Minneapolis Vocational High School
Alum Database and Archive Website
c/o Edward G Palmer, Webmaster
13570 Grove Drive #361
Maple Grove MN 55311-4400
(763) 370-8227

If you have historical documents, artifacts, or photos from the Minneapolis Vocational High School from the year 1914 through the year 1976, please send them to the above mailing address. They will be scanned, digitized, or otherwise shared on our Minneapolis Vocationial High School All Alum Database and Archive Website. Documents and photos can be returned after scanning if needed; let us know. This website is a historical archive website for the Minneapolis Vocational High School.

Select the ALUMNI TAB (fourth from left). Then select SEARCH from the dropdown menu. Next, enter the alumni's last name. You can also narrow your search by using other available criteria. Example: SEARCH on the last name of "Bowers" using "All Class Years." The server will return Jackie from 1964, Candy from 1967 and their Aunt Dotty from 1935. Their mother Beverly Cotie was in the class of 1935 with their aunt, but you would have to search on her last name (Cotie) or display the class of 1935 alumni to see her record.

Once you locate an alumnus, at the bottom of their database entry, you will find a record number. In the above example, Jackie's is 26, Candy's is 966, and Dotty's is 7958. Once you find an alumni's record number, you can update the information in that alumni record. I.E., If they have passed away, you can add that fact to their database record. You can also paste or type their obituary into the comments field of their database record.

With the record number (See Search For Alumni), you can update your own alumni database record or that of a classmate or family member's record. Again, select the ALUMNI TAB and then the UPDATE RECORD item on the dropdown menu. Follow the instructions on the next page, which requires the alumni record number. This is a straightforward process.

Ed Palmer has created an alumni database process that everyone can easily use. He cannot personally support all the alumni record changes that may come up from time to time. This could be address changes or obituaries, etc. So, Ed created a natural process that any alumni, classmate, friend, or family member can use to update a database record. The all-alumni database will be as accurate as our Vocational alumni, family, and friends collectively make it.

Follow the instructions in the panel "Search For Alumni" and locate the record numbers involved. Then follow the instructions in the "Update Alumni Record" panel for the duplicate record you want deleted. The update record process will allow you to delete the duplicate or outdated record.

A duplicate record can occur in the database when the enter button is pressed multiple times OR the alumni has entered a new record without realizing that a record for him or her was already created from yearbook records. Ed hopes to eventually create a process in the database, which will prevent a second record from being created if the particular alumnus is already in the database.

Viewing your own alumni database record is very easy. Simply follow the instructions listed in the panel "Search For Alumni." Updating your own alumni record is likewise easy to do. In this case, follow the instructions in the "Update Alumni Record" panel.

You can view a list of alumni by graduating class year by going to the ALUMNI TAB and selecting DISPLAY RECORDS. Then select your class year or another class year. You will be presented with a list of classmates that are entered from class yearbooks or other sources.

Note: At this time, no attempt has been made to remove any duplicate alumni entries. However, if there is more than one record listed for an alumnus, the higher record number will likely be the most accurate.

Click on the Alumni tab from the home page (fourth tab from left). At the bottom of the dropdown menu, you will find the item "Vocational Yearbook Pdfs". Click on this link and it will take you to the yearbook download page. Find your year and click the link to download your Yearbook. All yearbooks are in Acrobat Pdf files and are fully searchable within Acrobat Reader or other Pdf software.

Ed Palmer has created the ability for any class data manager(s) to have access to all of their classmate records to maintain, keep them current, and even download those records to create labels in Word and other software programs.

If your class contact records are not being maintained on our easy to use all-alumni website, ask me how it can be done. I would be happy to create for your class this online data management capability free of charge. It is also free to use without annoying ads popping up. The fact that our database system allows multiple classmates the ability to maintain class contact records prevents data from being isolated or even lost if it resides on a single classmate's computer.

According to a historical note in the 1955 yearbook, 1917 was the first graduating year. Thirty-six girls graduated. Initially, Vocational High School was going to be called "The Girls' Vocational High School" and was focused on home-making, junior nurse work, dressmaking, millinery, and commercial training.

The Girls' Vocational High School shared its initial building space with "The William Hood Dunwoody Industrial Institute," which moved out in 1917 to its new building. According to the history note, ninety-three girls answered the call to "depart from the traditional line of education and to demand a trade or vocational training."

A short prayer was also found in 1955 yearbook that reads in part: "May all Vocational's sons and daughters likewise have the courage to be dreamers as well as builders of dreams."