From Dick Johnson (68): Dunseith, ND.

Gary and Friends,

I just thought I might send a few memories of Sharon Zorn Gerde’s
family. I remember she had the prettiest long golden blond hair in the
country! She used to play piano for Sunday School at the old Dunseith
Lutheran Church. Her dad, Bill Zorn, was the president of the Sunday
School for a while and I think was also a Sunday School teacher. This
would have been when I was around 10 or 11 years old, in ’60 or ’61.
That’s just a guess, but should be close. I remember hearing about an
accident Sharon had while making caramel rolls. If I remember correctly,
as she was turning the pans over, which is how it’s done, the pan
slipped and she got badly burned by the hot caramel on her legs and
feet. Am I right here Sharon, or is my memory incorrect on this one. I
also remember when Sharon’s sister, Marlys, started school in Dunseith
in about the 4th or 5th grade. She had a friend who was also new. I
think her name was Sandy Vandal–I’m quite sure it was Vandal, but not
sure of the first name. They were both new in school and stuck together
for support. It seems to me that the Vandal girl didn’t stay in Dunseith
very long. I wonder if Marlys could refresh my memory? The rest of the
Zorns graduated from Bottineau High School, I believe, and Marlys went
to the School of Forestry when I was a second year student there. Her
picture was on a daily message (#508) on this site with other Smokey’s
queen candidates including our very own Miss Vickie Metcalfe! Thanks Gary!

Dick

Reply from Al-Lyn (Bill) Longie (60): Al-lyn.Longie@integratelecom.com Vancouver, WA

Gary,

We enjoyed every moment of our cruise. It was more then we expected and couldn’t have been better. If there was anything we would have done differently it would have been to get more proactive scheduling time with folks to visit. But those we did “bump” into and have a chance to chat with proved to be part of what made the whole trip so wonderful for us. We even came away with contact information for LaVerne and Carrole Fauske/Rude who while they weren’t able to make the cruise we did get to meet at the pre boarding dinner to find out they live right here in Vancouver.

We can’t wait to here about future plans for other get togethers.

Al-lyn Longie

Integra Telecom

Network Cost Analyst II

Rely from Verena (Pete) Gillis (65): Dunseith, ND.

> Gary,
I do not have an address for Peter Jr. at this time, as soon as I get one
I will post it.
Thank you so much for the nice compliment. Cheryl was completely
surprised and I was so tickled for her. She teaches my little
grandchildren at the Day School, singing lessons for my 8 year old
granddaughter Thalia and of course Piano Lessons also. She has always been
one of my favorite people.
I of course had to be told due to golfing in my annual Les Jensen
Scholarship tournament. This was very unexpected and I will treasure this
award forever!
Verena

Another great story from Larry Hackman (66): Bismarck, ND

Gary

How are you? I’m happy to hear that everyone on the Dunseith alumni trip had a great time. But as you know and we all know is that it would have been even greater if more people would have joined the group. Maybe next time.

I hope you and others enjoy the story, I have attached.

larry

Gary,

A few stories about reversing the aging process?

Looking Back

You know looking back becomes a problem for us men as we get older.I know most of you don’t want to hear anymore about this because most of us hear enough about it already.It seems, or as we have been told, us men in particular have trouble cranking our heads around and looking at whats behind us.Particularily when we are seated in a automobile.It seems that when we sit our hips push up on the rest of our upper body bone structure.This causes our shoulders to rise, making it more difficult to turn our heads to the left or to the right and to see whats behind us.It seems when we turn our heads, our chin comes in contact with our raised shoulders, limiting our ability to look back. This may be do to the extra rib we have or to the way the automobile seat is designed?Just being a little bit over 50, this problem has not affected me to bad yet.But thinking about it, reminded me of a few incidences and stories that I have observed and heard of over the years.

Handled the right way?

