Larry, I’m sure that someone will share this story with Donald and it will for sure make his day. He has good recall of the past with great detail. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful story. Gary

Donald Egbert Story and More

 

Donald Egbert was quite a young man.I really didn’t do him justice with the story about the kinds of automobiles he once owned and that he was a outstanding basketball and football player in his younger days.He did play varsity when still in grade school. He also played baseball with the older fellows when he was about a 5th grader.

Don was also a young fellow that loved the ladies.He made more then one girls father nervous and caused some to drive the streets and roads in and around Dunseith looking for their daughters.One fellow told me that in the halls of Dunseith High, Don was also a terror.A gal meeting him in the hallway didn’t know whether to carry her books up high or down low?I,ll let someone else who knows more then I was told, finish this paragraph?

Don was never afraid to attempt anything.If he needed or wanted a job and if hefound out a contractor or business man, who needed a certain type worker.Thats what Don would become.I remember a contractor needed painters.Don told him that he was a painter, and was told to show up the next morning to go to work.Don went and walked around the construction site, finding out what kind of equipment he would need to have of his own, to perform the work.Then he went to the hardware store and bought all the necessary brushes and equipment that was required to do the job.He was hired and worked all summer as a journeyman painter.

I remember Don coming by the house one evening in the late 50’s.He asked me to go for a walk with him to the south part of town.Apparently there was a new girl in town and he wanted to check her out.We got down to her house and I think over half the boys in town were there.They were everywhere you looked.The girl was out visiting with a few of the boys and most all the rest were on standby and in a purelyobservation type posture.Then as if on cue into the yard pulled this vehicle, and out jumped this fellow.It was the girls father.He yelled, ” What hell are you?A bunch of dogs in heat?Get the hell out of here”.It didn’t take us long, we and the other boys scattered, and the girl disappeared into the house.Everyone was gone.

Being a young fellow and only an observer on this occasion, I just took mental notes.How was I to know, that about 30 years later, that I would be able to put to good use, the information I had gathered from that incident?

I had moved my family back to Harvey, ND and had bought a house.I came home after a long hot day at work.As I pulled into the driveway, I couldn’t help but notice that my house, and the entire property was crawling with boys.They appeared to be circling.I swear, some even appeared to be marking their territory, and others sniffing and remarking the same spot.My daughter was standing on the step visiting with a few of the boys.I immediately had a flash back to that time in Dunseith.I got out of my pickup and growled. ” What the hell are you?A bunch of dogs in heat?Get the hell out of here”.To my surprise and satisfaction it worked.Them boys all disappeared in less then a heart beat.My children occasionally remember and bring this experience up in conversation, and remind me howembarrased they were.But, as I leave the room, I smile to myself, thinking back and remembering , how well this worked for Mr. Fassett.I bet he was chuckling to himself too, and a little surprised, at how well it worked.It sure worked for me! When the same situation presented itself to me.A lesson learned!By the way, I’m sending a copy of this to my kids, and if their replies aren’t to bad, I’ll foreward them onto Gary.

I remember another time when Don came upon two girls fighting.The loser was left sitting on the ground crying.Don walked over to her and picked her up.As she wrapped her arms around Don’s neck, she looked up into his eyes and stated to him. ” your just like superman”.Don walked a little taller that day.However, it was rumored a few years down the road that the same girl called him a banana-nose.I don’t know what Don did or was attempting to do to cause this responce.Actually I do, but I’ll let someone else tell that story.It seemed that it took Don, and everyone else a long time, before everyone forgot this moniker. (thanks Kenny).

Don was also a outstanding baseball player.Don’s nick-name at the time was Lee May.I don’t recall why the other team members gave him the name.It may be that Don hadn’t quite grown into his ears yet and resembled the fabled baseball players look.Have you noticed that boys at a certian age have ears that stick straight out from their heads.They kind of look like a semi coming at you with both doors open?Girls, I suppose have the same problem, but are able to hide them with their hair.

