Twelve yearbooks were published from Davenport's main, Grand Rapids, campus: from the first in 1961 to the last in 1972. It was a period of great change at Davenport, and throughout the country, and these yearbooks reflect much of that evolution from clothing styles to social issues. 

A brief forward in the 1961 Davenport Institute yearbook reads:

“Retro-Spectus is Latin, meaning “Look Back.”  In selecting this title, the staff hopes to create a book that students will look back upon many years from now.  We know that the value of this book will grow with the years.

The Retro-Spectus is the first yearbook in the history of Davenport Institute.  We hope to establish precedence that will be continued many years to come.”

Today the yearbooks earn their title and achieve the objectives of their original creators.  They are very much a “look back” at our history including both sad and happy memories, moments of challenge and proud achievements.

Thank you to Julie Tabberer, library science student specializing in digital content management and staff person in the local history department of the Grand Rapids Public Library, for developing and carrying out this yearbook digitization project.