering (father of Conrad Schwiering, a well-known artist of the Tetons), and Robert Burns.
Faculty signatures on the diploma, a tradition which is no longer practiced, for obvious reasons.
The faculty spent considerable time and likely developed some hand cramps after having signed the diplomas for Mr. Johnson and 108 of his fellow graduates. The signatures appear on three pages of heavy cardstock.
Whereas today, graduation events have been reduced to one or two days, in 1926, exercises spanned a week. Events for 1926 began on June 4 with stage performances. Additional performances by students continued the next day. On Sunday, June 6, Baccalaureate exercises followed breakfast, and there was an evening reception for students and visitors. On Monday, there was an alumni event, a tea party, sporting activities, and an evening theatrical program. Commencement exercises began at 10am on Tuesday, June 8. The address was given by George Willard Frasier, who was president of Colorado State Teachers College (now Northern Colorado University.)
Portrait of Carl A. JohnsonJohnson’s 1926 yearbook appearance
Carl Johnson graduated with a number of notable classmates, including George Tayloe Ross, whose mother, Nellie Tayloe Ross, was the governor at the time and whose father William also had been governor a few years earlier. Another member of the Class of 1926 was Constance Chatterton whose father, Fenimore, was governor from 1903-1905. Other graduates include Alfred Palmer and Robert Spalding who had successful careers with Shell Oil, Glen Gariepy who became chief geologist for Marathon Oil, and Lawrence Meeboer who did not have to travel far for his job. Upon graduating he stayed on campus to serve as executive assistant to the president until his retirement in 1970.
Carl Johnson was a resident of Cheyenne and received his degree in Commercial Sciences (today a business degree). Upon graduation, he returned to Cheyenne where he opened a successful accounting firm. He was born on August 27, 1903, and passed away on August 14, 1989. The American Heritage Center is grateful to his family for donating his diploma.
Post contributed by AHC Archivist and UW Historian John Waggener.
The Hand family in the West Wing with then-White House chief of staff Dick Cheney, 1976.
Fifty years ago, I turned 12 years old, and America turned 200. Today, with America reaching 250, and me at the ripe old age of 62, I look back with fading memory on my participation, for the Great State of Wyoming, in the celebration of our nation’s Bicentennial.
I am proud to say that I started attending the University of Wyoming in kindergarten. Back then, the College of Education played host to a (now sadly and shockingly shuttered) school where students in the college got to learn and practice their trade by assisting their professors in educating children. Throughout those years of my youth, I had three passions: collecting stamps, American history, and leafing through atlases—my love for maps was such that I dreamed of growing up to become a cartographer.
My parents encouraged me in all three of these things and many more. Dad passed his own stamp collection down to me, helped me to memorize the names of the Presidents, and pored through maps with me. At some point—I was likely eight or nine—I noticed, thanks to Rand McNally, how many of the American states (and even a Canadian province) were home to places named “Wyoming.” A city in Michigan, a township in Wisconsin, a town in Iowa, a county in West Virginia—my state’s name seemed to be everywhere.
I asked my dad about this, and he, ever inquisitive, used it as an opportunity to pursue his own curiosity about the strange word. The origin of the word “Wyoming” is unknown, with only unproven theories backing various claims for meaning. My dad never believed any of those claims, and he suggested, “Why don’t you write a letter to the postmaster of each of these places, asking them what they believe ‘Wyoming’ means and what its origin is, and you will have a great collection of postmarks from all these various ‘Wyomings’ for your stamp collection?”
A celebratory oar presented to Manus Hand by the City of Wyoming, Minnesota. This item can be seen in the AHC’s “Wyoming Voices: Our Stories of America” exhibit, on display now.
And so I did. And responses came back from each and every one of these Wyomings, each writer charmed by this nine- or ten-year-old and his curious questions about their locality and its name. Some postmasters decided to forward my letter to the local elementary school, encouraging the kids my age to help answer my question, and to become pen pals with me. I wrote back and forth with a great many kids, although no more light seemed to be shed on the origin of the word “Wyoming.”
1976 was approaching, and my father, ever the idea man, decided that it would be a great way to celebrate the Bicentennial if the State of Wyoming were to confer Honorary Citizenship on the citizens of each of these municipalities, and that I, the precocious 12-year-old, should personally deliver the plaque and proclamation of this honor to these 26 places.
My dad and I drove over the hill to Cheyenne, where I presented a simple poster board and mimeographed proposal to the Wyoming Bicentennial Commission in one of the meeting rooms of the State Capitol. In my little-boy leisure suit, I must have charmed them enough, because the Commission decided to grant $1,200 for the project on the condition that I raise a matching amount. This money would cover the cost of the Honorary Citizenship plaques as well as the road trip from Laramie to the east coast and back.
I imagine that the members of the Commission thought I would raise the other $1,200 by selling lemonade or going door-to-door like a normal kid. But when the grant was announced, my dad grabbed my arm, walked me to the other wing of the Capitol, demanded an immediate audience with Governor Ed Herschler, and told me to make the same presentation I had just made. The Office of the Governor provided the matching $1,200 on the spot, and we drove back to Laramie fully funded for what became known as “The Wyoming Trip.”
