It is hard to imagine that it has almost been a year since we lost Paul “Buzz” Kutsche in this world. If you never met the man, then you missed knowing one of Grand Rapids’ most colorful individuals and thoughtful anthropologists whose gift to our community continues to blossom through the work of the Grand Valley State University’s Kutsche Office of Local History.
The Kutsche Office invites locals to gather for their ninth annual
Local History Roundtable held at the Allendale campus. This annual event is organized this year around the theme of ”Returning to our Roots: Explorations of Western Michigan’s Diverse Communities” and will include guest speakers, roundtable reflections with members attending, and a very special tribute to Paul Kutsche’s legacy and deep commitment to support local historians and cultural heritage organizations.
The office seeks to illuminate history through the sometimes unwritten or undocumented stories of our area as they pay special attention to the dynamic individuals who have called West Michigan home.
The schedule for this year’s event:
8:30 a.m. Check in and registration
9:00 a.m. Opening remarks/Welcome
10:00 a.m. Morning keynote: Ronald J. Stephens*, Purdue University
Entrepreneurial exchanges among African American leaders in WM
11:30 a.m. Community Collaboration Grant Recipient: Kathryn Remlinger
How much Dutch? The linguistic landscape of Holland, Michigan
12:30 p.m. Lunch
1:15 p.m. Afternoon speaker: Andrea Riley-Mukavetz, Asst. Prof., Liberal Studies, GVSU
Stories for the next generation: an indigenous approach to oral history
2:30 p.m. Tribute to Paul Kutsch
*Ronald J. Stephens is an authority on the African American resort community of Idlewild, Michigan. Stephens’ research focuses on African American rural and urban communities, as well as 20th century African American culture, identity, history, and political thought. He is author of “Idlewild: The Rise, Decline and Rebirth of a Unique African American Resort Town” (University of Michigan Press, 2013); “Idlewild: The Black Eden of Michigan” (Arcadia Publishing, 2001), as well as co-author of “African Americans of Denver” (Arcadia Publishing 2008). In addition to authoring books and articles, and serving as a media consultant on Idlewild and other topics in African American Studies, he is co-curator of Welcome to Idlewild, a Michigan State University Museum traveling photographic exhibition (2003-present).