I’m sure most of you remember Frank Flynn, our Dunseith Police Magistrate or as I and many others

referred to him as the Dunseith Judge.Frank was a big man and well respected around town.Well, Anyway Frank was getting old and seemed to have developed this problem, that comes with old age of not looking back while backing up.This problem along with the diagonal parking on main, became a problem for him.He became involved in several small fender bender type accidents around town. Usually of the backing up type, variety. Most of the locals knew of Frank’s problem and most of our folks had warned their children to watch out for that 1954 green Chevy, and to stay clear of it.Folks, however, were complaining to the local policeman at the time that he ought to take his drivers license away before something serious happens.While the policeman being a smart fellow and wanting to keep his job, thought about this for awhile and came upon the idea of asking a Highway Potrolman, to ask Frank for his license.Frank after all couldn’t say much or do much to bother a Highway Patrolman.The Highway Patrolman when approached and asked by the policman said he would look into what he could do.

The Highway Patrolman also being a smart fellow knew before he approched the Judge that he better have all his ducks in a row.He called into the State Department of Transportation and asked for the status of Frank’s license.He found that Frank had not renewed his license since the early 50’s and this was the 60’s.The Highway Patrolman finding this out, and that Frank had, had another small fender bender type accident recently, approached Frank and talked to him about the accident and his previous accidents.He told Frank that if he should happen to have another accidentthat he would have to ask him for his drivers license, and that it was probably time to park the car, and not drive anymore.Frank apparently agreed and I don’t think he ever drove the car again.I think it was just his chin or shoulders or both causing the problem.

Curtians

My Grandfather ( Alex Kraft) not only developed the same problem as mentioned in the above story, but he also developed a lead foot type, problem.My mother who looked after him in his later years said he would back out of the garage and out into the street without ever looking back and by the time he hit Wurglars Gas Station on Main Street, Rugby, with that Buick he was traveling at 60mph.(By the way, do you know how to clear a restaurant of old people? Just, announce that there is a Buick in the parking lot with the lights on.)My mother would get after her dad, by telling him to look back as he was backing up the car, and he would reply that he had checked out the driveway and the street before he had started backing and so he knew what was back there. She would also tell him to slow down, as a kidcould dart out from behind a parked vehicle and he might not be able to stop in time.He would reply that he watchs and that nothing has happened yet.My mother still worried, asked the City C.O.P. if he could take her dads license away.The COP replied that he has no authority to take someones license away.Then, one day my Grandfather was parked in front of the bank on Main Street, Rugby.There was a little ice and snow on the street.He put his car in reverse and wanted to back out onto the street.The rear wheels spun and the car did not move.Being a old retired farmer, grandpa started to rock the car by placing it in reverse and accelerating, and then placing it in drive and accelerating and back and forth.Now I don’t know if Grandpa lost track of what gear he was in or how heavy his foot was upon the accelerator, anyway all of a sudden the car flew up and over the curb and into the big picture window of the bank.Half of the car was sitting in the bank and half was still outside the bank.The people in the bank didn’t know if he was there to make a deposit or a withdrawl.Grandpa,who said afterwards he had closed his eyes when saw he was going into the bank, thought he had died and was in the funeral home, because when he opened his eyes all he could see was curtians. My mother got a call to come up town and get her dad and that everyone was OK and that there was damage to the building and to her dad’s car.Mom got up there and saw her dad and everyone else was alright.She then went over to the Chief of Police and asked him again, if he could do something to stop him from driving.The C.O.P. replied that he could ask her Dad for his license and if he voluntarily gives the license to him, he would then give it to her, and if he would ever ask him for the license back, that he would come to her to get the license, and that he would have to give it back to him as he had no authority to take someones license.Mom agreed with the policemans proposal.The C.O.P. then asked my Grandpa for his license.My Grandpa willingly gave the officer his license without any questions.The officer than gave the license to my mother.My Grandpa never drove again.Sad, But I think it was handled the right way.

Garbage

I know this is getting long, but there is one more I have tell.