My parents did most of the planning. I’d be the wrong person to ask about how difficult all of that must have been. As the stamp-collecting, Star Trek-loving brother of five younger sisters, the youngest not quite two years old, I left the determination of all of the dates and times and places, the creation of the plaques, and, well, everything else up to my folks. My job was to sit in the car and put up with those five sisters, and to create a daily record of the trip (a requirement of the grant) to be placed in the Wyoming State Archives, where you can go and read it today.
Commemorative plate from Wyoming, Ohio. Behind-the-scenes photo taken during the install of “Wyoming Voices: Our Stories of America” exhibit.
The Wyoming Trip made national news. I remember being at a friend’s house at 5th Street and Park Avenue when we happened to catch Walter Cronkite on CBS Evening News mispronouncing my name as he told the nation about our planned trip. But still I didn’t know what I was in for.
My first memory of the trip was waking up after the first day’s drive and hotel stay (I believe it was in Rapid City, South Dakota), knowing that the day would bring us to our first Wyoming, a town in Minnesota. Our family station wagon, with its “5-WYOS” license plate, was packed with two adults, six kids, and all the gear needed to sustain such a crowd. About 10 miles from our destination, we were suddenly joined by multiple police cars, their lights swirling, that escorted us to the arena where I was welcomed, and where I would present Wyoming state citizenship to the Minnesotans. Television cameras were there to record what I said and did for the local news, and hundreds of people shook my hand and thanked me for what I was doing and for coming to honor their humble home.
It was like that everywhere. Every single Wyoming welcomed me and my family with open arms. We were treated to local cuisine and taken around to visit all the local tourist sites. I was showered with keys to their city, mayoral proclamations of “Manus Hand Day,” and a great many souvenirs from municipal anniversaries and other celebrations. All of these gifts hung in the basement of my parents’ house until they downsized, when we happily donated them all to the American Heritage Center. My family and I hope that you will stop by and see them!
A collection of memorabilia from The Wyoming Trip, including a key to the community of Wyoming, Nebraska, and souvenir buttons from Illinois and Ohio.
I won’t go through each of the over two dozen municipal visits; you can read about them all at the Archives or at the AHC, but I have fond memories of each one. Among so many experiences, I will list that I spoke at many school assemblies, walked through Mark Twain’s home, watched in fascination as food was packaged in a Kraft factory by conveyor belts and machines, and huddled in a city hall basement while tornado warning sirens sounded in my ears for the first time.
Although the name “Wyoming” is found in a few of of the original 13 states (Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Delaware, and West Virginia—initially part of the state of Virginia), my dad found an excuse visit each of them on the trip. I’ll always remember how he scoured a map and decided that the name of the town of Warwoman, Georgia—which lies only a few miles from the state’s northern border, and so could be reached quickly without much delay in the trip—was “probably a corruption of the word Wyoming.” That’s my dad.
With New Hampshire also a necessary drive-through, Dad made sure we got to Bath, Maine, where the “Wyoming,” the largest wooden schooner ever built, was constructed and launched. If you haven’t seen the display featuring this great ship in Coe Library (a large model of the vessel, with a framed poem written my my dad himself about its heroic fate), stop in there and see it!
What else? Well, we ran out of gas in bumper-to-bumper traffic right at Times Square in New York City. To this day, I think my dad did it on purpose, just to say it happened, because it was something that we joked about before even leaving Laramie.
We also visited Washington, D.C. and the White House. Dick Cheney was Chief of Staff at the time, and because he and my mother were classmates in Casper growing up, he gave us a private tour of the Executive Residence. Although I didn’t set foot in the Oval Office, I was able to peek into it through an open door, where I saw President Ford behind his desk reading a newspaper.
My family and I have countless stories about those two (three? more?) weeks we spent traveling the nation and Canada. From singing a million songs together (especially John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” while driving through West Virginia’s mountains) to my dad’s reactions to the misbehaving kids in the seats behind him (“Cotton PICKIN’!!” and “Judas Priest!”), to the way my one-year-old sister Mollie was just beginning to form words and sentences (“What DOIN’ down dere, guys?”), we share a lot of happy memories. My mother only recently revealed to me (she thought I knew this—and I should have!) that for her, wrangling six kids in an out of a car across two countries, The Wyoming Trip was a very trying experience. Mom had begged my dad to make it a father-son trip, but he wouldn’t have it.
It was always a half-formed dream to reprise the trip on America’s 250th, to drive those same highways, return to all the Wyomings, and reiterate their eternal honorary citizenship and full fellowship with the people of the Equality State. Alas, those 50 years passed all too quickly, and as 2026 arrived, I realized that the dream that my family would find ourselves watching semiquincentennial fireworks in Wyoming, Ohio, or Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, or Wyoming, Ontario, Canada, or in any of the other places where we hope we might be remembered, sadly faded away.
All that remains now are the memories, and I thank the American Heritage Center for inviting me to write a few of them down for you. Go Pokes! And Go Wyo, wherever in the continent you might be found!
On the morning of April 30, 1926, a ceremony was held on campus to commemorate the laying of the cornerstone of the new Engineering Building. The event was so special for the university, morning classes were dismissed so that all students and faculty could attend the ceremony.
