Nebraska Vocational Technical School - Technician Yearbook (Milford, NE)

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- ,--4 1 tl Q QQ A ,rival Milford Sanitarium in the late 1880's. The lower floor of this building is still being used by the Nebraska Tech Diesel Technology Department. The top floors have been re- moved. n 1 TWENTV YEARS CDF PROGRESS 1941-1961 Not many people recall Legislative Bill No. 148, introduced during the fifty-fifth session of the Leg- islature of Nebraska. It read in part as follows: For an act relating to Vocational educationg to transfer the control of the institution known as the 'branch institution of the soldiers' and sailors' home at Mil- ford' from the Board of Control of state institutions to the State Board of Vocational Educationg to estab- lish and maintain such institution under the name and style of the 'Nebraska State Trade Schoo1'g to declare the object of such institutiong to bestow upon the State Board of Vocational Education full powers to receive, have charge of and operate such institu- tiong ..... This was 1941, and the bill was one establishing the Nebraska State Trade School in- troduced by Stanley A. Matzke, a senator represent- ing the 24th district of Nebraska. It was not the first attempt at establishing a trade school. During the late thirties, Governor R. L. Cochran vetoed a bill passed by the legislature for the purpose of establishment of a trade school at Broken Bow. This preliminary work helped pave the Way for the establishment of the Nebraska State Trade School at Milford. In 1941, it was Senator Matzke of Seward who revived the idea and put it across, making a trade school in Nebraska a reality. A great deal of work was done by Senator Matzke and under his expert management it breezed through the various legisla- tive stages, culminating in a unanimous affirmative vote. Thus, the Nebraska State Trade School was created on March 28, 1941, and open for business in May of the same year. Its objective, to afford the inhabitants of this State the means of acquiring skills and related technical knowledge, other than that taught at college level, by training methods necessary to prepare them for advantageous entrance and satisfactory advancement in technical occupa- tions . Entrance to the grounds from the north. Picture taken in 1926. FB'

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Although this was the first trade school in Nebraska, the facilities used by the school had a much earlier beginning. The buildings were first used as a sahitarium and later as a soldiers and sailors home. Captain J. H. Culver, who later became the first commander of the soldiers and sailors home, promoted the Sanitarium Park and Springs in the late 1880's. When the project did not prove a financial success, he is accredited with having conceived the idea of getting the state to take it over by making it a branch of the Grand Island Soldiers and Sailors Home. The home was established, under lease from Captain Culyer, by an act of the Legislature on April 19, 1895. By act of the 1899 Legislature, the Milford property was purchased by the State, an appropriation of 913,500 having been made for that purpose. Stanley A. Matzke-Introduce: of the bill in 1941, creating the Nebraska State Trade School In the years that followed and until it was closed in 1939, several other new buildings were constructed for use by the Home. These included, in addition to the already existing building, two buildings for use as living quarters, an administration building, a laundry building and a hospital. The administration building, which is still being used for this purpose but which will be razed within the next year, had a very distinguished beginning. William Jennings Bryan, two time United States presidential candidate, was present when the corner stone was laid and gave the dedicatory address. In 1939, the military tradition so evident on the grounds was silenced by an act of the State Legislature, as the facilities were combined with the home in Grand Island. From 1939 to 1941, the only occupants of the buildings were Mr. and Mrs. C. R. Langdale as caretakers. ' V-fi The three buildings shown on this by the Soldiers and Sailors Home. page were built for use .-1 w - Qi ' S1312 2515512 ' . 7?f7 1 9' . 'v3,i'.1ges1-..:,'ff1,', :'125'15,.5ifl, -,,--rriifife. iw Top left: Hospital built in 1923. A, . w-ei-1' Haj -jpg-A'-'f,',ijFe3L 11 ,-ug-1 -553:21-N ' - b V I ' t Now used as a dormitory for Ne- ' o fs:1.1. l .ig.1 ,lb , braska Tech students. 1: '-i -,.fffs'vssf-mffsflg'nf5n..j'Tn:.5f..M1,1.f,, 'K' '- .' I f,,,.?, L-HH' ' , A-M., ,,, k - . 1 fig.-7:15217 'fig '-. M B . . 1 l ift' 13 .ei ottom left: Apartment building fl constructed in 1904. Now used as , ,i 7 fff .T-T 1-. - . -f is ' K ' fs: 7:1-me Electrical and Electronics Technol- 1 g c, ,, , , rw . . . . . .ef 1 I ' ' in ,L,g,g ogy training facilities at Nebraska if V .1 Tech f- if f- rg sew? - ' 'gzmsgne--2 47'i?f'3' '-ff- -- ' - - f---as f- fr-e-fre. . Q-'94 mi jw' - -fin Qs' 5: 1 Right: Administration building con- ' T- :Lf my structed in 1910. It is still being used , ,, , ' for this purpose. 3, -W , , ...V N RIP, - 'ff as - 1 ,.-K., -1-W.,--1 vt 'lf if' Y . fi 1 Q 355, W,-Q,