Happy Birthday Kenny Nerpel (’65): Rugby, ND
Pictures from Pastor Orval Moren: Coon Rapids, MN.
From: Pastor Moren
Picture of Orval and Bernell Moren, Dunseith,
Peace, Rendahl and Little Prairie Lutheran 1960-1963
Merry Christmas everyone, and a prosperous New Year 2015
Pastor Orval and Bernell Moren
School days About 1937
Story from Vickie Metcalfe (’70): Bottineau, ND
Parents Were Perfect Children”
As a child I held parents in high esteem. I had the belief “Parents never ever make mistakes.” “Parents are not mere mortals. “Parents always do the right thing.” Etc! Etc!
It was in the summer of my 10th year I learned from my father’s very own little sister Jean that he was not a perfectly well behaved model child at school.
Yes, t’was my very own Auntie Jean who told me the enlightening tale of one of his “escapades “at school. Of course, I was quite mortified to hear my dad was responsible for the closing of Dunseith School for 5 days!
My own dad would never tell me all the details. He kept his secrets. He never told me “the who’s, “how’s”, “the whys” others that were also involved.”
I was telling my Aunt that my dad never made mistakes. She replied, Aw Ha! So your father never told you about when he put limburger cheese in the school radiator?
Hesitating, I took a breath, I did not have a clue what limburger cheese was. ‘The only cheeses I knew were Mom making homemade cottage cheese, if we lived in town she bought cottage cheese, my sister Cyndy and Uncle Archie both hated it and wouldn’t eat it unless they were under duress. The only other cheese purchased would be by Dad who favored eating long horn Colby cheese with the Horse collar bologna.
Horrified I said to Jean, “ What happened?. Jean said, Well you need to ask your dad about it. At the supper table that night eating roast beef and potatoes and peas, amongst the Maki family. I said, Dad, What is limburger cheese?
He said, “Why”
I said, “cause Jean said you put it into the school radiator and school was shut down for about a week.”
Dad said well Vickie, Limburger Cheese is a skinky cheese that a lot of old Norwegians used to like…..Yes I put it in the school radiator….He went back to cutting up his beef and changed the subject talking to Aunt Jean about various cheeses.
NO, Dad never denied. He said he did it. But doggone it I could never get the whole story out of him. He would never utter or tell on anyone.
But for years my inquiring mind wouldn’t let go.
“WHO did he get the cheese from?”
“WHERE he go it?”
“WHY he did it?”
Twenty-some years later……….
I found out the rest of the tale. All I’m saying today, it had to do with schoolyard games……of upperclassmen.
Keep pondering, Gary and friends!
Until later,
Vickie
Joke of the day
Posted by Dick Johnson (’68): Dunseith, ND
There was a man who worked for the post office whose job was to process all the mail that had illegible addresses.
One day, a letter came addressed in a shaky handwriting to God with no actual address. He thought he should open it to see what it was about.
The letter read:
Dear God,
I am an 83 year old widow, living on a very small pension. Yesterday someone stole my purse. It had $100 in it, which was all the money I had until my next pension payment. Next Sunday is Christmas, and I had invited two of my friends over for dinner. Without that money, I have nothing to buy food with. I have no family to turn to, and you are my only hope… Can you please help me?
Sincerely, Edna
The postal worker was touched. He showed the letter to all the other workers. Each one dug into his or her wallet and came up with a few dollars. By the time he made the rounds, he had collected $96, which they put into an envelope and sent to the woman at her return address.
The rest of the day, all the workers felt a warm glow thinking of Edna and the dinner she would be able to share with her friends.
Christmas came and went. A few days later, another letter came from the same old lady to God. All the workers gathered around while the letter was opened.
It read:
Dear God,
How can I ever thank you enough for what you did for me? Because of your gift of love, I was able to fix a glorious dinner for my friends. We had a very nice day, and I told my friends of your wonderful gift.
By the way, there was $4 missing. I think it might have been those bastards at the post office.
Sincerely, Edna
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Blog (215) posted on September 7, 2008
Folks, I got a call from Bill Grimme (65), midnight Dunseith time, last night (Friday). I think I understood him to say he arrived in the Dunseith/Bottineau area Thursday. He is staying at the Super 8 in Bottineau. He has been on the go, non stop. When he called, we were headed out the door to a wedding, so we had to cut our conversation short. I am including a picture of Bill, so you folks in the Dunseith/Bottineau areas know what he looks like if you happen to see him. This picture was taken in Paris, France about 6 weeks ago. Bill will probably be surprised when he sees this message posted with his picture. With the short time he will be in the area, I know he wants to see as many folks as possible. Bill is living in Birmingham AL. Bill is a very friendly sort of guy and he does not bite, so if you see him don’t be afraid to introduce your self. Gary
As I’m writing this, I just got a message from Dick Johnson informing me that Bill just called him and they set up an appointment to tour the museum in St. John today (Sunday) at 5:00 PM. Kenny/Shari Nerpel & possibly John/Margaret Bedard will be joining him. I’m sure when Dick has the Museum open, it’s open for all to enjoy. For some of you guys, that would be a nice Sunday drive over to St. John.