Cornerstone Ceremony, April 30, 1926. Governor Nellie Tayloe Ross offers remarks from the temporary stage. Source: Ludwig & Svenson Studio Collection, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
Plans for a new building to house the College of Engineering began to take shape in the spring of 1925 when the Trustees approved funding for building plans, which were drawn by local architect Wilbur Hitchcock and Frederick Porter of Cheyenne. On September 23, 1925, the building contract of $133,000 (approximately $2.6 million dollars in 2026) was awarded to W. J. Wilseck of Cheyenne. Survey work began in late 1925, and in late January 1926, earthwork commenced. By late April the historic cornerstone was ready for placement. The building stone came from the UW quarry located approximately nine miles north of Laramie.
1925 drawing of proposed Engineering Building design by Wilbur Hitchcock and Frederick Porter. Due to building costs, plans were revised for a smaller building. Source: Ludwig & Svenson Studio Collection, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
At 11 a.m. on Friday, April 30, 1926, the important cornerstone celebration began with music provided by the university band before the Masons from the local Masonic Order placed the cornerstone. State Engineer Frank Emerson delivered a talk titled “Service – the cornerstone.” Governor Nellie Tayloe Ross then spoke of the growing importance of engineering in the state. Engineering Dean Earl D. Hay offered remarks, which were followed by a benediction and the singing of the alma mater by the entire student body.
View of the nearly completed building, 1926. Source: Ludwig & Svenson Studio Collection, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
The Engineering Building was completed nearly 100 years ago when the handsome stone building was ready for occupancy when the new spring term commenced on March 29, 1927.
Post contributed by AHC Archivist and UW Historian John Waggener.
Comic books have been around since the beginning of the 19th century, but with World War II on the rise, America was in need of a hero—a super hero. The Golden Age of Comics is generally agreed to have taken place from 1938 to 1956. Comics were inexpensive, gave hope, provided inspiration, functioned as a news source for younger audiences, and were a teaching tool for children and soldiers. Super heroes were meant to embody American ideals. During this dark time, comics were able to bring joy and spread support for real American soldiers through fictional stories.
We’ll look at three examples of Golden Age comics in this post: Captain America, Terry Toons, and Wonder Woman. Captain America, the loveable WWII soldier, first made his appearance by punching Hitler in the face. Terry Toons covered a lot of different topics, but in a short issue explored the injustice happening in Germany. Wonder Woman’s first appearance was in October 1941, saving an American WWII pilot from death and joining the American cause. These cartoons were not just for children, but to inspire teens and adults to “do the right thing.”
America’s Savior
The Cover of Captain America No. 1, featuring the iconic image of Captain America punching HitlerCaptain America No. 13 page 41, which features an advertisement for war bonds.
In “Meet Captain America” we start on a disturbing scene. Two Nazis have infiltrated the United States Army and detonated buildings that are vital for America’s defense. The unnamed President Roosevelt initiates the Super Soldier program. Huddled in a secret lab, Agent X-13, Arthur Grover, Steve Rodgers, Professor Reinstein, and an unnamed high-ranking official gather for an experiment.
Steve is injected with a super-soldier serum and turns from a weak, gaunt figure to a large, strong, handsome man. Reinstein gives Steve his secret identity, Captain America. As it turns out, the high-ranking official is actually a Nazi spy; he shoots Professor Reinstein in the heart. Captain America wastes no time in demonstrating his new abilities and punches him across the room into electric coils.
At the end of this first issue there are instructions of how to join Captain America’s cause: by sending 10 cents and promising to uphold American ideals, you too can join “Captain America’s Sentinels of Liberty” fighting Nazi spies and assisting the Allied Powers.
Joe Simon and Jack Kirby were amazing artists and writers. They had a strong influence during the Golden Age of Comics, and were some of the few comic artists who were given credit for their work. This being said, in their comics they would exaggerate the features of non-American enemies, as shown above.
Page from Captain America No. 13 which demonstrates anti-Japanese sentiment through the use of racist caricature.Another example of the Captain America comics depicting America’s enemies as frightening and ghoulish.
Terry Toons, Kids News
Terry Toons issue 52 came out in January of 1947. Terry Town is a city where cats and mice (typically) live in harmony. Chizzler Cheshire, a cat pursuing law, is expelled from law school because of his unorthodox practices. Upon being kicked out of the door, he sees a cat chasing a mouse. Mr. Cheshire decides that he has an opportunity to practice law once more.
He hears both of their stories out. The cat wanted to eat the mouse; the mouse did not want to be eaten. Mr. Cheshire, with all of his judicial knowledge, decides that the mouse is guilty for depriving a cat of his constitutional rights of eating the mouse. Mr. Cat will punish Mr. Mouse by chasing, catching and eating him. But passing by, Mighty Mouse comes in to save the day! Once both the mice depart, Mr. Cheshire decides because of this mistreatment of law, he will be taking over Terry Town.
