Gepromoveerd aan de universiteit, gevormd op de hbs

Samenvatting

The Special Collections of the University of Amsterdam recently received a collection of lecture notes from an early 20th century chemistry student by the name of Sybren Postma (1885-1963). Maybe even more interesting  are the additional documents that came with these notes. The collection contains newspaper clippings, photos, official documents relating to the Higher Burger School in Amsterdam and the University of Amsterdam, and some other publications. These papers tell a story of social mobility and can be read as an example of the alleged role of the Dutch Higher Burger Schools in the schooling of a generation of academics. Postma, from humble descent, was the only child of four to go to the Higher Burger School. After his graduation he matriculated the University of Amsterdam. He managed to get a Ph.D. in Chemistry, but didn’t pursue an academic career. He returned instead to the hbs as a Chemistry teacher.