History Highlight - Highlights Magazine for Children

As we start week nine of the Lakeside season the Heritage Society would like to thank all those who have contributed to our “Toys of Yesteryear” exhibit at Heritage Hall. Your generous donations have allowed all generations of museum guests to connect with each other and reminisce about the “good ole days” of childhood. This week LHS is adding to the exhibit with another intergenerational item: an original 1948 Highlights for Children magazine.
More than one billion Highlight for Children magazines have been printed since the first publication in 1946. Creators Caroline Clark Myers and Garry Cleveland Myers met while teaching illiterate soldiers in the military, where Caroline had been the first female educator hired by the United States Army. The pair married and began illustrious careers as pioneers in the field of elementary education, teaching parents and educators alike while at Case Western Reserve University. The Myers then spent twelve years working for Children’s Activities and co-authoring a number of parenting books. When the time came to retire, they decided instead to apply their extensive experience and knowledge to the development of a new children’s magazine. Thus Highlights for Children began with the slogan “Fun with a Purpose,” tales of “Goofus and Gallant” and the famous “Hidden Pictures” challenge.
The flagship Highlights for Children magazine is now published out of Columbus, Ohio along with a number of new subscription-based book clubs for children of all ages. In addition to the original magazine, Highlights company produces Highlights Hello, for ages 0 to 2 years old, Highlights High Five, for preschoolers and Highlights Bilingue for Spanish and English speaking audiences. Our November 1948 edition of Highlights magazine was donated to the Heritage
Society by LHS volunteer and Port Clinton resident, Mary Ann Robbs, as part of a larger collection of educational materials from the 1940s to the 1960s.

The Heritage Society will continue to develop the “Toys of Yesteryear” exhibit into the fall, so it is not too late to make your own contribution or stop by to check out the rest of the collection at the Heritage Hall museum.