Skip to main content
Alma College Histories & Mysteries

Alma College Histories & Mysteries

By Dr. Benjamin Peterson

History informs our understanding of the world, both past, and present. Building knowledge and understanding of historical events and trends, especially over the past century, enables us to develop a much greater appreciation for current events today. Join members of the Alma College History Club as they explore various topics of Alma, Michigan's history.

Available on
Google Podcasts Logo
Spotify Logo
Currently playing episode

A Saving Crusade

Alma College Histories & MysteriesOct 27, 2021

00:00
24:19
Cattlegate, Chapter 3 (featuring Dr. Ben Peterson)

Cattlegate, Chapter 3 (featuring Dr. Ben Peterson)

Alma College Histories & Mysteries Presents: Cattlegate

We are proud to present Cattlegate, a limited series exploring the history and impact of the PBB disaster in St. Louis, MI. In this episode, we explore the fallout from the disaster, and Dr. Ben Peterson discusses the recent PBB Disaster at 50 project.

To subscribe to the podcast search for “Alma College Histories & Mysteries” on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, or most other podcast services. You can also find the episodes directly at https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/a7tINH61hzb


Editorial Note

Apologies for the lateness of this episode, the recent birth of my daughter delayed me cutting the episode together. Crying baby and audio mastering is not an easy combination! - Dr. Ben Peterson.

Thank you

Thank you to Dr. Fremion, her students, and the staff of the Museum of Cultural & Natural History at Central Michigan University for their assistance and access to oral Michigan PBB Oral History Project. Also, thank you to Drs. Fremion and Lorenz for conducting interviews. Finally, thank you to the Ukrainian musician Coma-Media who provides all of the music for the Histories & Mysteries podcast.


Funding & Collaborators

The Cattlegate series was funded by a generous grant from the Michigan Humanities Council and recorded in the Media Recording Studio of the Greg Hatcher Learning Commons at Alma College.

The Michigan PBB Oral History Project was funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Science, NIH, as part of the Michigan PBB Registry at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health and Hercules Exposome Research Center, and collaboration with the University of Michigan's Michigan Center on Lifestage Environmental Exposures and Disease (M-LEEaD), PBB community partners, and CMU History, Public History, and Cultural Resource Management students.


Credits

Kathleen Gregones Presenter, Researcher, and Podcast Coordinator

Alexander Kennedy Presenter and Researcher

Mallory Fenskie Presenter and Researcher

Benjamin Peterson Engineer, Producer, and Advisor

Jun 23, 202323:50
Cattlegate, Chapter 2 (featuring Dr. Ed Lorenz)

Cattlegate, Chapter 2 (featuring Dr. Ed Lorenz)

Alma College Histories & Mysteries Presents: Cattlegate

We are proud to present Cattlegate, a limited series exploring the history and impact of the PBB disaster in St. Louis, MI. In this episode, Alex and Katie discuss the details of the PBB disaster, and Dr. Ed Lorenz tells the story of the early development of the Citizens Advisory Group / Pine River Taskforce.

To subscribe to the podcast search for “Alma College Histories & Mysteries” on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, or most other podcast services. You can also find the episodes directly at https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/a7tINH61hzb


Schedule

April 27 Cattlegate, Chapter 1 (featuring an interview with Dr. Brittany Fremion)

May 4 The Oral History of Gary Smith (conducted by Luke Carlson, November 2019)

May 11 The Oral History of Jane Keon (conducted by Nicole Brabaw, February 2019)

May 25 Cattlegate, Chapter 2 (featuring an interview with Dr. Ed Lorenz)

June 1 Cattlegate, Chapter 3 (featuring an interview with Dr. Ben Peterson)


Thank you

Thank you to Dr. Fremion, her students, and the staff of the Museum of Cultural & Natural History at Central Michigan University for their assistance and access to oral Michigan PBB Oral History Project. Also, thank you to Drs. Fremion and Lorenz for conducting interviews. Finally, thank you to the Ukrainian musician Coma-Media who provides all of the music for the Histories & Mysteries podcast.


Funding & Collaborators

The Cattlegate series was funded by a generous grant from the Michigan Humanities Council and recorded in the Media Recording Studio of the Greg Hatcher Learning Commons at Alma College.