Don played the position of either second base or shortstop.Which in itself says he was good baseball player.I think John Morgan and George Gottbreht were assistant coachs for the summer baseball team, andClarence Michaels, who was the cop, was the coach for the team.Some of the other players on the team were John Leonard (right hand) and Julian Kalk (left hand)- pitchers, and Jim Evans -catcher, and Lyle Lamoureux -first base, and Dave Shelver-third base.I don’t recall who the other players were and I may have some of their positions wrong, but I do remember that there were two or three more cousins of John Leonard’s that played on the team.I think there family ran the restaurant that was located along Main, where Wayne’s Grocery store is now located.Because, after baseball practice, The Leonards and I would wander up there and the people running the restaurant would give us each a chocolate ice cream sundae.I remember that summer (1957?) as being really hot.Them ice cream sundaes tasted real good.In the afternoons we would all make our way down to the creek, straight west of the new high school.The school wasn’t built yet, so this statement is for the benefit of the younger crowd.For the older crowd, the swimming hole was straight north of the slaughter house, intersection of highway#5 and Willow Creek.There was a small crook in the creek with a tree on the east bank with a slopeing trunk you could walk up and a large branch that hung out over the creek that we dived off.The area was shaded and was a great place to swim and hang out during the hot sunny afternoons.How did a young fellow like me get involved with the baseball team.Well, John Leonard would come walking by the house every morning on his way to baseball practice and invite me along.We lived in the large two story house (Richard House) just west of the Methodist or Stone Church.The ball field was located in the large flat area west of the creek, straight west of the Catholic Church, as was the football field and the track field at that time.What did I do there with all them kids?Apparently they needed someone to run down the foul balls and return them to the playing field and apparently I thought it was worth doing for a chocolate ice cream sundae.Of course the ice cream was better back in them days as everything was.

Don, “We never called him Don, we always called him Egbert” was a good softball player also.We played for John Awalt’s(65er)Standard Service Station in the late 60s.Don played second base or shortstop and I was a outfielder.Snowflake (Gene) Poitra was our pitcher.

The most fun game was a game we played up at Deloraine, Manitoba.Unknown to us was that they played fast pitch up there and we always played slow pitch.So, it was decided that when they pitched to us at bat, that they would throw fast pitches and when we pitched to them, we would slow pitch.It was a great experience, was fun, and we also won.I think their team consisted of mostly Goodons and Mcleods, so some of players did know each other.

The worst game was a game we played a tMylo, ND.They had erected a snow fence in the outfield and ruled that every ball hit over the fence was a automatic home run.There was no opening in the fence and it seemed, that every pitch them farmers hit, went over the fence.Being a outfielder and having to retrieve the ball meant I had to run all the way around the end and back the same way.After about 5 trips like that I was getting a little tired of that fence and it looked like I was going to be chasing homerun balls all night.During these bouts around the fence I was trying to figure out a shortcut, and I began checking and looking for a spot I could work with.So, when the next fly ball went sailing over my head, I started running toward the fence, went into a horizontal position, and drop kicked the supporting fence post.Ya, I didn’t think I could do it neither.Well wouldn’t you know it?Them farmers were some damn good homerun hitters, but not very good fence erectors.That fence started falling, and it was like watching dominoes, it kept on falling until it was mostly all down, and was no longer a barrier.They complained about the fence, and they also still won the game.They killed us!We got even though!We went to their bar after the game and drank up most of their beer.

The greatest game was a game we played in Rolla against the Dunseith Teachers.They had beat us every game up until this tournament in Rolla.That game, we could do know wrong and we beat them.What a great feeling.In fact John, didn’t we win the championship?

Damn, this story kind of reminds me of the comment on my term paper that had to be in before they would let us graduate high school, “A conglomeration of material leading to nowhere”, byMr. Grossman.

Laugh and the world laughs with you.

Larry

It’s Frozen Fingers Festival time again. There will not be a dance on Friday night this year; there will be a jam session instead. The jam session is open to anyone who would care to participate.

I plan to be at the festival from 1:00 until closing both days–most likely I’ll be selling tickets. If you see me, please stop and say “hi”; tell me who you are if I don’t know you.