Blue illustration of an eagle with blue text on a white background

Central Webster was a K12 school located in Iowa that opened in the 1980's to consolidate students from schools that had closed in the Lehigh, Harcourt, and Burnside communities. The school's mascot was the Eagles and their colors were grey and white.  After many district consolidations and school sharing programs in the mid to late 1980's and then again in the 1990's, the school was separated into Elementary, Middle, and High School. In 2000 the name was changed to Southeast Webster Grand. The new mascot is the Jaguars.

Yellow and red text on a turquoise background

Full Sail University is a for-profit college based in Winter Park, Florida. The school was founded in 1979 in Dayton, Ohio and originally called the Full Sail Recording Workshop. Initially, the school offered a non-degree professional program focused on audio production and the recording arts. Full Sail moved to its current Florida location in 1989, and the same year became accredited to offer specialized Associates' Degrees. In 2005, Rolling Stone magazine named Full Sail one of the top 5 music programs in the United States.

The first Bachelor’s Degree program at Full Sail was made available in 2005, and as of 2015 the school offers Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Science, and Master of Fine Arts degrees—both in person and online—in subjects related to the areas of entertainment, media, and the arts. Audio Production and Recording Arts are still two of the school’s most popular programs.

Black text on a bright orange background

To feel bullish means to be hopeful or confident that something or someone will be successful. Princeton University is a private Ivy League university located in Princeton, New Jersey and is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in the world. Founded in 1746, Princeton was the fourth chartered institution of higher education in the Thirteen Colonies. The orange and black on this button matches the orange and black on the Princeton University logo.

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.