The next day, all mice are locked up for the smallest of crimes. The jury consists of chained mice, with cat cops watching their every move. Mighty Mouse swoops in, disturbed by the town’s emptiness. A cat cop tries to give Mighty Mouse a ticket for causing a disturbance. He appears before Mr. Cheshire’s court and is proclaimed guilty, but flies out the window, contemplating what to do next.
Mighty Mouse is found guilty, flies away, and contemplates the injustice in Terry Town.
A young mouse, Ms. Sydney, arrives in town to visit her cousin only to find he’s been locked up. The cats tell her that she will also be locked up because of her lack of passport and illegal contraband (yarn). Mighty Mouse swoops in to save Ms. Sydney and fix the whole system. He reveals the chained jury, locks up Mr. Cheshire, and frees the innocent mice.
Fighting America’s War
In “Introducing Wonder Woman” an American pilot crashes on to the island of the Amazons while chasing down a Nazi spy. Two Amazons, Mala and Princess Diana, find him and take him to a hospital. In the days that follow, Diana nurses his wounds and began to fall in love with him. Queen Hippolyta and Diana use a Magic Sphere to learn of the strange man’s arrival on their lands. They discover that the pilot—Steve Trevor—was attempting to chase down Nazis when his plane ran out of fuel and crashed.
After learning of the war between men, Hippolyta asks the Amazonian Goddesses, Athena and Aphrodite, for advice. The goddesses tell her that this war threatens democracy, peace, and equal rights for women. Hippolyta must return Steve to America with her best warrior to help the Allied cause.
There is a great tournament to decide which Amazonian warrior will accompany Steve. Diana is forbidden to enter, but disguises herself with a mask and wins the tournament. Hippolyta relents and allows her to go, gifting her a patriotic costume and a new identity: Wonder Woman. Diana leaves her home to take up the cause and fight for America.
She gets Steve to an American hospital and decides to explore town. The townspeople call her a “hussy” and are concerned of her “nakedness”. She quickly realizes that in this new land she has no authority and is given no respect. Wonder Woman takes on the strains of battle, and a new struggle for equality.
Cartoons for Everyone!
The popularity of comics did not stop when you reached the Armed Forces. Walt Disney offered his studio to create propaganda and military training videos. A few popular propaganda pieces include “Education for Death,” “Malaria Control,” “Protection Against Chemical Warfare,” “Reason and Emotion,” “High Level Precision Bombing,” “Der Fuehrer’s Face,” and “Chemical Warfare.” Each was crafted with the goal of educating children and soldiers on why they were at war and how to fight. Comics were able to give America new heroes and a common goal: to fight evil.
Top: Scenes from the short Disney propaganda film “Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi” based on the book by Gregor Ziemer. Bottom: A newspaper story on how cartoons aid in military training.
I wanted to give a shout out to my friend Rachel Sayer who has done a lot of research on this topic and inspired me to do my own! I wanted to thank Jess for helping me find research materials and helping to rephrase things. And finally, I wanted to thank Internet Archive for having a lot of these comics accessible online!
Post contributed by Photo and A/V Archives Aid Tom Hillhouse
Sources
Cartoons Aid in ASFTC training, Box Number 1, Folder The Fort Wood News, Howard Estabrook Papers, Collection Number 03766, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Education for Death, Box Number 10, Folder Number 6, Gregor Ziemer Papers, Collection Number 08176, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Evanier, Mark. Kirby: King of Comics. New York, Ney York: Abrams Comic Arts, 2017.
Kirby Jack, Simon Joe (w), Jack Kirby Joe Simon (p), “Captain America” Captain America Comics #1 (March 1, 1941), Marvel Comics.
Lee, Stan (w), Al Avison, Chad Grothkopf, Don Rico (p) “Captain America” Captain America Comics #13 (April 1, 1942) Marvel Comics.
Marston, William (w) Harry Peter (p) Harry Peter (i), “Wonder Woman” Wonder Woman #1 (June 3, 1942), DC Comics.
Terry-Toons #52, Box Number 114, Folder Number 42, Stan Lee Papers, Collection Number 8302, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
The American Heritage Center hosted the 2026 Wyoming History Day State Competition on Monday, April 20, 2026, at the Coe Library and Wyoming Union on the campus of the University of Wyoming. Students completed year-long research projects inspired by the National History Day theme, “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History,” and presented outstanding papers, documentaries, exhibits, performances, and websites.
Students at the 2026 Wyoming History Day competition.
Hundreds of students from across the state participated in regional contests, with 135 advancing to the state competition in the 46th annual Wyoming History Day.
Several students also received special awards made possible through the generosity of sponsors including WyoHistory.org, the University of Wyoming Global Engagement Office, National Society of Colonial Dames of America in Wyoming, Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum, Wyoming Archaeological Society, Wyoming Association of Professional Archaeologists, Wyoming State Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the American Heritage Center.
Truly Homer-Wambeam and Winifred Homer-Wambeam of Laramie Homeschool performed their winning project, “Voices of a Revolution: How the Reaction of Folk Musicians Influenced Reforms in 1960s America” at the 2026 Wyoming History Day competition at the University of Wyoming.
