WHITEHALL — Despite Wednesday morning’s thunderstorm, the Lakeshore Museum Center came to White Lake Community Library armed with photographs, artifacts, coffee, and donuts to host a session of their ongoing program “Coffee with Classmates.” This program aims to invite alumni of various school districts in Muskegon County to explore examples from the Lakeshore Museum Center’s collection, as well as bring in their own school memorabilia with the purposes of gathering with classmates young and old to recall their school experiences.
For Whitehall Vikings, LMC provided copies of historic photographs from their collection, books, and an old Whitehall baseball uniform. The photographs provided consisted of well-known Whitehall landmarks, sports teams, and class photos from students of years gone-by. The baseball uniform, donated to the collection by Whitehall resident Melvin Erickson (1894-1987), likely dates to the first half of the 20th century. It is made entirely of pinstriped wool, with black lettering denoting the school’s name - perfect for a summer’s day playing America’s national pastime.
White Lake Community Library joined in on the show-and-tell as well, providing books on local history from its own collection. Books relating to the White Lake area’s historical homes, resorts, and lumber industry supplemented the objects brought in by LMC and broadened the historic context beyond Whitehall’s school district. These collections were enough to fill two conference tables of fascinating materials for perusal.
This was the penultimate event in the “Coffee with Classmates” series; the 12th and final one will be at Holton’s school district at Holton Library April 14. For the first nine sessions, Lakeshore Museum Center hosted “Coffee with Classmates” on site at the Muskegon Museum of History and Science. For farther-reaching Ravenna, Whitehall, and Holton schools, LMC opted to meet alumni closer to home at the relevant libraries. Program manager Pat Horn described the events as great opportunities for alumni of older generations to catch up with old classmates, pass around yearbooks, and enjoy a hot coffee.
Due to the inclement weather, however, the attendance to Whitehall's Coffee with Classmates was lower than expected. For Whitehall residents who regrettably missed out, there is no shortage of engaging programming upcoming with Lakeshore Museum Center. There are a variety of programs and classes for all ages for anyone interested in engaging with Muskegon County’s history.
Presently, the Museum of History and Science is showcasing an exhibit sharing Muskegon’s contribution to efforts on the Home Front during WWII and will host supplementary lectures and walking tours on the subject in the coming weeks and months. The exhibit opened Feb. 11 and will close January 10, 2026.
Alongside the Muskegon Museum of Science and History, the Lakeshore Museum Center has several other museums and sites under their umbrella, such as: the Fire Barn Museum, Muskegon Heritage Museum of Business and Industry, the Depression-Era Scolnik House, and the Hackley and Hume mansions of lumber-baron fame. Building hours and locations, as well as upcoming events, can be found at the Lakeshore Museum Center’s website and on social media.
Regardless of this unpredictable spring weather, the program provided Muskegon County alumni from all over with the opportunity to meet with classmates and take a trip down memory lane. Not to mention, they reminded contemporary high school athletes everywhere that their sports uniforms could always be worse - they could be 100% wool.