The Michigan PBB Oral History Project was funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Science, NIH, as part of the Michigan PBB Registry at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health and Hercules Exposome Research Center, and collaboration with the University of Michigan's Michigan Center on Lifestage Environmental Exposures and Disease (M-LEEaD), PBB community partners, and CMU History, Public History, and Cultural Resource Management students.


Credits

Kathleen Gregones Presenter, Researcher, and Podcast Coordinator

Alexander Kennedy Presenter and Researcher

Mallory Fenskie Presenter and Researcher

Benjamin Peterson Engineer, Producer, and Advisor

May 26, 202341:08
The Oral History of Jane Jelenek

The Oral History of Jane Jelenek

Alma College Histories & Mysteries Presents: Cattlegate

We are proud to present Cattlegate, a limited series exploring the history and impact of the PBB disaster in St. Louis, MI. In this episode, we feature an interview with Jane (Keon) Jelenek who has been a leader in the Pine River Superfund Citizen Advisory Committee, and has worked tirelessly to promote the Velsicol clean-up and tell the story of the PBB disaster. (Note this interview has been cut somewhat for time, but the full interview is available at Central Michigan University)

To subscribe to the podcast search for “Alma College Histories & Mysteries” on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, or most other podcast services. You can also find the episodes directly at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/three-nights


Schedule

April 27 Cattlegate, Chapter 1 (featuring an interview with Dr. Brittany Fremion)

May 4 The Oral History of Gary Smith (conducted by Luke Carlson, November 2019)

May 11 The Oral History of Jane (Keon) Jelenek (conducted by Nicole Brabaw, February 2019) May 18 Cattlegate, Chapter 2 (featuring an interview with Dr. Ed Lorenz) May 25 Cattlegate, Chapter 4 (featuring an interview with Diane Russel)

May 30 The Oral History of Joe Sanger (conducted by Dr. Fremion, February 2019)

June 6 Reflecting on Cattlegate (featuring an interview with Dr. Benjamin Peterson)


Thank you

Thank you to Dr. Fremion, her students, and the staff of the Museum of Cultural & Natural History at Central Michigan University for their assistance and access to oral Michigan PBB Oral History Project. Also, thank you to Drs. Fremion and Lorenz for conducting interviews. Finally, thank you to the Ukrainian musician Coma-Media who provides all of the music for the Histories & Mysteries podcast.


Funding & Collaborators

The Cattlegate series was funded by a generous grant from the Michigan Humanities Council and was recorded in the Greg Hatcher Learning Commons at Alma College.


The Michigan PBB Oral History Project was funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Science, NIH, as part of the Michigan PBB Registry at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health and Hercules Exposome Research Center, and collaboration with the University of Michigan's Michigan Center on Lifestage Environmental Exposures and Disease (M-LEEaD), PBB community partners, and CMU History, Public History, and Cultural Resource Management students.


Credits

Kathleen Gregones Presenter, Researcher, and Podcast Coordinator

Alexander Kennedy Presenter and Researcher

Mallory Fenskie Presenter and Researcher

Benjamin Peterson Engineer, Producer, and Advisor









May 12, 202301:17:29
The Oral History of Gary Smith

The Oral History of Gary Smith

Alma College Histories & Mysteries Presents: Cattlegate

We are proud to present Cattlegate, a limited series exploring the history and impact of the PBB disaster in St. Louis, MI. In this episode, we feature an interview with Gary Smith who has been a leader in the Pine River Superfund Citizen Advisory Committee, and has worked tirelessly to promote the Velsicol clean-up and tell the story of the PBB disaster. (Note this interview has been cut somewhat for time, but the full interview is available at Central Michigan University)

To subscribe to the podcast search for “Alma College Histories & Mysteries” on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, or most other podcast services. You can also find the episodes directly at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/three-nights


Schedule

April 27 Cattlegate, Chapter 1 (featuring an interview with Dr. Brittany Fremion)

May 4 The Oral History of Gary Smith (conducted by Luke Carlson, November 2019)

May 11 Cattlegate, Chapter 2 (featuring an interview with Dr. Ed Lorenz)

May 18 The Oral History of Jane Keon (conducted by Nicole Brabaw, February 2019)

May 25 Cattlegate, Chapter 4 (featuring an interview with Diane Russel)

May 30 The Oral History of Joe Sanger (conducted by Dr. Fremion, February 2019)

June 6 Reflecting on Cattlegate (featuring an interview with Dr. Benjamin Peterson)


Thank you

Thank you to Dr. Fremion, her students, and the staff of the Museum of Cultural & Natural History at Central Michigan University for their assistance and access to oral Michigan PBB Oral History Project. Also, thank you to Drs. Fremion and Lorenz for conducting interviews. Finally, thank you to the Ukrainian musician Coma-Media who provides all of the music for the Histories & Mysteries podcast.