Since 1999, the American Heritage Center has administered the Wyoming History Day state contest, a premier K–12 academic program that helps students build skills in research, creativity, communication, and critical thinking through the study of history. The program’s continued success is supported by the leadership of Bryce Mittelstadt. Additional support is provided by Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources and National History Day. The American Heritage Center also extends sincere thanks to the dozens of volunteers whose time and expertise make the competition possible each year through judging, event support, and day-of operations.
First- and second-place winners in the junior and senior divisions of each category will advance to the National History Day Competition at the University of Maryland this June.
Emily Mai of Laramie High School poses with Black 14 member John Griffin. Mai interviewed Griffin for her nationally qualifying project, “Reaction to Injustice: The Black 14’s Drive for Reform,” for which she won the Voice of Wyoming Award.
Category Award Winners
Junior Group Documentary
First place: Harmony Johnston and Camille Croft, of Worland Middle School with teacher Deborah Keller, “The Wright Brothers: Heavier Than Air Powered Flight.”
Second place: Paislee Erickson and Lexxi Miller, of Worland Middle School with Keller, “Life of Leadership.”
Senior Group Documentary
First place: Iris Woltman and Alex Wise, of Lander Valley High School with teacher Stacey Polson, “Dalit Women’s Movement: Revolution, Reaction, and Reform.”
Second place: Ryder Allen and Roxanne Melinkovich, of Pinedale High School with teacher Rose Robertson, “The Historical Impact of Miranda Rights and How it Revolutionized the Way Confessions are Received Today.”
Junior Group Exhibit
First place: Matteo Oldani and Ryder Benjamin, of Jackson Hole Middle School with teacher Greg Poduska, “The Shadow of a Second Sun.”
Second place: Portia Melinkovich and Sari Cenac, of Pinedale Middle School with teacher Mitcham Irrgang, “Anne Frank and the Holocaust.”
Senior Group Exhibit
First place: August Gutwein and Henry Spellman, of Jackson Hole High School with teacher Nicholas Bauman, “Los Alamos.”
Second place: Nick Barlow Harignordoquy, Rocco Oldani, Rowan Bruner and Kade Mallen, of Jackson Hole High School with Bauman, “Forgotten Guardians.”
Junior Group Performance
First place: Truly Homer-Wambeam and Winifred Homer-Wambeam, of Laramie homeschool with teacher Laurie Homer, “Voices of a Revolution: How the Reaction of Folk Musicians Influenced Reforms in 1960s America.”
Second place: Temperance Olsen and Joanna Tadlock, of Worland Middle School with Keller, “Shattering Stereotypes.”
Senior Group Performance
First place: Kate Furmanek, Anni Hansen, Mia Grohne and Joy Hayashida-Ludington, of Jackson Hole High School with teachers Jeff Brazil and Bauman, “The Beatles.”
Second place: Kai Noojibail, Miles Krasula and Ryder Witt, of Jackson Hole High School with Bauman, “A Revolution in Misinformation.”
Junior Group Website
First place: Blake Mergl and Jack Irrgang, of Pinedale Middle School with teacher Mitcham Irrgang, “Cuban Missile Crisis.”
Second place: Kayson Herebia and Colt Collingwood, of Greybull Middle School with teacher Michelle Stebner, “The Green Revolution.”
Senior Group Website
First place: Dodge Hamilton and Jackson Thornton, of Pinedale High School with Robertson, “Iron Age Ship Building.”
Second place: Hannah Kaiser and Taylor Wickham, of Pinedale High School with Robertson, “Yellowstone National Park- Frontier to Forever.”
Junior Individual Documentary
First place: Kershaw Finlay, of Jackson Hole Middle School with Poduska, “War in Paradise: The Second Samoan Civil War and the Tripartite Convention of 1899’s Reform of the Samoan Islands.”
Second place: Alysa Brown, of Jackson Hole Middle School with Poduska, “A Whistle for Society-Violet Palmer.”
Senior Individual Documentary
First place: Ellie Baker, of Jackson Hole High School with Bauman, “The Howls of Wyoming: How an Ecological Revolution Triggered a Tremendous Reaction in the West.”
Second place: Adrienne Jones, of Pinedale High School with Robertson, “Reaction and Reform Through Music in Anti-War Culture of the 1960s and ‘70s.”
Junior Individual Exhibit
First place: Jessie Jensen, of Shoshoni K-12 School with teacher Jordan Becker, “The Cuban Missile Crisis.”
Second place: Tucker Bass, of Shoshoni K-12 School with Becker, “The Navajo Code Talkers.”
Senior Individual Exhibit
First place: Oliver Steinberg, of Jackson Hole High School with Jeff Brazil and Bauman, “The Vietnam War: Changing War With Private Contractors.”
Second place: Emily Mai, of Laramie High School with teacher William Plumb, “Reaction to Injustice: The Black 14’s Drive for Reform.”
Junior Individual Performance
First place: Roma Beaulier, of Laramie homeschool with teacher Anemone Beaulier, “The Conservation Revolution of the 1906 Antiquities Act and the Reaction and Reform That Followed.”
Second place: Dagny Lee, of Cody Middle School with teacher Gretl Class, “The Price Paid: The Story of the St Valentine’s Days Massacre.”
