KULM, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – A special collection of all 44 United States Presidents’ signatures will be displayed at Kulm Public School on Presidents’ Day, February 18, 2019.
Former KPS student Lorne Liechty has been collecting the signatures over the course of 20 years. He recently completed his collection and has begun sharing it with schools and colleges in Texas, where he and his wife, Mary, live.
The collection tells the story of American history through items that were part of the lives of our Presidents—from General Washington’s signature on papers discharging a soldier from service in the Revolutionary War; to Franklin Roosevelt’s letter thanking a citizen for use of binoculars during World War I; to Jimmy Carter’s signature on a hammer used on a Habitat for Humanity project; to baseballs signed by George Bush 41 and George Bush 43 (who was a partial owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team).
“Each piece is unique for so many reasons; not only because the piece itself has a history, but also because they each have a story of how I was able to acquire them,” says Liechty. “I’ve always been interested in history and have admired our founding fathers and Presidents. After I got the first signature—President Lincoln’s—I was excited to try to collect them all, so I just kept going.”
Liechty and his family lived on a farm near Kulm when he was a child during the 1960s, and now three of his grandchildren attend Kulm Public School. Liechty contacted the school and offered to show his collection as a Presidents’ Day event. KPS was eager to host such an interesting and educational exhibit.
“This fits so well with our curriculum, and it will be of special interest to our upperclassman, who all have or will be visiting Washington, D.C.,” said Superintendent Tami Kramlich.
Kulm sophomore and junior year students take a trip to Washington, D.C. on alternating years, to ensure that every student is able to see the nation’s capital.
“It’s such a memorable, hands-on interaction with American history,” says Kramlich. “We began doing the trips in 2011, and it’s an unforgettable experience for our students, some of whom have never left the state.”
KPS has also invited other area schools to attend a viewing of the signatures and a presentation given by Liechty during the school day. The collection will be open to the public for viewing during the evening. The public presentation will begin at 6pm, with an opportunity to view following.
Admission is by free will donation, and all proceeds go towards Kulm Public School’s sophomore and junior trip to Washington, D.C. this spring.