Funding & Collaborators

The Cattlegate series was funded by a generous grant from the Michigan Humanities Council and was recorded in the Greg Hatcher Learning Commons at Alma College.


The Michigan PBB Oral History Project was funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Science, NIH, as part of the Michigan PBB Registry at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health and Hercules Exposome Research Center, and collaboration with the University of Michigan's Michigan Center on Lifestage Environmental Exposures and Disease (M-LEEaD), PBB community partners, and CMU History, Public History, and Cultural Resource Management students.


Credits

Kathleen Gregones Presenter, Researcher, and Podcast Coordinator

Alexander Kennedy Presenter and Researcher

Mallory Fenskie Presenter and Researcher

Benjamin Peterson Engineer, Producer, and Advisor









May 04, 202301:09:36
Cattlegate, Chapter 1 (featuring Dr. Brittany Fremion)

Cattlegate, Chapter 1 (featuring Dr. Brittany Fremion)

Alma College Histories & Mysteries Presents: Cattlegate

We are proud to present Cattlegate, a limited series exploring the history and impact of the PBB disaster in St. Louis, MI.

To subscribe to the podcast search for “Alma College Histories & Mysteries” on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, or most other podcast services. You can also find the episodes directly at https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/a7tINH61hzb


Schedule

April 27 Cattlegate, Chapter 1 (featuring an interview with Dr. Brittany Fremion)

May 4 The Oral History of Gary Smith (conducted by Luke Carlson, November 2019)

May 11 Cattlegate, Chapter 2 (featuring an interview with Dr. Ed Lorenz)

May 18 The Oral History of Jane Keon (conducted by Nicole Brabaw, February 2019)

May 25 Cattlegate, Chapter 3

May 30 The Oral History of Joe Sanger (conducted by Dr. Fremion, February 2019)

June 6 Reflecting on Cattlegate (featuring an interview with Dr. Benjamin Peterson)


Thank you

Thank you to Dr. Fremion, her students, and the staff of the Museum of Cultural & Natural History at Central Michigan University for their assistance and access to oral Michigan PBB Oral History Project. Also, thank you to Drs. Fremion and Lorenz for conducting interviews. Finally, thank you to the Ukrainian musician Coma-Media who provides all of the music for the Histories & Mysteries podcast.


Funding & Collaborators

The Cattlegate series was funded by a generous grant from the Michigan Humanities Council and recorded in the Media Recording Studio of the Greg Hatcher Learning Commons at Alma College.


The Michigan PBB Oral History Project was funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Science, NIH, as part of the Michigan PBB Registry at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health and Hercules Exposome Research Center, and collaboration with the University of Michigan's Michigan Center on Lifestage Environmental Exposures and Disease (M-LEEaD), PBB community partners, and CMU History, Public History, and Cultural Resource Management students.


Credits

Kathleen Gregones Presenter, Researcher, and Podcast Coordinator

Alexander Kennedy Presenter and Researcher

Mallory Fenskie Presenter and Researcher

Benjamin Peterson Engineer, Producer, and Advisor



Apr 27, 202331:09
A Farewell to Graduates
Apr 22, 202308:23
Year Zero: Elizabeth Hill
Apr 22, 202315:27
Diverse Dialogues: Lauryn Bishop
Apr 22, 202325:15
Year Zero: Tre'quan Lafond and Madee Hall
Mar 24, 202325:24
Diverse Dialogues
Feb 23, 202334:23
Dr. Nicholas Dixon on 36 Years at Alma College
Feb 02, 202346:53
Alice Kramer on Alma College's History & Mission
Jan 19, 202329:45
The Africa Fellows and Alum Corbin Thompson
Dec 01, 202232:40
Ads in the Almanian
Nov 10, 202215:04
Year Zero: an oral history of Alma's COVID transition
Oct 27, 202229:12
May 25 1900: A Clever Forgerer

May 25 1900: A Clever Forgerer

Join Dr. Benjamin Peterson for a discussion of the Alma Record from May 25 and June 01, 1900. Learn about con-men, forgers, and two wild horses stampeding through Alma!

