Kearney State College

Kearney State College was established in 1905 and was a pinnacle school in the western part of Nebraska. It was deemed a normal school, which was specifically for students who wanted to enter the education field. A name change to Kearney State College in 1921 signified that the Kearney Normal School was evolving into an institution that was not primarily based in preparing teachers. Later in the school’s history attendance would swell and see a new generation of students take part in education. This was a critical time for those who wished to enter the education field. Kearney was especially important for getting an education for rural Nebraskans, whether they be men or women. Kearney State College became the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 1991, which still continues to provide an education for rural Nebraskans today.

Among the notable faculty at KSC was Alice Paine, a pioneer in the establishment of the first library at Kearney State College. She was a fundamental asset in the creation of the library system at Kearney and was one of the leading members in the construction of the Calvin T. Library, which still stands today and is currently used as the primary library of the University of Nebraska at Kearney. She became the head of the Nebraska Library Association in Kearney after gaining her degree in library science. She was often described as having always been full of ideas and brought new ideas to the field of librarianship.

Nancy Westerfield, a prominent faculty member at KSC, was responsible for a wave of new poetry arts and values at the college. She always walked everywhere, and her husband was never far behind. In 1983, she released a book of poems titled Welded Women, which contains many of her original writing. Westerfield was a prolific poet and is responsible for over 750 published poems and several articles. In addition to her work for the college, she was also involved in St. Luke's Church. She was awarded numerous accolades for her work, including the National Catholic Poetry Prize, the Kansas City Star Prize, and the S. B Benet Narrative Poem Prize.

"Alice Paine." Kearney Daily Hub (Kearney), January 14th 1988.

Lohrenz, Otto. Dedicated Professor and Citizen: Philip S. Holmgren of Kearney, Nebraska. Buffalo Tales, vol. 22, no. 5. Published September 1st 1999. Buffalo County Historical Society.

The Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors. Nancy G. Westerfield, Heritage Room. November 7th 2015. Accessed December 9th 2020. https://nebraskaauthors.org/authors/nancy-g-westerfield.