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https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/3/ [13653]

Biographical Information: Angeline Mesenburg Beaver (August 13, 1907-April 15, 1984) was a lifelong resident of St. Cloud. She married Lynwood Beaver in 1934 - he passed away in 1975. She was active in St. John’s Episcopal Church and a member of St. Anne’s Altar Guild, American Red Cross, 20th Century Club and Stearns County Historical Society. In 1927, Beaver graduated from St. Cloud State University. Both are buried together in St. Cloud’s North Star cemetery.

Transcript Summary: Beaver described her family history in St. Cloud, particularly on the Southeast side. That family history included her husband who worked for Holes-Webway for 46 years, as well as her father Frank who was from Luxembourg and her mother Mary Rau who was from Canada. Her father worked at the St. Cloud Reformatory, while her mother attended St. Cloud State and taught afterwards. Beaver also went to St. Cloud State’s lab school and post-secondary program and taught in girls’ schools in Benton County, Popple Creek, Albany and St. Cloud. More generally, Beaver discussed and reflected on how the town of St. Cloud, especially the east side of the city, changed drastically and grew its population in the following years. She mentioned shopping and stores in downtown St. Cloud and attending the St. John’s Episcopal Church. In addition, Beaver chronicled her husband Lynwood’s career at Holes-Webway, including its many locations in the St. Cloud area. She also touched on his service during World War II as well as her own volunteer service to help the war effort.

Interviewed by Cal Cower and John LeDoux

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/6/ [13654]

Biographical Information: Jerome Burnett was born on September 28, 1926 in St. Cloud to Samuel and Mary Burnett. He attended school in the St. Cloud area, graduating from St. Cloud Cathedral in 1944. After graduation, he joined Marines and served during WW II until 1946. Jerome married to Mildred V. Johnson on June 6, 1950 in St. Cloud. He was an employee and an active union worker for many companies in Minnesota including DeZurik Company, Franklin Manufacturing, Cook and Son Manufacturing. He was also a candidate for the House of Representatives in 1964 and the grand lodge representative for the International Association of Machinists. During his He also served as a labor representative for the governor’s Indian Affairs committee, a member and president of St. Cloud Equal Rights Commission, and a member of St. Cloud Mayor’s tax advisory committee among many others. Jerome passed away on May 15, 2006.

Transcript Summary: In interviews conducted on December 30, 1977, and July 15 1986, Jerome talked about his life in St. Cloud, his professional career attached to many manufacturing companies in Minnesota, and services as a Marine during World War II. He recalled becoming a union member for the Machinists Union and Teamster Union in 1944. He served as an officer, on committees, chairman, vice-president and president for many of the unions he worked for. Jerome discussed how between the 1940s and 1960s that workers were more actively participating in union matters as opposed to today. He talked about the unions that were in St. Cloud including those for granite, railroad, and the building trades.

Interviewed by Calvin Gower and John LeDoux

Biographical Information: Dorein Johnson was an adjunct professor with a master of science in criminal justice administration, who also worked as a correction security case worker at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud during the 1980s and 1990s.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on April 15, 1993, Dorein Johnson discussed her career as a correction security case worker at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud throughout much of the 1980s and early 1990s. She noted that this facility and line of work were traditionally occupied exclusively by men. This began to change in 1977 after the Minnesota Correctional Facility hired its first women workers to staff observation towers. In this same respect, Johnson affirmed that while not all of the male staff were initially pleased by the hiring of women, such attitudes throughout the facility and the corrections system as a whole have become less commonplace over time, just as new opportunities for women workers and the number of positions occupied by women have increased in tandem. Additionally, Johnson noted that while working as a corrections officer can be very tedious and emotionally taxing at times, she believed the profession to be fulfilling overall, and took pride in the fact that multiple inmates that she has worked with over the years were able to “do a complete 180 degree switch” and better themselves through academic/vocational programs.