We had this elderly fellow (Marvin Theige) living across the street from us when we lived in Harvey,ND. On garbage day he would take his filled garbage bags and throw them upon the trunk of his car and back out to the street, stop, get out, walk to the back of his car, and take the garbage bags off his trunk lid and placethem along the curb for pick-up by the garbage truck.Marvin did this when he remembered he had placed the filled garbage bags on his trunk.Nine times out of ten he would back out on the street and go driving around town until someone would kid him about the bags sitting on his trunk.Then he would drive back home and place the bags on the curb and drive off.The fact he forgot the bags on his trunk is not the point I’m trying to make.In all fairness to him his driveway was a little longer then the ordinairy driveway, so he did have time to forget.The point I’m trying to make is that he must never have looked back or ever looked into his rear view mirror, while backing out onto the street.It was nice that everyone knew Marvin, and watched out for him and the kids were warned to stay out of his way.I don’t know if anyone ever took away his keys.He was still driving when we moved away from Harvey.

Gremlins

One more, I’m on a roll!

My father-in-law always wanted to catch the little bastard that was sneaking into garage and putting down the overhead door before he could back out of the garage.I don’t know how many times he put the hitch on his car through the bottom panel of the overhead door.Damn Gremlins!

a few bullets

·

So you see what we all got to look foreward to. But, like they say. Its better then the alternative.

·

Now, Gary I know you are going say something about me being a little bit over 50 again.All I can say is that it depends on your perspective as to what a little bit is and your diffinition of is.

·

I remember, My Mother, Milton Burrow, Ronald Reagan, and Kenny Nerpel all remained at the ripe old age of 39?

·

I was thinking about just having the extra rib removed to make it easier to crank my head around to look back.But Gary, It has taken me a long time to get to this point and with this build-up, I have to say, that unless they change the seats in the cars,that I think you are ahead of the game with that chin shortening surgery?

Remember to laugh as when you laugh the whole world seems a better place.

larry

Larry, this is another great story! My philosophy on getting old is that I will never get there. Those senior to me may be senior citizens, but I never plan on reaching the age of being a Senior citizen and I plan on living past a 100. Yes, I happen to know just how old you are and you are a bit over 50 or should I say 60, but you are not old. Keep the Stories coming. Gary

Memo from Phyllis/Alan Campbell dated June 16, 2009: Minot, ND

My brother Darrel gave me this envelope from the Campbell’s when we were on the Cruise. Gary

Hi Stokes Family,

In going through stuff in Dunseith preparing for our move to the Wellington in Minot, I found this issue of the Courant I had saved for your family. Please pass it on and share it with Gary as we so enjoy his daily “blog” and maybe he will copy this and include it for others to enjoy.

You mom and dad were so good to Alan’s Aunt Anne and Uncle Glen Campbell when they lived in Bottineau and we enjoyed a few of their visits too.

That Dunseith reunion really started the memory wheels rolling and it just keeps going and going. Hope the Bottineau 125th is as successful as ours was.

Best wishes

Phyllis and Alan Campbell

Phyllis & Alan, this means so much to us knowing that you guys thought enough of our dad to save this article all these years. Our folks were very close friends of Ann and Glen Campbell. I don’t remember Glen that well, but I sure remember Ann. Dad kept a pretty close eye on Ann the last several years before she moved to the Good Samaritan home in Bottineau. He felt so good when you guys expressed your appreciation for what he was doing too.

Folks, Our dad, Bob Stokes, was the Bottineau town Santa Clause for many years. It’s a job he truly enjoyed from the bottom of his heart. His highlight, being Santa, each year was visiting the residents at the Good Samaritan home and the long term care at the hospital. He’d talk about those visits all year long until it was time for the next years visits. He visited each and every resident every year. He gave them each a bag of candy too. Our dad was truly a people person with superb people skills. Material things in life were not really that important to him. People are what mattered to him.

Thank you Phyllis for sharing this with us. This brings back some great memories.

Gary

Posted by Phyllis/Alan Cambell:

Front page of the Bottineau Courant – December 12, 1977