Thomas Alva Edison Elementary School Hammond, Indiana
		1936 - 1991

	These images are courtesy of Mary Zelencik, historian for Edison School in Hammond. The photographer is Terry Schreiber. Our thanks to both of them for sharing these historic photos. These images are not for reproduction, publication, or any other use without permission of this web site host.

The Gymnasium Entrance

The entrance to the Thomas A. Edison gymnasium was located on the southwest corner of the building.  The venue invited everyone to attend basketball games and athletic events. City-wide tournaments on a smaller scale would often take place here but students used this entrance on Saturday nights for "Stugen."  Stugen was a weekly dance for junior high students at Edison. High school students would often try to get in to "check it out," but were asked to leave if known to security. It was 35-cents to get in and there was always a disk jockey playing "rock 'n roll" with a full band playing on special occasions. It was a chance to have a real date with the special someone and provided a chance to learn social skills and new dance steps. Stugen was run by a group of volunteer parents, and students were elected as officers to host, plan and produce the weekly Stugen events.  No one knows the origin of the name "Stugen," and even modern wikipedia searches do not provide any clues.  But to the kids at Edison School, Stugen meant a good time with good friends in a safe, happy environment.

		The artistic statues on either side of the entrance to the gymnasium reminded students of a more noble time for sports, Olympic competition, and the tradition of the Helenic-Greek world. It suggested that within the school building as well as outside in the broader world, there was a history that we belonged to.

The stone column headers on the gymnasium side of Edison School watch over students on the parking lot playground, sitting in patient judgment of our behavior and skills. Today some of the terra cotta blocks are preserved while others have disappeared completely.
	This column header on the right now rests in the garden courtyard at the new Edison School facility in Hammond.
		One of the column headers sits forgotten in a field.