Peru State College National Alumni Association

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08/21/2026

A legislative appropriation of $28,000 allowed work to begin on Normal Hall in the summer of 1872. The building stood 3 1/2 stories tall, and its tower stood 90 feet above the ground - high enough for visitors to see across the river into Missouri and Iowa.

The building, which became known as "the Main Building" and later "Old Main," opened in 1875 and featured an apartment for the principal. A south wing built in 1885 added recitation rooms, a chapel, and laboratories.

The south wing was removed to make way for the current auditorium. The rest of Normal Hall was torn down in 1928 to build the current Hoyt Science Building.

08/19/2026

The next scholarship to be noted is the Dr. J.W. Crabtree Scholarship.

The Crabtree Memorial Scholarship was established by Dr. Eunice Crabtree in memory of her father, Dr. J.W. Crabtree, who served as President of Peru State College from 1904 to 1910.

The scholarship goes to a fulltime student.

Crabtree, class of 1887, was the first Peru State normal graduate to head the school, the first to be primarily known as “president” and the first to be clean-shaven. Construction projects taken on during his tenure are still standing today.

He later served as Nebraska’s state superintendent of public instruction and as president of Wisconsin State Normal at River Falls, which has a dormitory named in his honor.

Crabtree was executive secretary of the National Education Association from 1917 to 1934 and was highly regarded for keeping the group together during a period of conflict between teachers and administrators. Upon his death in 1945, the editor of the National Education Association Journal called him “a great leader, a combination of Horace Mann and Abraham Lincoln.”

08/18/2026

Award-Winning Nature Photographer
Michael Forsberg Coming to Peru

Michael Forsberg is an accomplished photographer, conservationist, author, and filmmaker who has been perfecting his craft for 30 years. He is a Nebraskan and has many journeys and stories throughout the Great Plains.

Peru State College and the PSC Foundation will be hosting Forsberg Thursday, Sept. 3, in the College’s Performing Arts Center. The event will be free and open to the public. The event will begin at 7 p.m., here is the link to sign up at https://alumni.peru.edu/e/michael-forsberg-2026-event You may also call or email the PSC Foundation at 402-872-2304 or [email protected] to register. Or scan the QR code included with this article!

Forsberg has authored books including On Ancient Wings – The Sandhill Cranes of North America in 2005, America's Lingering Wild in 2009, and Into Whooperland – A Photographer’s Journey with Whooping Cranes in 2024.

He participated in two documentaries: Crane Song by the Nebraska Public Media in 2007 and Great Plains – America’s Lingering Wild, a PBS film released in 2013 that was based on his book.

Forsberg’s most recent work is titled Pedaling the Whooper Highway. Starting in the southeast corner of Texas, his mission was to bike through the entire United States and finish in Saskatchewan, Canada. This two-month journey was inspired to follow the Whooping Crane migration path to understand the habitat tendencies of these birds to preserve the Whooping Crane for generations to come.

Among Forsberg’s awards and honors for his work are: Highly Commended, BBC International Wildlife Photographer of the Year (2003); Great Plains, Gold Medal, Best Regional Non-Fiction, Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPYs, 2010); Nebraska Master Naturalist (2016); and Into Whooperland, Silver Medal, Nature Category, National Outdoor Book Award (2025).

Forsberg’s work is guided by a keen sense of responsibility toward the environment. He said, “I feel we are blessed to be stewards of this planet, but in many cases, we have forgotten that with this privilege comes responsibility. Photography can be a powerful witness to our shortcomings, but also to show that beauty and hope still exist in the natural world.”

08/17/2026

This memory comes from nearly ten years ago, but our thought is that a number of you will remember this faculty member.

Do you remember this new faculty member in 2016?

If so, let us know in the comments!

08/14/2026

🤗

Henry H. Straight followed John McKenzie as principal of Peru Normal in 1871.

Straight, a graduate of Oberlin College in Ohio, was considered an influential educator. He pushed to include science as a basic school subject, even in the elementary grades, and advance the development of modern methods of instructions.

He served for just ten months, however. "His enthusiasm and new methods of presenting the subjects he taught brought new life for a time into the school," McKenzie wrote later. "But he was eccentric. Character building is, after all, the important qualification, and an eccentric educator usually fails in that line more than any other."

Straight remained at Peru Normal as a science teacher until 1873, when left for Central Missouri Normal School at Warrensburg. He also later taught at normal schools in Chicago and New York.

08/10/2026

# #ｍｅｍｏｒｙｍｏｎｄａｙ

This may be one of the easiest ones for especially recent alumni! This faculty member, who is still on campus, was named editor of the Lambda Alpha Epsilon Journal!!

Be one of the first to name this individual and you might just win a prize!

08/07/2026

When Peru Normal lost John McKenzie in 1871, Henry H. Straight took over and helped push Peru forward.

In 1872, work began on Normal Hall - a three and 1/2 storied building with a 90-foot bell tower. The view took in some of the countryside of Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri, and some said you could see as far south into Kansas.

It was a fitting symbol for a school with a far-reaching vision. It became called the "Main Building" and later "Old Main," after opening in 1873.

08/03/2026

While this is no longer the situation, for many alumni, they will remember the process of picking up your books for your fall classes in the bookstore.

If you can identify either this senior or freshman from 1996, respond in the comments. You might just win a Peru State prize if you are one of the first to respond.

07/31/2026

One of the first two graduates was George Howard - Class of 1870.

Howard became an internationally know expert on the evolution of society during his distinguished teaching career at Stanford and the University of Nebraska.

He was an outspoken proponent of the expansion of women's roles.

Howard also helped found the Nebraska Historical Society.

07/27/2026

❤️

This person was serving as the president in the fall of 1986.

Who was this president? If you, you might just win a Peru State prize.

Just respond in the comments with your "correct" answer!

Address

600 Hoyt Street, AV Larson
Peru, NE
68421

Telephone

+14028722304

Website

http://www.peru.edu/foundation

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