Folks, I just talked with Marsha Getzlaff Bakken. She just got back from Colorado, visiting her daughter and her family. She will be sending information and identities of her Dad, Darrel’s, family that are in the Getzlaff family photo that I posted several days ago. She wants to talk to her dad first, to make sure she gets everything correct. Marsha lives in Anchorage, Alaska. I will be posting all the replies that you folks sent along with what I get from Marsha. I will be posting the picture again too. Gary
Message from Minnie Mary McKay Merrill (48):
This is my first response to the very enjoyable “memories” of my
Dunseith days.
I taught school at the Lockhart rural school north of Dunseith. The
school house was 1 mile south of the Canadian line. This was about 1950
and 1951. One pleasant memory was walking to Tommy Hagen’s school to
play ball. What a “field trip!” Curt Millang, Dennis Espe, Curt Kavlie
were my heavy hitters.
Cheering for Lockhart were the first graders because I think we had to
have everyone on the team to make a go of it. That had to be Sandra
Zeiler and maybe Garrett Myers. What a bunch of good kids I had. There
were 6 Millang kids, 2 Zeilers, 3 Handlands, 1 Kavlie, 2 Salmonsons, 2
Espes and 1 Myers. I most likely have the two years mixed up but then
that was over 50 years ago.
I live in Renton, WA and have been here for about 35 years. Most
of my family of the McKays live in North Dakota so I do go “home” to
visit. My sister, Phyllis, lives in Auburn, WA.
Thanks to you, Gary, for this unusual connection for all of us on
the receiving end.
Minnie Mary McKay Merrill
Reply from Tom Hagen (51):
Hi, Gary, another of my pupils at the Wetherault School I noted had
written with the cowboy serial (Warren Anderson) Tom Hagen
We love E-mail letters, Love Tom and Dot
Tom, Warren is part of the class of 65, along with me and all the others. Warren and his wife Cora are living in Rolette. Gary
Message from Vickie Metcalfe (70):
Gary and friends,
In the Minot Daily News today,November 20, 2008
LAURA POTRATZ, 99, Rugby, died Wednesday in a Rugby hospital. (Elick
Funeral Home, Rolla)
Mrs. Potratz was formerly “Miss Olson”. My Dad Cliff, and Aunt
Leona (Metcalfe) were very fond of her.And spoke highly of Miss
Olson as a their HillSide country school teacher in the late 1920′s
and early 1930′s.
As an adult, my dad plastered her farm house and they renewed their
acquaintance as dad’s favorite teacher.
When Aunt Leona (Metcalfe) Oswell and son Ron came back to ND in
June 2000 they had dinner at the Dunseith Senior Center. “Miss
Olson” ie. Mrs. Potratz came because it was put in the Dunseith news
that Leona would having dinner there, renewing friendships ,they had
a very lengthy visit.
When, Leona came back to my house that afternoon, she brought school
pictures of herself that Mrs. Potraz had kept all those years and
gave to Leona. My Aunt Leona was absolutely delighted about this
visit at Dunseith Senor Citizens, especially with comments by “Miss
Olson” that she recalled Leona was one of her “brightest and most
intelligent students” . Leona was like a little school girl. again
tickled and …. awed that Miss Olsen would say that.
Mrs.Laura (Olson) Potraz taught at many Rolette and Bottineau
County rural schools. Maybe some of you recall her?
A side note, she and her husband donated monies to decorate one of
the rooms at Metigoshe Lutheran Christian Center. It seems to me it
was a room with a “schoolhouse” motif.
–
Vickie L. Metcalfe
Follow up message from Vickie Metcalfe (70):
Gary and etal, I notified my cousins this am of Mrs. Potratz passing….thought you might be interested in what Geri and Chuck Munro wrote. I then realized it was HillSide School (Bergan) not Hilltop School. My dad used to sing..”.HillSide will shine to night, Hillside will shine” . etc Thank you!………….. |-O Vickie
X-EduTech-MailScanner-From:
Geri here—I had Miss Laura Olson for a teacher at our little Hilltop Country School–she was excellent and told me she had taught Leona and Cliff and others–maybe at Hillside?? Vickie, we’ve shared pics from Hillside when relatives went there. Chuck had her in 4th grade in Rolla; and she started him playing the bass drum in Grade 4-5 Rhythm Band–his introduction to playing the drums He, too, felt she was an excellent teacher–no one seemed to forget that she had been their teacher. She was a CLASSIC. We visited with her a few times after she married Bill Potratz.
Reply from Shirley Olson Warcup (49):
A message for Lloyd Awalt.
You probably didn’t know this, but a small contingent of freshman girls (myself included) spent a few hours awaiting your arrival in Dunseith the day you arrived home from military service. We had heard you were coming home that day and we waited in the Drug Store–intermittently going out to see if we could see your Dad’s car coming . I’m not sure how long we waited , but we did catch a glimpse of you as you came down main street. We were too shy to wave and cheer–but you were silently and happily welcomed home that day!! Belated thanks for your service to the country and to all of us!
Shirley Olson Warcup
Reply from Mel Kuhn (70):
Howdy Gary,
Great story from Lloyd Awalt. Thank you Lloyd for sharing it with us.
Mel Kuhn[70]
Picture provide by Neola Kofoid Garbe:
Folks, The three guys standing in the back are Emil Hazeldahl, John Kofoid & Bob Stokes. Lillian Houle is the lady with a red top in the front. John Kofoid is Neola’s Dad. He owned the Corner Stone Garage, in Dunseith, in the 50′s/60′s. Lillian is the mother of Allen Houle and all the Houle children that attended Dunseith in the 60′s/70′s. Emil Hazeldahl was married to my dad’s sister Olga. Olga was first married to Bert Hanson, brother to Francis Morinville. She married Emil a few years after Bert’s death.