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/24/ [16076]

Biographical Information: Dolores Manthey was born on October 4, 1916, in Avon, Minnesota. She and her husband Richard were married on February 22, 1941, and the couple subsequently went into the printing industry together. Dolores became CEO of the Sentinel Printing Company sometime during the early 1950s (the same time that Marvin Bauer joined the company as an assistant general manager), a role that Dolores (formerly chairman of the board) later filled after her husband’s death, until 1986. Dolores passed away on January 14, 2010 at the age of 93, survived by four children, eight grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on June 21, 1978, Dolores Manthey and Marvin Bauer discussed some of the history of and day-to-day work involved with their business, the Sentinel Printing Company, of which Dolores served as the CEO (a role previously filled by her late husband Richard) while Marvin worked as an assistant general manager. Dolores and Marvin both expressed pride in their work, noting their positive local reputation among the people of St. Cloud and their satisfaction with enabling customers to observe the printing of their materials firsthand. However, the two also noted a number of difficulties that came with their line of work, including competition with other local newspapers, specifically, the St. Cloud Times, rising costs of materials like paper, and even general economic difficulties like inflation, which they credited with decreasing the purchasing power of their customers over time.

Interview conducted by John LeDoux and Mark Stone

Medical doctor, Central Minnesota. Discusses the nature of medical care in the early 1900s. There is no audio.
Done for the Benton County Historical Society.

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/34/ [16062]

Biographical Information: Eldred Peters was born and raised in Cold Spring, Minnesota, in 1902, to a family of German immigrants. Peters attended college at the University of St. Thomas and the University of Minnesota but later chose to emulate his father and brother by working as a butcher and grocer. Aside from his work, Peters also dedicated much of his spare time to organizations like the Boy Scouts, Juvenile Foresters, and the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce, while he played for the Cold Spring baseball team for many years. Peters also married his wife Frencella Olmscheid in 1943, and the couple had one son together. Eldred died on May 15, 1988 and is buried in the St. Boniface Cemetery in Cold Spring, Minnesota.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on August 19, 1976, Eldred Peters discussed his time as a lifelong resident of Cold Spring, Minnesota. Peters noted that he was born in Cold Spring in 1902 into a family of German immigrants. While much of the local community regularly spoke German throughout his childhood (particularly within local schools), this practice was discontinued as a result of World War I and the wave of anti-German sentiment nationwide. Peters also mentioned that despite attending college at St. Thomas and the University of Minnesota, he chose to support his father and brother with their grocery store, a business that he acquired ownership later in life. Aside from his work and education, Peters discussed his involvement with a variety of different local organizations, and acknowledged his fondness for baseball, which he played as a member of the Cold Spring baseball team.

Interview conducted by John Decker

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/37/ [13664]

Biographical Information: Gus Spanos was born in the Greek town of Selene (on the island of Marmara in the Aegean Sea) on November 23, 1893. In 1912, he left Greece and immigrated to the United States of America. Spanos originally lived in Wisconsin, finding work in construction and with the Great Northern Railroad company. He arrived in St. Cloud, Minnesota, in 1914, where he later opened his own grocery store. Spanos married his wife Ruth Stewart (a native of St. Cloud) in 1923, and the couple managed their store together for the next forty years. They together raised two sons and two daughters. Spanos passed away on February 8, 1991, at the age of 97.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on April 5, 1978, Gus Spanos discussed his life. Spanos said he was originally born in Greece, but chose to emigrate to the United States in 1912 at the age of 19. Spanos mentioned that his early years in the U.S. were somewhat difficult, largely on account of the physically taxing work in the construction and railroad industries, as well as struggling with the English language. However, Spanos also affirmed that his life as an immigrant began to greatly improve following his relocation to St. Cloud in 1914. Here he opened his own grocery store at 10th Street South and 1st Avenue South, often called “Gus’s” or “Riverside Store”. Spanos also spoke of his strong ties with the wider St. Cloud community, especially with St. Cloud State. He discussed that St. Cloud State students and faculty regularly made up a large portion of his store’s customer base, right up until its closure in 1963.

Interview conducted by Cal Gower and John LeDoux

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/43 [13668]

Biographical Information: John Willenbring was born in Richmond, Minnesota, on December 10, 1882, into a family of German immigrants. Much of Willenbring’s childhood was split between working on his family’s farm and attending school. As an adult, Willenbring married his first wife, Mary Braegelman, in 1908, and purchased her father’s farm. They worked the farm until Mary passed away in 1933. Willenbring then moved to St. Cloud in 1935, where he married Agnes Digelski and worked until 1959 as a boiler inspector and labor organizer affiliated with the Farmer-Labor Party. Willenbring passed away on January 27, 1983 at the age of 100.