Jun 05, 202213:58
Railroad Meeting (May 18 1900)

Railroad Meeting (May 18 1900)

Imagine a world where an electric railroad connected Central Michigan from Alma to Lansing. During the summer of 1900 such a dream seemed entirely possible. Join Dr. Ben Peterson for the third episode of the Alma, Summer of 1900 project.



May 20, 202210:12
May 11, 1900: Is it the Same Wright?

May 11, 1900: Is it the Same Wright?

Over this summer the Alma College Histories & Mysteries podcast explores the history of Alma, MI by looking at each week of the summer of 1900. In this episode, Dr. Ben Peterson discusses the 2nd week of May, 1900 in which people were discussing Alma College's role in the community, numerous seemingly trivial trips, and... murder?

May 13, 202212:48
Doan's Kidney Pills (Alma, May 04, 1900)

Doan's Kidney Pills (Alma, May 04, 1900)

Join Dr. Ben in the first episode of the Histories & Mysteries podcast's summer project. In this episode you will learn about the medicines that seemed to absorb the minds of people in Alma during the summer of 1900.


This episode is based on the May 04, 1900 edition of the Alma Record which you can read at: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85038709/1900-05-04/ed-1/seq-1/


May 06, 202208:45
Alma, Summer of 1900 Preview

Alma, Summer of 1900 Preview

Dr. Ben Peterson talks about the summer direction of the podcast: the Alma, Summer of 1900 Project.

Apr 26, 202202:26
Alma in Wonderland by Madee Hall
Apr 12, 202206:42
The Ammi Wright Mansion by Gi Shrewsbury
Apr 05, 202206:03
Mimes & Mandolins by Amelia Earl
Mar 29, 202206:11
The Fighting Presbyterians by Aubrey North

The Fighting Presbyterians by Aubrey North

Presbyterianism once served as the foundation of student life at Alma College. In this episode, Aubrey discusses the mandatory chapel services, religious clubs, theological classes, and sectarian mascot that once defined Alma College’s religious and academic life.

Mar 22, 202207:29
Alma Unmasked
Mar 15, 202208:53
Trailer
Mar 02, 202201:05
Ghosts of Gelston

Ghosts of Gelston

The ghost of Gelston Hall recounts a series of scenes from the campus as students prepared to go to war in World War I and dealt with Spanish flu. The ghost reflects on how these experiences compare to the modern struggle with COVID-19.

Feb 11, 202205:01
A Night in 1914

A Night in 1914

How did Greek life differ in the past? Find out as this short radio drama takes you back to Greek recruitment in the Alma College of 1914.

Feb 04, 202207:19
The Renaissance of the Denominational College

The Renaissance of the Denominational College

In 1912 Alma College redesigned its curriculum to make a college education more accessible. Combined with a new commitment to providing support and education to the community of Alma, MI, this effort became known as the “renaissance.” The podcast not only explores this effort, it investigates the connections between the “renaissance” and the college’s new efforts with the Center for College and Community Engagement.

Jan 29, 202209:12
The Wright Opera House: Building Community in Alma

The Wright Opera House: Building Community in Alma

Dr. Ben Peterson discusses the role that the Wright Opera House played in knitting the community of Alma, MI together in the early 1900s. This is an extended and revised version of his comments from the first night of the Three Nights at the Opera project.

Dec 17, 202105:09
Meet the Alumni

Meet the Alumni

What role did alumni play in 1910? How does it differ from the role that alumni play today? A group of current students investigate this through research and interviews with recent alumni.


Music credits

"College Life" (1906) by Billy Murray

Dec 10, 202108:18
Gossip Ghost

Gossip Ghost

A ghostly gossip teaches students about the role that student newspapers played in bringing the Alma College of 1908 together.

Produced by Kevin Koenn

Music credits

"College Life" (1906) by Billy Murray

Dec 03, 202104:42
The Art of the Almanian
Nov 26, 202105:38
The Class Scrap
Nov 23, 202109:13
A Saving Crusade
Oct 27, 202124:19
The Adventures of The Almanian Man
Oct 26, 202107:54
Trailer

Trailer

A short trailer for the Three Nights at the Opera Podcast

Oct 16, 202101:34