In this month’s episode of Archive Dive, we dive into the history of notable graduates of East High School and Nelson Dewey School. The list includes two Superior mayors, a football legend, the last of the great press agents and a woman who wrote music books for children.

Telegram reporter Maria Lockwood is joined by local historian and retired librarian Teddie Meronek as they discuss the building of both schools, how the students and teachers survived the Great Depression and World War II, as well as the rivalry that grew between East High School and Central High School and much more.

"What people don't know about East End now is that - I grew up in East End so I remember that it was just like a small town, and the schools in East End weren't built next to businesses, they were built in neighborhoods and they were all surrounded by homes," said Meronek. "East End had a high school, it had a public grade school and two parochial schools, within blocks of each other and their business district included a movie theater and East End had the only branch library - an actual library building - and we had a dime store, dry cleaners and a bank, two drug stores, two hardware stores, restaurants, two hair salons, dentists, doctors - I mean, it was like a small town in itself."

New episodes of Archive Dive are published monthly at superiortelegram.com. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to see covered, email Maria Lockwood at [email protected].