Transcript Summary: In a pair of interviews conducted on December 14 and December 17, 1976, John Willenbring discussed his life as a resident of central Minnesota. Willenbring described that his early life was spent working on his parent’s farm, where he stayed until the age of 26. He then he married and purchased his father-in-law’s farm, which he worked until his wife passed away in 1933. Willenbring decided to relocate to St. Cloud in 1935, where he spent the next twenty-four years working as a boiler inspector for St. Cloud State University. He retired in 1959. Aside from his work and family life, Willenbring also discussed his role in organized labor movement. Willenbring said he helped to spearhead the creation of new unions for low-wage workers. Likewise, he also worked closely with the Farmer-Labor Party and, later, its successor, the Democratic Farmer-Labor Party. He frequently collaborated with prominent members of the party like Minnesota governors Floyd Olson and Elmer Benson.

Interview conducted by James Robak and Calvin Gower

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/45 [13669]

Biographical Information: Willis Young was born in Princeton, Minnesota on February 5, 1913. His early life was split between Princeton and the nearby community of Brickton. In Brickton, he attended school and his father worked as a foreman at a brickyard. Shortly after high school, Young joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933. For two years, he helped expand and preserve forests in northern Minnesota. After the CCC, Young worked in a variety of jobs during the rest of the Great Depression. In 1940, Young joined the U.S. Army and served during World War II. As a logistician, he saw action in North Africa, Italy, Corsica, and France. After the war, Young returned to Princeton and worked as a mailman until his retirement in 1975. He met his wife Inez Blasberg in 1946 and they had a son together.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on April 12, 1978, Willis Young discussed his family history and life in Brickton and Princeton, Minnesota. Young said his family settled in Princeton after the conclusion of the Civil War in 1865 - his grandfather served as a Union soldier. His father later relocated their family to the neighboring community of Brickton, where he worked as a brickyard foreman. Young mentioned his family was fortunate to make a stable living during the Great Depression but said many people in Brickton were living in poverty. Young discussed his time in the Civilian Conservation Corps in the early 1930s, as well as his service in North Africa and Europe during World War II. Additionally, Young discussed his post-war career as a mail carrier in Princeton, meeting his wife Inez in 1946 and his participation with the Minnesota Historical Society after retirement in 1975.

Interview conducted by Cal Gower and John LaDoux

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/2/ [15728]

Biographical Information: Myron R. Allen (December 23, 1901-May 12, 1993), was born in Pine County, Minnesota. He lived in Pine City early in life. After attending the University of Minnesota in 1927, he settled in Aitkin, Minnesota. His wife was Edna May Allen. Allen served on the board of directors of the R.P. Allen Company, the General Minnesota Utilities Company and Minnesota Investors Corporations. His father, Reuben P. Allen, was the pioneer who formed the R.P. Allen Company.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on July 18, 1975, Allen discussed the history of Eastern Minnesota Power Company, General Minnesota Utilities, and R. P. Allen Company that served Minnesota farms and the general development of electrical power in Central Minnesota. Allen was formerly associated with these power companies and several other affiliated firms. All of the firms were engaged in the construction, financing, and operation of electric power lines and service in a wide area of east and north central Minnesota. The interview primarily concerned the operation financing of the companies, with comments regarding the Allen family, local history, and the effect of the Depression on the electric utilities generally.

Interviewed by James Fogerty

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/26/ [16063]

Biographical Information: Clifton Beaulieu was born on April 13, 1909, in Browns Valley, Minnesota. He spent most of his youth in Browns Valley before moving to St. Cloud with his family after high school graduation. Clifton originally attended St. Cloud State to teach, but thereafter switched to business school. He ultimately worked as a musician following his graduation, starting around the Great Depression in 1929. Aside from his vocational pursuits, Clifton also found time to start a family with his wife Evelyn who he married on July 4, 1942. They had two sons and two daughters. Clifton passed away on October 30,1979.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on June 26, 1979, Clifton Beaulieu recounted his personal and professional life, including his experiences with major historical events like the Great Depression and the Prohibition era. Beaulieu noted that he was originally born in Browns Valley, Minnesota in 1909, but eventually moved with his family to St. Cloud after graduating from high school in his hometown. Here he graduated from St. Cloud State and worked as a musician. Beaulieu affirmed that life during the Depression was never easy, but that he generally made enough to get by as a musician, while his economic fortunes gradually improved with the end of Prohibition in 1933. Aside from his career as a musician, Beaulieu also noted that he briefly served in the U.S. Army between 1942 and 1944 (albeit without seeing combat overseas), and that after the war, he helped manage the Fairgrounds Ballroom in St. Cloud until 1950. Aside from his work, Beaulieu also elaborated a bit upon his family life, discussing his marriage to his wife Evelyn in 1942, and the couple’s four children.