Senior Individual Performance
First place: Lilla Beaulier, of Laramie Homeschool with Beaulier, “The Life and Death of Cattle Kate: The Revolutionary Homestead Act, the Wyoming Cattle Barons’ Reaction, and the Resulting Reforms to the Open Range.”
Junior Individual Website
First place: Violet Dunn, of Shoshoni K-12 School with Becker, “Florence Nightingale.”
2nd Place: Ezra Ferguson, of Worland Middle School with Keller, “The Industrial Revolution Upclose.”
Senior Individual Website
First place: Morgan DeStefano, of Kelly Walsh High School with teacher Marc Fleming, “The Women Who Demanded Change: The Lowell Mill Girls.”
Second place: Parker McDowell, of Jackson Hole High School with teacher Jeff Brazil and Bauman, “Bob Woodward and Watergate.”
Junior Paper
First place: Dietrich Otto, of Greybull Middle School with teacher Michelle Stebner, “The Berlin Wall.”
Second place: Sandra Reed, of Jackson Hole Middle School with Poduska, “The Emergence of Nicaraguan Sign Language: ‘It Happened on the Playground.’”
Senior Paper
First place: Madison Schroefel, of Kelly Walsh High School with teacher Marc Fleming, “Revolution of 1994: The Violence Against Women Act and the End of Marital Immunity.”
Second place: Jacob DeMott, of Cheyenne Homeschool with teacher Ron DeMott, “Peter the Great: Reforming Russia.”
Special Award Winners
The Wyoming Voices Award honors an outstanding senior division History Day project that showcases exceptional research, storytelling and insight into the history of Wyoming, sponsored by WyoHistory.org. The winner is invited to become a student contributor to WyoHistory.org, collaborating with Kylie McCormick, Wyoming historian and WyoHistory editor, to share their History Day journey and research topic in a published feature. This year’s winner is Mai, of Laramie High School, for “Reaction to Injustice: The Black 14’s Drive for Reform.”
The Family History Award is given for the best use of family history or genealogy, sponsored by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in Wyoming. This year’s winner is Wacey Myers, of Shoshoni K-12 School with Becker, for “How Picasso Reformed Art.”
The Jim Gatchell History of Science Award is given for an outstanding project in the history of general, medicinal, technological or veterinary science, sponsored by the Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum. This year’s winner is Katherine Levenson, of Jackson Hole High School with Bauman, for “Deep Impact Space Mission: How Deep Impact revolutionized planetary and Cometary Science.”
The Mark A. Greene Excellence Award is given for an outstanding demonstration in the use of primary sources, sponsored by the AHC. This year’s winner is Mai for “Reaction to Injustice: The Black 14’s Drive for Reform.”
The Pieces of the Past Award recognizes a project that explores a topic related to archaeology and what we learn from ancient objects and places. The award is sponsored by the Wyoming Archaeological Society and the Wyoming Association of Professional Archaeologists. This year’s winners are Hamilton and Thornton for “Iron Age Ship Building.”
The Outstanding Women in History Award honors a project demonstrating outstanding women in history. The award is sponsored by the Wyoming State Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. This year’s winner is Dunn for “Florence Nightingale.”
The Global Engagement Award for Excellence in International History recognizes an outstanding project that demonstrates exceptional research, analysis and interpretation of international history or global affairs. The award is sponsored by the UWYO Global Engagement Office. This year’s winners are Anneke Bradley and Vada Haling, of Jackson Hole High School with Bauman, for “The Royal Question: A People’s Reaction and the Reform of a Divided Nation.”
The George and Linda LaBarre Scholarship, which includes $1,500, split between winners, is for an outstanding entry for a high school junior or senior student attending a college in Wyoming or UW. The award is sponsored by the AHC. This year’s winners are Melinkovich and Allen, of Pinedale High School with Robertson, for “The Historical Impact of Miranda Rights and How it Revolutionized the Way Confessions are Received Today.”
The Gerald and Jessie Chambers Scholarship, for $3,000, is for an outstanding entry for a high school junior or senior student attending a college in Wyoming or UW. The award is sponsored by the AHC. This year’s winner is Jones for “Reaction and Reform Through Music in Anti-War Culture of the 1960s and ‘70s.”
AHC Educator and History Day Judge Kendall Diaz poses for a photo.
Post contributed by AHC Head of Education and Outreach Brigida Blasi and Wyoming History Day Coordinator Bryce Mittelstadt.
When Nat Cole was a teenager in Chicago, he couldn’t always afford to get into the clubs where the great jazz pianists played. So he found another way in. His first wife, Nadine, recalled that he would slip around to the alley behind the venue and listen through the wall.
The pianist he was listening to was Earl Hines.
Cole stood in that alley night after night, absorbing every run and figure he could hear through the bricks. Eventually he worked up the nerve to go inside, introduce himself, and ask Hines if he could sit in. Hines said yes. In his early playing, Nadine remembered, Cole sounded unmistakably like Hines. Then, gradually, something else emerged. As she put it simply: “He developed his own style.”
