Folks,
This will be the last blog message until August 14th. Bernadette and I will be leaving for and spending the night in Manila tomorrow. Thursday Morning we’ll be departing for Seattle. We have a lot planned for this trip back. Following the cruise, we will be having a reunion with my former Army Reserve unit also being held at the Best Western. Our group paved the way for that reunion. I just mirrored it to ours. That one is shaping up to being a pretty big reunion. We were a Dental Unit out of Tacoma and did most of our week-end drills in one of the Dental Clinics at Fort Lewis. We became a pretty close knit bunch over the years. Our unit was deactivated in 1996 and this will be our first reunion. We were the largest Dental reserve unit in the whole Army with 90 members inclusive of 35 Dentist. In the last 3 weeks I got roped into organizing a breakfast reunion for the retired folks from my former department code in the Shipyard too. Bernadette and I have also arranged to have a no host dinner with about 40 of our friends at one of the local Bremerton Restaurants too. As you can see, this will be a fun trip back for us.
Please keep the messages coming. I will get regrouped when I get back to the PI. I will be monitoring my Hotmail account the most while we are back in the states.
Gary
From Dave Slyter (70): Fargo, ND.
Hey Gary:
I see that you have a birthday tomorrow (July21st) Just want to wish you a very “Happy Birthday” and thanks for all you have done to bring everyone together. 62????
Dave Slyter 
(70)
From Eileen Brudwick: Fargo, ND.
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Hi Gary,
I hope you have a safe, and very enjoyable trip to Seattle and Alaska. I know everyone will enjoy the time you spend together. Let us know all about it when you return. Have a very happy birthday, July 21st too!! I’ll be thinking of you all.
Eileen
Dave & Eileen, I was trying my best not to let the cat out the bag with this one, but yes today, July 21st, is my birthday. Actually Eileen, I was just going to send you a personal reply, but then when I got Dave’s message, I thought I better post them. Neola sent me an advance happy birthday wish several days ago too. Dale Pritchard sent advanced happy birthday greetings a while back too. Thanks to all of you. 7/21/1947 would make me 62. I can start drawing social security now. With the federal retirement system social security off set, I won’t be getting much, but that’s OK, I’m not complaining. I got my Social Security quarters with the Army Reserves. Those reserve years have sure given me a whole lot of benefits in my later years. Those older than me will always be the Senior citizen. I don’t ever plan on getting there. Gary
Two years ago (2007) at a family reunion in the Bottineau Park
Ken Stiker’s reply to Neola: Dayton, OH.
Neola- I sure appreciate your contributions to the blog. I am the “archivist” for the Striker family.
Wm Elmer Striker m Adele Schefter and homesteaded in the Rolette Co ND/Dunseith area in April of 1900. I would like to have anything you come across regarding descendants of this family. Ken Striker 4769 Arcadia Blvd, Dayton OH 45432. email:
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Question from Dale Pritchard (63): Leesville, LA
Gary, I didn’t know Clarence Bjornseth but I did know Jacob Bjornseth pretty well. We
rented his hay fields and stacked or baled his hay for a few years.
Jacob was a really nice person also. Was Clarence related to Jacob in
any way? I didn’t see Jacob’s name in the obituary.
Dale
Dale, the Bjornseth’s are all related. Clarence’s parents were Art & Emma Johnson Bjornseth. Jacob was married to Cora Johnson. Jacob and Art were Brothers married to sisters. That would make Jacob an uncle to Clarence. Cora and Emma Bjornseth were sisters to Sander, Eddie & James Johnson too. Not too many years ago when I was talking to Clarence in Bottineau, I commented that he had a long walk to the Ackworth school from where they lived in Bottineau county. He said “When I went to Ackworth, we lived where the Bob Pritchard farm is today”. That’s your old place. As a kid I can remember visiting Art & Emma Bjornseth on Sunday afternoons. With the lunch Emma prepared, we never went away from their house hungry. We boys had some hellacious appetites in those days too. Dad’s sister, Lilli Gunderson, thought we had warms and was dead serious when requesting my folks to have us checked to see if we did indeed have worms. We were just some bean pole kids with big appetites. Gary
Reply from Erling Landsverk (44): Portage, WI
Hi Gary and Everyone
Just a quick reference to the comment Verena Gillis made about Agent orange or other chemicals possibly used in the area between the Peace Garden and Lake Metigoshee that possibly could have added to the occurrence of cancer deaths in that area I sincerely hope that the U S Govt, the State of North Dakota, and canada, as well as local officials have addressed this with all of the citizens of North Dakota, more especially with those who lived in or near the “Hills”. If this was partially responsible, it is most unfortunate that people were not informed and I really believe the Chemical company owe a complete explanation as to why people were not informed or why there was not more research done too protect the residents. I will leave it there and trust the good judgement of the people of North Dakota to clear the matter up.
Meanwhile; I wish to wish you and your wife Bernadette, and all the Dunseith Alumni participating in the Alaskan cruise the best time and cruise possible
Kindest Regards to All
Erling Landsverk
Reply from Ele Dietrich Slyter (69): Dunseith, ND.
I too remember sneaking in to listen to the band during lunch breaks. Wow were they ever good, and so many different instruments, some of which I had never seen or heard of before. And the day Mr. Johnson accepted me into choir was unforgettable. I was always in awe of him and his wonderful talents.
Now days the choirs and bands disappoint me too, when I get the opportunity to listen, as they seem to be just slightly off key and tempo. The choirs are very hard to hear over the accompanying music. Seems they don’t know about Mr. Johnson’s “sing out! I need to hear you!” But perhaps that is just me getting old and hard of hearing as well. LOL I do know however that you could hear our choir very well over the music as he recorded a lot of the songs we did and played them back in class to illustrate how we could do better. And he never settled for less than our best.
He also insisted on being well dressed and IN UNIFORM, no excuses. When my daughter started band the kids threw fits about having to wear uniforms. I guess they didn’t want to be recognized as part of an elite group and all wanted to be their own person, or perhaps they just thought them silly. But those band uniforms were great back in the 60’s. I can not ever remember seeing Mr. Johnson in anything but a suit and tie with well polished shoes and neatly cut hair.
Keep the memories comin’ y’all.
And thank you again Gary for your hard work and dedication to this blog.
ele
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Email address change for Pam Fassett Faust (65): Lilburn, GA
Gary – Please change my email to
I got laid off this morning, so I’m going to have to figure out how to use this alternate email address. I sincerely enjoy your daily messages. You are a saint to do this for all the ND folks. Thank you so much!
Pam (Fassett) Faust.
