Gary and friends,
In days gone by, I, a mere second grader amongst 8 others in my class which was combined with 1st graders on the stage at Dunseith Elementary.
I had attended Liberty School in Marysville ,WA in first grade while our family lived with dad’s brother, Archie in his home.
Among the 2nd grade classmates was my best childhood friend, L. Dean Lamb..
That previous year 1st grade experience had taken a toll on me.
Returning to ND, I still was devastated by my Uncle’s horrifying death.
I recall one Sunday afternoon playing trucks with Dean upstairs of the Lamb home. We were making our truck sounds and driving around those trucks around and round the open stair case.
In midst of our play, Dean stopped his truck turned to me and said, “I heard about your uncle.”
Weakly, I whispered, “yeahh?”
Dean said,”I am sorry.” Nothing more was ever said.
But I believed finally, someone….. Dean… understood my pain, he cared and voiced his love.
Dean made a difference.
That year, another other best girlfriend emerged.. I latched on to her like a woodtick, pesty, inviting myself to stay with her over nighting as often as I could at Uncle Jim and Aunt Ella’s
I always managed to finagle the second seat behind the bus driver, on the drive from the elementary school to the high school.
I saved that spot for my coveted cousin.
Helen made a difference.
But many times a rascally high school boy would jump in and sit beside me teasing. He wouldn’t leave., tell methe seat was his. I usually made my harrowing escape by crawling over the seat, under the seat and finding another. I was quite angry with him! And I made a childlike judgment of dislike.
For many years, I believed the rascally high school boy was Loren Dubois.
At the gathering at the Bingo Barn 4 years ago. I told Loren of my second grade displeasure. He apolozied. But clearly didn’t know what I was talking about.
And apparently later discussed it with his brother Dennis.
At a later date, probably at cemetery cleaning, Loren approached me, “Do You remember telling about my taking the seat for Helen on the bus?” Yes. then he said, My brother Dennis said, “Loren, don’t you remember we’d moved into town and we didn’t ride bus.”
“Wow, I am so glad after all these years, I’d I had a long case of childish mistaken identity, and perception.”
It is good to communicate, discuss events and memories.
Gary you have provided many of us the opportunity to communicate our perceptions, feelings and memories on this blog. You have planned fabulous reunions. You have shown your beautiful wife, home and Filipino friends. You have opened our eyees to another culture
And you share your consideratation without judgement.
Gary, You have made a difference!
Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.
Vickie
01/20/2008
The many high school concerts, those were the days, performing for our families and friends. (anyone remember the Music Festivals) Hermanson’s Bakery, he was such a good man, he use to give us credit and loved those baked goods. I remember snowmobile parties with my classmates, I remember going to many parties at Beer Can Alley, Halvorson’s Grove, The Butte, and the Gravel Pit.
I can go on and on about the good times spent in Dunseith North Dakota, but wanted to mention but a few things that I remember and do pop up from time to time when visiting with old friends, I guess that is why they call them memories. I do enjoy the stories from people and how time changes. Although we go our separate ways in life, we tend to always go back to our roots and I am very proud to say I grew up in Dunseith North Dakota!!
Once again thank you Gary for allowing us to walk down Memory Lane!!! Oh and by the way…as always the Class of 76 Rules!!!!
and other recollections was a dense concentration of interesting
dialogue.
I happened to be in the Stone Church in Dunseith, sitting next to
Mabel Boardman who was holding Don before his baptism. He sang in
Church for the first time, probably, since he was a very young tike.
It was mostly a “WAH” rather that hymnal in nature, but I was
observing a beginning of a long time musical avocation. I knew his
brothers Bob and Harold very well. I have read about his work in
Bottineau County over the years.
I was two years behind Don Johnson and Bernice Olson in high school
at Dunseith, and they both were very good friends. Dick and Brenda
have established themselves in the musical world, and thanks to Wayne
Smith, I got to spend a pleasurable evening at his terrific facility
west of Lake Metigoshe and enjoy hours of top notch entertainment by
those two and many others from that part of the world. I’ll
certainly be returning for future engagements when I return from the
SW. That is a tremendous feature that the Turtle Mountain citizens
have built right in.
The conversations about pie made me remember that our neighbor
Florence Sunderland and my mother, Inez Hosmer used to deliver a
sampling of cookies, brownies, etc to each other when a new batch
took form. My brothers and I would feast on those fresh delights
(still warm). I used to shovel a path through the snow from door to
door, so there wouldn”t be and delays in delivery. Patsy Sunderland
and I at a pre school age used to walk around the town to places
like Mrs Isaacson, wife of Carl SR. and Mrs Higgins, wife of Frank,
and get cookie and milk treats on the back steps of their kitchens
during summer months. The cookie jar in our kitchen was usually
stocked, and most of the time there was a chocolate cake with thick
chocolate frosting in reach for after school treats. The aromas that
occurred in that kitchen was a joy. I hope its getting close to
dinner, because my mouth is watering, although desserts are the
exception nowadays.
Bill Fassett’s daughters have been generous with important picutes
of people so familiar to me. It certainly is a gift to have this
interaction going on.
Another memory out of the past is that my mother used to help with
baby birthing events, as she, Lenore Lamoureux, wife of Leo, Hattie
Lilleby, wife of Arnold were registered nurses. I was quite young
but accompanied mother to the Grimme home above the shoe shop on
mainstreet, near the show hall (Althea Theater). I was standing in
the living room with Mr. Grimme and we heard Conley’s first cry.
Mr. Grimme said, “My God”. Bill Grimme came later.
Getting back to food for a bit, it was a tremendous challenge to
walk by Pat McAtee’s bakery without stopping when the Bismarck’s
were being put on display. They cost a nickel, and sometimes they
were hard to come by when we were kids. One source for money was
picking up soda and beer bottles in the ditches and return them for
1cent each. After a dance, they were prevalent and we even used to
get enough pennies to pay for the movie which was a dime for awhile
when I was young. We did not miss many movies. One time my brother
Don and I attended a Sunday matinee, after eating a hot pork
combination sandwich at the Peace Garden Cafe which was two doors
south of the drugstore. The movie was “Blood and Sand” with Tyrone
Power who was a bull fighter. When we got home, Dad’s ear was next
to the radio, and he told us we were at war. It was 7 Dec 1941, and
he had been listenting to President F D Roosevelt. That really
changed our lives in a big way. Pat McAtee became our Boy Scout
Troop Scoutmaster, and we got busy collecting paper, tin cans,
bacon fat and doing all the other things scouts did then. The troop
is pictured on page 311 of PRAIRIE PAST AND MOUNTAIN MEMORIES.
Then our men started to leave for war, and it really was a dramatic
time as they finished their training assignments, then came home on
furlough before they got into the fight. We had these young men in
every branch of the service. The Cornell family had four sons at war
at the same time. We younger guys would try to talk with them, though
their time was limited, because we wanted to know what it was like.
They were certainly our heroes without question. They certainly did
become the Generation which Tom Brokaw described in an impressive way.
Way too long this time, but it might trigger some recollections from
others, who have been doing it so well. Cheers, Bill Hosmer
To Larry H. — I hope you eat that apple pie with a generous slice of cheese. My mom and Grandma Kate and Grandma Goodie were some of the best pie bakers around. Sadly, I did not inherit that skill. And there is nothing wrong with people who like sauerkraut, lutefisk and limberger cheese(althought my husband may argue otherwise–Ha!!).
Keep the memories and thoughts coming. Hugs and prayers to all. Susan(Fassett) Martin