Nat King Cole performing at Chez Paree, a Chicago night club. Box 98, Ernest Tidyman papers, Collection No. 9178, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
That arc — the shy kid in the alley who becomes something entirely new—is the story of Nat King Cole in miniature. It survives in one of several oral histories gathered in the 1980s by screenwriter Ernest Tidyman and his wife, Chris Clark-Tidyman, who were researching a television biopic of Cole’s life. Those recordings are among the materials now held in the Ernest Tidyman papers at the American Heritage Center. This post draws on four of them—interviews with Cole’s first wife Nadine, his older sister Evelyn “Bay” Coles, his road manager Baldwin “Sparky” Taveres (also spelled Tavaros), and the songwriter Bobby Troup—each offering Cole’s story in the words of someone who shared it with him.
A Shy Guy
Nathaniel Adams Coles was born in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1919. His family moved to Chicago when he was still a boy, where his father, Reverend Edward Coles, led a Baptist congregation and his mother Perlina was the church organist. The music was not taught — it arrived. Nadine was clear that Cole did not study in any conventional sense; he simply played, picking out two-handed melodies by ear from the age of four or five.
His sister Bay described a household that was big and always full of people — but the boy at its center was, in private, strikingly self-contained:
“The echo that people saw on stage or as a performer was a totally different type of person, because he was very shy. He was very bashful and shy. And very low key, very quiet in general. The loudest thing about him was his laugh. Because when he laughed, he just let it all go.”
— Evelyn “Bay” Coles, Nat’s older sister
In the late 1930s, Nat even wrote a song about it, called “I’m Just a Shy Guy.” Nadine recalled it with a quiet laugh — completely overlooked, she said, lost in the noise around “Straighten Up and Fly Right.” But it was true.
Bay’s childhood memories have the texture of something lived rather than recalled for posterity. She remembered what happened whenever Nat spotted her coming down the street while he was with his friends:
“I would see him, maybe he’d have a piece of candy or ice cream, and he’d be with his friend, and he’d hand it to his friend, if he see me coming, so he could say it was his friend’s.”
—Bay Coles
He told his mother: “One day my name will be up in lights.” By fifteen he was performing professionally. At seventeen he left home as pianist and band director for Shuffle Along, a traveling musical revue, where he met Nadine, a dancer in the show. They married on the road — twice, as it turned out, the first ceremony in Ypsilanti, Michigan hasty enough that they held a proper one in Ann Arbor shortly after. When the show folded in California, Nat and Nadine were stranded.
Marriage license application for Nathaniel Coles and Nadine Robinson, Kalamazoo Gazette, January 26, 1937. Source: Newspapers.com.
The Trio
Stranded in Los Angeles, Cole formed a piano-guitar-bass trio and began working small clubs. The origin of the group carries an irony that Taveres enjoyed recounting. Asked how the Nat King Cole Trio came to exist, he had a one-line answer:
“Lee Young is the reason for the Nat King Cole Trio. He didn’t show up for work that night.”
— Sparky Taveres, road manager
Lee Young—drummer, brother of saxophonist Lester Young, and a close friend of Cole’s—was supposed to be in the band the night the trio format was born. Cole went on without him. Nadine described what the trio sounded like once it found its footing: after six or eight months together, she said, the three musicians sounded like one. Taveres added that during those years, Cole never played the same song twice in the same night.
Henry Miller, who joined the talent agency General Artists Corporation in 1943 and was assigned to Cole’s account, remembered the moment “Straighten Up and Fly Right” broke through: the trio was earning $225 a week for all three men combined, playing a 90-seat cocktail lounge, and suddenly “people lined up all around the block to get in this club every night.” The manager Carlos Gastel signed Cole to personal management and made a deal with Capitol Records. Cole moved through the sudden fame with a steadiness that Miller never forgot: “He was so calm and so cool. Always just like he was when he was making $225 a week.”
The Night Route 66 Almost Didn’t Happen
Among the songs most closely identified with Cole is “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66,” written by Bobby Troup. Troup described the night he played it for Cole at the Trocadero on Sunset Boulevard — having finished writing it on the drive west after his discharge from the Marines:
“I got up, and the bandstand was on a riser, and the counter bench was kind of close to the edge of the riser. And I got up and sat down, and the legs of the piano went over the riser, and I fell over backwards.”
— Bobby Troup, songwriter
Cole, watching a man fall off the back of a piano riser, was not immediately impressed. But Troup played on. When he got to “Route 66,” Cole’s demeanor changed. He said he’d record it. Troup—who had almost no money—went out and bought a house on three mortgages. Capitol pushed “Route 66” ahead of twenty other ready releases. Years later, Cole sat down with Troup after a show and said:
“With Mona Lisa, with Nature Boy, and all the things that I’ve done and the popularity that they’ve enjoyed — I’d like you to know that the song I am most identified with of all my songs is your song, Route 66.”
— Nat King Cole, as recounted by Bobby Troup
The Nat King Cole Trio performing “Route 66.”
Troup also offered a musician’s view of what made Cole technically extraordinary: most pianists, when they sing, drop back to simple chord support. Cole didn’t. He ran full melodic figures with his hands while his voice carried the song — in two worlds at once. “I’ve never heard anyone do it as beautifully as he did.”
