Snippets From The Past: St. Kate’s Yearbooks

Happy American Archives Month! St. Catherine University’s Archives would like to highlight one of the most popular collections viewed by visitors and researchers: yearbooks. First produced in 1919, St. Kate’s yearbooks have had several titles over the years. They were called La Concha (Spanish for “seashell”) from 1919-1976, Renaissance (French for “rebirth” or “revival”) in 1977, and Etos (Greek for “year”) from 1978-1996. The Archives has yearbooks from 1919-1996 available for perusal. There are some gaps in the 1930s when the Depression prevented production of a yearbook (1933, 1935, and 1936). No yearbooks were published after 1996.

We are in the process of digitizing these yearbooks. So far the volumes for 1919-1932 have been scanned and are available in our Digital Collections.

The yearbooks are a great resource for information about students, student organizations, athletics, faculty, academic departments, campus life, and special events. For family history researchers, the yearbooks often provide a little window into the college experience of their grandmothers, aunts, or other relatives.

Interested in Derham Hall High School, which was located on our campus until 1960? We have copies of Derham Hall's yearbook, known as The Hour Glass, for 1941-1946. These have not yet been digitized.

Let’s explore some of the St. Kate's yearbooks!

Early yearbooks contained sections for jokes, stories, "advice," and other light-hearted fun. Interested in reading some Kat-Tales? Check out the 1921 version of La Concha! Some of the tales might make you laugh out loud. Here's one of them, with some advice for getting a teaching job.

The University’s original seal made its first yearbook appearance in 1921, when St. Kate’s was still the College of St. Catherine.

St. Kate’s yearbooks are aesthetically different, showing how graphic design and publication styles have changed over the years. Here's a sample of some of their covers.

Are you up for a challenge? Try completing this 1937 Classword Puzzle!

These “Shades of Physical Education” and “Outline of Classes” photographs from the 1940 yearbook are breathtaking. The photography themes of shade and silhouette make for striking images.

Are you interested in exploring the hairstyles of St. Kate’s students over the years? Take a look at these hairdos!

St. Kate’s yearbooks are an institutional treasure. They consist of more than just words and images—they tell stories and strengthen memories. Come to the Archives and Special Collections and see for yourself!

For more information, please visit our Archive's website, or contact us at archives@stkate.edu or 651-690-6553.