Illustration of a red white and blue bee with GO for eyes and red text above and below on a white background

Martin Van Buren High School (MVBHS) is a public high school in Queens Village, New York. One of the most popular clubs was the General Organization (G.O.), a student government club. MVBHS opened in 1955 as the East Queens High School but was later renamed after the eighth President of the United States, Martin Van Buren. Their colors are red and blue, and their mascot is the bee.

A red, white, and blue button with white text on the top and bottom portion of the button. A black and white image of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson lies in the center of the button. 

This button is a political campaign button supporting John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1960 Presidential election, in which the pair defeated the incumbent Vice President Richard Nixon and his running mate Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.

John F. Kennedy was a Senator from Massachusetts, who at the age of 43 became the youngest person ever to be elected President. He platformed on his staunch fight against communism, establishing himself as a Red-baiter over the charge against the spy Alger Hiss. He picked Senator Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas as running mate to hold the South, and used television effectively. Nixon was reported to have done well on debates by radio listeners but television viewers found him weak and awkward in front of camera. By 1960, 88 percent of American homes had television, contrast to 11% in the 50s. Seventy million Americans, about two-thirds of the electorate, watched the first debate on September 26th. 

White text on an orange background with two holes with a green string and five white dots. The green string with holes is meant to make this button look like a button for a shirt. 

This button is interesting because it can be read so many different ways. It is very versatile, depending on what the reader sees. They could read it as a command, "unbutton," or not a button. They may even read it as a button if they speak French!

Light blue and purple background with an illustration of a rodeo horse and rider on the top with purple text and light blue text on the bottom.

The annual homecoming football game and dance is one of the traditions of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. The first homecoming dance was held in 1918, almost 30 years after its founding in 1885, and featured a parade, lunch, and a baseball game. The selling of promotional buttons was done every year to encourage the student body's participation in the festivities, and in 1940 they sold for ten cents apiece. Today the homecoming is celebrated with a bonfire, dance, and a football game against the rival St. John’s University.

Engebretson, Kelly. (2013, October 2). Tommie Traditions: Homecoming. Retrieved from: http://www.stthomas.edu/news/tommie-traditions-homecoming/.

Illustration of a lion on a white background with blue text

This button is likely from the 1971 St. Viator High School Homecoming. St. Viator is located in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The school mascot is a lion, with navy and white as the school colors.

Illustration has yellow text on a blue background in a circle near the edge of the button, which also shows stars and planets. The text reads Turtle Derby 1966. Centered is a multicolored image of a turtle in a space helmet, superimposed over a blue and white image of a planet. The turtle is holding a pennant that reads JHH.

The "JHH" on the pennant illustrated on this button stands for Johns Hopkins Hospital, host of the Turtle Derby since 1931. The annual event began as a race between the pet turtles of Benjamin Frisby, a caretaker at Johns Hopkins. It is hosted by first-year medical and radiography students. Turtles are rented from local turtle farms and returned after the race, with money wagered on the turtles benefiting charity. Johns Hopkins Hospital was established in Baltimore, Md. in 1889, 13 years after the University's founding.

Illustration of a red sun with yellow text on it on a white background

This button is likely from the Indiana University (IU) Homecoming in 1994. That year, IU Homecoming took place October 21-22 and culminated with a football game against Northwestern University.

Illustration of a horses head in the middle of a circle with blue text and a decorative outer blue edge

Pimlico Junior High School was located in Baltimore, Maryland. It opened in the fall of 1956. The school was closed in 2008 due to low enrollment and outdated facilities. It is likely that the school colors were grey and blue and the mascot was a gray mare.

Illustration of a bow and arrow on a yellow background with green text and an outer green edge with yellow text

Like many high schools, Lane Tech’s homecoming is held in the fall during “harvest” time. Traditionally a time when alumni return to their schools to watch the homecoming game or catch up with friends, Lane Tech dubbed their 1984 homecoming the “harvest of champions”. This name was a nod to the hundreds of athletic championships that Lane Tech had won throughout the decades and perhaps also a hope that they would be champions again in 1984. 

Lane Technical College Prep High School located in Chicago, Illinois, was founded in 1908. Lane Tech is one of nine selective enrollment schools, requiring all applicants to pass entrance exams before attending the school. The campus has an enrollment of just over 4,000 students, grades 7-12. Lane Tech's colors are green and gold, and their mascot is the Indians (which has been much debated in recent years, but still remains unchanged).

Illustration of a brown and white gopher with black hair on its head and wearing a black skirt with black text on a yellow background

The University of Minnesota chose ‘Gopher’s A-Go-Go’ for their 1965 Homecoming theme.  The phrase, and variations on it, was used on floats, pins, signage and other promotional materials for various Homecoming festivities. The term ‘a-go-go’ is borrowed from the French and has various appropriate meanings: a nightclub for dancing to popular music, being in a whirl of motion, and being up-to-date. In their 12th year under head coach Murray Warmath, the 1965 University of Minnesota Golden Gophers won their Homecoming game 14-13 against the Michigan Wolverines with an attendance of 58,519.