There was once a time in Kalamazoo‘s history that for many years lived in a shadow which has now long since been celebrated. During World War II women in Kalamazoo were personally responsible for building tens of thousands of Gibson guitars.
This was something that the Gibson guitar company kept under wraps for many years, but is now celebrated and the fondly remembered Kalamazoo Gals were a very special story in the city’s history. Now, on January 29 at Bell’s the city will once again celebrate the Kalamazoo gals and the last living member of them, who is almost 103 years old.
Her name is Irene Stearns, and there will be a special event held in her honor, and you will be able to hear about the story of how women played a crucial role in making sure that these guitars remained regularly manufactured during the war:…