A generation of eight graders preserved their names for posterity when they embroidered their names on curtains at Butte's Grant School. The school was demolished in the 1970s, as the Berkeley Pit expanded, but the curtains were saved and are kept at the World Museum of Mining.

An effort spearheaded by Grant School alumnus Tom Hierholzer (Class of 1949) has raised over $7,000 to house and conserve these relics, the memory of a rite of passage for every boy and girl who made it through eighth grade between 1936 and 1954. The two curtains each measure about 8 by 20 feet, and the goal is both to preserve and conserve the fabrics and to display them in a safe manner. Both those needs are expensive propositions, so the search for contributions is ongoing. All donations are deeply appreciated.

Tax-deductible donations are put in a special account. Donors should make checks payable to the World Museum of Mining, with a letter or memo line earmarking the donation for the Grant School Project.