The author, James Kenyon, is a veterinarian and writer from Cedar Falls. His latest work, Echoes in the Hallways is a historical account of the former high schools of the state of Iowa. He will be reading at the Kalona Public Library on Saturday, April 9 at 1 p.m., discussing his book “Echoes in the Hallways”.

Over 18 months, Kenyon traveled to all of Iowa’s 99 counties and a story from each county is told in this book. He traveled highways, county roads, gravel, and dirt roads to see these old schools and towns. Some schools were still standing, others have been converted for community use, and others are gone. He met with area people in convenience stores, school gymnasiums, coffee shops, around kitchen tables, libraries, and on park benches. In total, over 1,000 Iowans shared their memories and the history of their town and schools. He made so many wonderful new friends who shared. It became a labor of love.

Poignant stories and unifying themes were found through the journeys. In one school, the students carried a girl stricken with polio in her wheelchair up and down the stairs to her classes. A high school custodian for 28 years was honored with this tribute: “A man is never as tall as when he stoops to help a child.”

Early history of the communities, the naming of the towns, the first schools, the forming of the high school are told for their historical significance.

Legislative actions, Department of Education pressure, the establishing of Rural High Schools and the consolidation all were important to these communities and their schools. The bus drivers, cooks, janitors, teachers, coaches, principals, and superintendents were all significant cornerstones for Iowa education. These stories are shared by alumni, families, teachers, and community historians.

Visits by the President, Klu Klux Klan influence, Black Hawk War, Half Breed Tract, Mormons, Indians, floods, disease epidemics, the Depression, and drought all impacted these communities and their history.

An occasional prank, the ingenuity, and chicanery of youth are told in many of these schools.

This compilation is a statewide perspective of the sociological and geographic changes in Iowa education and history.