The last surviving “Kalamazoo Gal,” Irene Stearns, turns 100 on Sunday, Jan 30. Kalamazoo Gals author John Thomas, who unearthed the story of women like Stearns who built now-prized guitars in the Gibson Guitar Factory during WWII, joined Cara Lieurance to talk about plans to celebrate Mrs. Stearns.
Thomas was instrumental in successfully proposing that the City of Kalamazoo declare Jan 30 "Irene Stearns Day." On Jan 30, Thomas says there will be a free online celebration, hosted by the Michigan Music Alliance on its Facebook and YouTube pages. Thomas helped gather birthday greeting from around the world from friends, guitarists, international performers, and many others. He says Stearns will be watching with family, and viewers are welcome to send their greetings during the livestream through comments on Facebook or YouTube.
Thomas talks about the bonds he formed with Stearns and others as he researched the book. Gibson management was unhelpful at the time, refusing to acknowledge the existence of the female workforce between 1942-46. It took years after publication of the book for the Gibson company to reverse its stance. A Kalamazoo Gals documentary is set to be released in 2022.