Bill Grimme
Reply for missing 40’s folks, from Mona Dionne Johnson (48):
My husband, Chuck, and Leo Murray were very good friends. We stopped to see him in Spokane on a trip west.
Leo has since passed on. His sister, Mary, as I recall him saying lived in California. Their father was the janitor at the school for many years, and all of us in the 40’s classes can well remember John’s smiling face. I don’t remember hearing Mary’s married name.
Mona Dionne Johnson (48)
Reply for missing 40’s folks, from Margaret Myhre Lary
Note: Margaret Myhre is a cousin to Carl Myhre, (Bank) from Rolette. I called Carl to get her contact info.
Mary Murray was a very good friend of mine. She was a nurse and married Paul Torrell, who was “Man of the Year” in Idaho. Mary died in the late 1990’s. She was the 1943 graduate.
Lona Lund Swant (class of 44). I last heard from her in the late 1990’s. At that time she was living at 764 Crestview Place, Walla Walla, Washington 99362
Margaret, I was saddened to find Lona Lund has passed on too. I found death records for both Lona Lund & Mary Murray. Thanks for providing this info. Gary
Folks, we have only two folks remaining to be located from the 40’s classes and they are both from the class of 1941. Please help if you know anything at all about either of these folks.
Class of 1941
Thelma Medlang – she was from the Little Prairie area
Irene Nelson
Folks, with all the positive responses we got with the story that Vickie Metcalfe provide about Carroll Carlson, She has agreed to share a series of traveling stories she has written about Carroll. I did not know Carroll, but with her stories and others provided by Dick Johnson, Carroll was a very interesting sort of a guy. Many of you did know the Carlson family and Carroll. They lived south and east of Kelvin up in the Turtle Mountains. We will be posting some of Carroll’s traveling stories, each day, for the next few days. We will sequentially number each days posting. Carroll is now deceased. Gary
(1) CARROLL CARLSON’S TRAVELING YEARS, BY VICKIE METCALFE (70):
SUMMER OF 1937, CARROLL AND ARCHIE AS RANCH HANDS IN CHINOOK MONTANA
The thirties were tough years economically, and those dry years were tough for agriculture in ND and on the youth who were seeking jobs.
Carroll and Archie Metcalfe, were neighbors and about the same age. Carroll grew up on the Carlson farm about 2 miles north of the Metcalfe’s at Rabbit City Lake. Carroll’s sister, Ursella, Luella Cote and Leona Metcalfe were also friends who rode horse together.
Carroll had completed High School at Dunseith in 1934. Archie had worked for area farmers and FDR’s, CCC program. Archie’s father passed away in July of 1935. And his mother moved to Dunseith, with the younger children.
With the scarcity of work Carroll and Archie decided to relocate to the West Coast in early spring/summer of 1937. They found their way to Minot and discovered they did not have enough money to get all the way to the coast. So they decided to buy tickets with all they had, about $10.00 apiece, and caught a west bound train. The tickets would take them as far as the middle of Montana.
Kelso Graham had worked two or three years for the Carlson family, in the early 20’s for the Carlson’s. After a time in the twenties, he and Clifford Medlang, son of Ole and Christine of the Little Prairie area decided to head west into Montana. Clifford was the younger of the two, and didn’t tell his parents he was leaving fearing his mother would not allow him to go. The two young men went to work for the Miller Brothers Ranch located in North Central Montana. The Miller Brothers Ranch was one of the largest privately owned ranches in Montana at that time. There may have been some bigger, but generally run by a corporate style operation, owners living in the east and with a manager running the ranch.
Well, when they didn’t have the fare to go to the West Coast, Carroll remembered,Kelso Graham was living in Chinook, Montana. Upon arriving in Chinook the next morning, they got off the train, with just the clothes on their backs. They went to seek out Kelso. At that time Kelso was working at a gas station. Carroll and Archie told him they were looking for summer work. With Kelso’s help, by the same afternoon, they both had found employment as ranch hands.
They were going to work for Mr. MacIver who owned a sheep ranch, called the “Sprinkle Ranch”. Carroll and Archie were asked about their equipment. Their answer, “What equipment?” Carroll said, “We did not have anything except the clothes on our backs. The necessary equipment included a bedroll. So, MacIver loaned us the money to purchase what we needed, the expense was taken out of the first pay check.”