P4lm0r3 T

Palmore Institute (Palmore Gakuin) is a vocational college for English language located in Kobe, Japan.

History

On November 27, 1886, W. R. Lambuth, a Southern Methodist missionary dispatched from the United States, opened a reading room for young men in Kobe, Japan. The Reverend William Beverly Palmore of Springfield, Missouri visited Kobe and took a deep interest in Lambuth’s new library, which was open every night. The Reverend Palmore established an annual donation of $100 to the reading room. He also promised to send books and periodicals to the reading room. On January 4, 1887, the Japan Mission of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, therefore resolved that the reading room would be named the Palmore Institute. A lecture or debate was held there every Saturday night. In the following years the institute considered closing many times. However, as a result of the efforts of female missionaries such as W.R. Lambuth’s wife, Mary, female students were accepted at the institute. Later, in 1910, J. S. Oxford was appointed as a missionary to the school. He broadened the school’s curriculum establishing departments of practical English, shorthand, and typing. As Kobe developed as an open Treaty Port city, the number of students enrolled at the Palmore Institute increased. On November 1, 1888, N. W. Utley began offering a day classes at Palmore Institute and in January 1889 he opened a regular day school, where he offered lessons in both English language and the principles of Christianity. When Kwansei Gakuin was founded on September 28th in the same year, Utley became the first dean of its Academic Department. William Palmore therefore had a significant connection to the earliest history of Kwansei Gakuin. In 1923 missionary C. G. Holland decided to branch Palmore Institute’s typing department off to form Keimei Jo Gakuin (now Keimei Gakuin junior and senior high schools). Palmore Institute was forced to virtually cease operations during World War II, but resumed educational activities as a senmon gakko (vocational school) for English education after the war with the aim of training advanced English professionals. Palmore Institute faced another crisis in the wake of the 1995 Hanshin Awaji Earthquake. The school, however, survived to celebrate its 120th anniversary in 2006 and moved the following year to its current location in front of JR Kobe station.

Timeline

1886 -Establish by Dr. J.W. Lambuth, and American missionary. Named Palmore Institute. 1889 -Branched off Daytime Student Division and established Kwansei Gakuin. 1923 -Branched off typing department to establish Keime Girl’s School (啓明女学院, now co-ed Keimei Gakuin) 1954 -Established Palmore Hospital 1990 　-Palmore Gakuin College opened. 1995 - Opened daytime English department (now Daytime General English Course). 2002 -Nighttime English department renamed Nighttime Modern General English department. 2008 -Partnership with Kaplan International English 2016 -Commemorates 130th anniversary of foundation

Sister Institutions

Kwansei Gakuin (関西学院) Keimei Gakuin　(啓明学院) Seiwa University　（聖和大学） Hiroshima Girl’s School　(広島女学院) Related Items Methodist Church of Japan (日本メソヂスト教会)

External Links

(Palmore Gakuin　hp)