Karen Joan Buchko Swope photographs

Karen Joan Buchko Swope, née Buchko, was born on November 8, 1942 in Gary, Indiana, to John B. and Rose Buchko, née Truth. Her father immigrated from Czechoslovakia in 1922, and married her mother in 1938. Karen’s father worked as a rigger maintainer at a steel mill. Karen had two siblings: Robert J. Buchko and Shirly R. Buchko. Karen attended schools in Gary, Indiana, including Lew Wallace High School, where she attained a high school diploma. She went on to attend DePauw University from 1960-1964 for a degree in music, with a focus on the cello. In 1961, she was awarded the Mortar Board Scholarship, a national honor society scholarship for college juniors and seniors. She was involved in university band all four years at DePauw, and performed solo and duet recitals for the Greencastle community, honing her gift with the cello.

Karen appreciated photography, and took several photos of, predominantly, music iconography while at DePauw. These photographs now reside in DePauw’s Archives. In February 1966, Buchko received her master’s degree from the University of Montana.

On December 27, 1967, Karen married John Swope in Colorado, and took his surname. They lived there until they moved to Anchorage, Alaska. While there, Mrs. Swope was a music teacher and helped set up an orchestral festival for elementary players to perform peer-composed pieces. Eight hundred students were included in the festival, which was directed by Frank Pinkerton, the music director for the school district. In 1976, Mrs. Swope and her husband moved to Reno, Nevada, where she worked as a teacher of musical strings for the Washoe County School District.

Sources:

“Karen Buchko,” 1950 US Federal Census, Ancestry.com.

“Helen Buchko, Naturalization Record Indexes,” Ancestry.com.

“John Buchko, U.S. Census 1950,” U.S. Census 1950, Ancestry.com.

“John Buchko,” U.S. Marriage Certificate, Ancestry.com.

“John Buchko,” 1930 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com.

“Robert James Buchko,” U.S. Korean War Era Draft Cards, Ancestry.com.

“Shirley R. Buchko,” U.S. Marriage Certificates, Ancestry.com.

Karen Buchko” U.S. School Yearbooks, Ancestry.com.

“1964 DePauw University Commencement Program,” DePauw University, 07 June 1964, pg. 7, DePauw Digital Archives.

“DePauw Scholars Given Recognition,” The Indianapolis Star, 11 May 1961, Newspapers.com.

The Mirage, (DePauw University, 1964), DePauw Digital Archives.

“1964,” DePauw Alumnus, 1966, pg. 23, DePauw Digital Archives.

“Weddings: 1964,” DePauw Alumnus, December 1969, pg. 21, DePauw Digital Archives.

“800 Students to Perform At West High,” Anchorage Times, 05 May 1971, Newspapers.com

“1964,” DePauw Alumnus, October 1976, pg. 21, DePauw Digital Archives.

This biographical note was created by Marisol Sanchez and Vanessa Corrales as part of the HIST278: Women's History from 1890-Present course during the spring 2026 semester. It was revised by Professor Sarah Rowley and the Coordinator of Archives and Special Collections Bethany Fiechter.