The Road
Fame did not insulate Cole from the realities of race in America. It was Taveres’s job to travel ahead of the show and clear a path. He was not a man who absorbed the indignities quietly:
“The worst cities in the world, believe it or not, were always in the north. New York, Philadelphia, Detroit — and you run into them, and they are the worst bastards. But I always had something to tell a clerk. I’d give them a fit after the manager would tell them to give me the room.”
— Sparky Taveres
In Las Vegas, the opening engagements came with their own theater of humiliation. At the Thunderbird Hotel, where Cole was the headliner, he had to enter through the back door. Management set up a lavish buffet in the dressing room. Taveres remembered it clearly: they didn’t touch it. “We wouldn’t even touch it, drop it. Nothing in there.” When a hotel boss later came backstage wanting Cole to dedicate a song to a friend, offering $10,000, Taveres’s answer was immediate: “I don’t tell you how to run a casino. Don’t you tell me how to run my stage.”
Cole’s approach to the broader fight was characteristically his own. Miller described him as someone who pushed at barriers without raising his voice: “He was just determined to help break it down without being a rabble rouser about it.” Cole bought a house in the all-white Hancock Park neighborhood in Los Angeles; when neighbors objected to “undesirables,” he replied, “Neither do I, and if I see any, I’ll be the first to complain.”
An Associated Press report on Cole’s purchase of a home in the Hancock Park district of Los Angeles. The News-Star (Monroe, Louisiana), August 3, 1948. Source: Newspapers.com.
Cole was the first Black performer to play a Southern tour with an integrated company, including Ted Heath’s band from England. In April 1956, in Birmingham—the city of his birth—men rushed the stage and assaulted him mid-performance. When the NAACP pressed him to become a public spokesman, Cole’s response, as Bay recalled it word for word, was:
“I will not join you in speaking because I am not an orator. I am a performer and I will join you in the way I can.”
— Nat King Cole, as recalled by Bay Coles
The Stage
Onstage, the private, self-contained man Bay knew became someone else entirely. She described the moment the lights came up:
“When you walk out on that stage you just had a little, call it a sneaky smile … and lit up a stage. He never came off panting … He enjoyed what he was doing. In fact, he felt safer out there than he did anywhere.”
—Bay Coles
That safety was earned. Bay was unambiguous about the standards he held: “Out there he was so much fun, but he was more serious about his work out there than he was anything else.Don’t play with him on that stage. Don’t miss a cue.” Cole never considered himself a singer. Taveres put it plainly: “You could compliment him on the piano playing, and you’d get a bigger smile out of him than you would if you said he was a singer.”
There was one evening in Philadelphia that illustrated this. A young woman in the audience told Cole that if he played more piano, he’d be the biggest thing in her world. Cole laughed so hard he could barely respond. At the next show, he played three piano tunes in the second half, looking down at her table the whole time. She sent him flowers the next day.
Cole explained the demise of his NBC television variety show, which ran for 64 episodes in 1956–57 with guests including Harry Belafonte, Ella Fitzgerald, and Bing Crosby, with characteristic economy: “Madison Avenue is afraid of the dark.” Miller, who traveled with him to Japan, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, recalled Cole’s response when a Korean orchestra played completely out of tune the night before a concert. Cole turned to him and said: “Henry, three days from now we won’t even be worrying about it, will we?”
The Final Years
The relentlessness of Cole’s schedule was something Taveres had watched with alarm for years. In his final months, that alarm became something else. Taveres described Cole staying up until six or seven in the morning in Las Vegas, reviving himself with the steam room before the evening’s shows, while a local doctor dismissed his declining health as exhaustion.
Cole eventually flew to San Francisco for a proper examination. The x-ray found a tumor. By January 1965, surgeons had removed his left lung. It was too late.
In those final weeks, something had shifted between Cole and the man who’d been at his side for over a decade:
“Just the last two weeks before they took him to the hospital for the cancer, he wouldn’t allow anybody to touch him but me.”
— Sparky Taveres
Nat King Cole died on February 15, 1965. He was 45. He was eulogized by Jack Benny. His hits—“Route 66,” “Mona Lisa,” “The Christmas Song,” “Unforgettable”—have never left the air.
Glenn E. Wallichs’ personal tribute to Nat Kine Cole after Cole’s death. Wallichs was the Chairman of the Board of Capitol Records. Box 98, Ernest Tidyman papers, Collection No. 9178, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Miller, who spent decades working with hundreds of artists, offered a verdict with the weight of a long career behind it: “Very rarely do you find somebody that calm. He was sort of like a quiet giant.” The boy who stood in a Chicago alley listening to Earl Hines through a wall became one of the most recognizable voices of the twentieth century. He did it by being, in Nadine’s quiet phrase, something entirely his own.
The Ernest Tidyman papers at the American Heritage Center hold an extensive collection of materials gathered by Tidyman and his wife — among them oral histories with a range of people who knew Cole personally and professionally. Ill health prevented the project’s completion. But the interviews survived, and with them candid, first-hand accounts of Cole’s life and career from the people who shared it with him.
By AHC Writer Kathyrn Billington and AHC Archivist Leslie Waggener.
