Rahe Auto and Tractor School. ... The School with A Soul. [cover title of Cincinnati trade catalog]

“The School with a [Racist] Soul”

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Unrecorded, oversized, and solicitous publication targeting prospective students (whites only) to apply to the Cincinnati branch of the Rahe School, an automobile, tractor, and aviation mechanics’ training institution founded in Kansas City, Missouri in 1917.

During the First World War, the Rahe School trained U.S. Army personnel. Afterwards, the school expanded and opened a branch in Cincinnati because it was “the most Southern Northern City and the most Northern Southern City.” (p5) The school declined to accept Black men as students, the catalog states this policy was “made without disparagement to their race or color.” (p8)

The publication includes pictures of the faculty and testimonials from Cincinnati organizations and former students from the first Cincinnati graduating class of 1922. Designed like a popular magazine, there are many well-illustrated articles, e.g., “No Previous Experience is Required”; “Opportunities for Rahe Trained Men”; “Running Gears and Engine Control”; “Transmission and Its Related Parts”; “All About Electrical Ignition”; “Carburetion and ‘Trouble Shooting’”; “Heavy Truck Repair Department”; “Training in Aviation Mechanics”; and “Farm Tractor Operation and Repair.”

There are only a few scattered holdings in OCLC for any Rahe School-related items. The school must have invested significant money to produce this particular title; its large format is quite unusual for such publications.

Price: $300.00