Interview conducted by John LeDoux and Al Nielsen

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/4/ [15724]

Biographical Information: Elsie Harrington Berg (November 14, 1907-2000) was born in Swatara, Minnesota. While she was in Iowa, Berg worked for the Sheaffer pen factory. She was married on June 25, 1930 to Fred Berg and lived and farmed in Swatara, Minnesota, where they had five sons, Fred, Ed, Gene, Calvin, Kenneth and two daughters, Catherine and Cora.

Transcript Summary: Berg discussed her family history in Swatara, Minnesota, in Aitkin County, in the early 1900s. Her father worked various jobs, including at a lumber camp, a plow shop and as a farmer. Growing up in the early 1900s, Elsie described walking to school with the other kids in town, along with walking almost everywhere with no vehicle. Berg also discussed the general history of other families that lived in the Swatara area. Along with general history of the area, she briefly discussed natural disasters during her lifetime. Berg reflected on how much the area and country has changed throughout the years. She described how she wrote poetry that was published.

Interviewed by James Robak

County Commisioner, Sauk Rapids, MN. through the 1930s and 1940s. Done for the Benton County Historical Society

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/8/ [13655]

Biographical Information: Reuben Dahlstrom was born on December 1, 1902 in Milaca, Minnesota, to Carl John and Augusta Jonsson Dahlstrom. He married Bonna Valentine Wilkes on July 24, 1927. Reuben worked for his father, who was a Milaca shoemaker, and later partnered with Dahlstrom, Helman and Berg Pontiac Garage and Dealership. He began his own auto body repair shop in 1942 in Milaca and worked there until his 1976 retirement. Reuben was a member of many religious institutions including First Church of Christ Scientists and Zurah Shrine Temples in Minneapolis. He was also an active member of Milaca Historical Society and an honorary member of the Milaca Alumni Band. Ruben passed away on December 30, 1999. With wife Bonna, they had four children: David, Peter, John, and James. Bonna Wilkes Dahlstrom was born in Milaca, Minnesota on February 14, 1906 to A.C and Josephine Simon Wilkes. Bonna worked at Mille Lacs County Auditor’s office while also assisting her husband in the family business. She was an active member of Milaca Historical Society, Civic Club, Order of Eastern Star, and First Church of Christ Scientist. Bonna passed away on February 26, 1999.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on February 13, 1978, Reuben and Bonna discussed about their family backgrounds, ancestry, and livelihood. She recounted where their grandparents and parents came from and how they first moved to the Milaca area when it was still a young developing town. Bonna said that her grandparents from her fathers’ side came from New York and her mother’s side came from France, settling in Sunrise near the St. Croix River. Reuben discussed that his parents emigrated from Sweden during the 1890s and he recalled his dad saying that he first came to Milaca in an old pump hand car. He also remembered that his parents could not speak any English at the time. Reuben recalled his childhood being brought up in Milaca and how he and his brothers had to work for his father in his shoe shop. After high school graduation, Reuben explained how he got into automobile business, later owning his own automobile business. He discussed different types of cars they had in 1900s like the 1907 Ford, Imperial, Underslung car and how they were all open cars which were not driven much during winters. Most of the cars as he said were chain drive automobiles. He then recalled the Great Depression and how it affected society during the time, especially in Milaca. Reuben also discussed business during World War II and when the shop was sold to be part of a vocational school.

Interviewed by Cal Gower and John LeDoux.

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/30/ [16069]

Biographical Information: Ethel Goven was born near New Ulm Minnesota on September 22, 1897, and moved to St. Cloud with her husband John in 1924, where she resided for the next 59 years. Gen Flanagan was born in Minneapolis in June 1914, and came to St. Cloud in 1942 with her husband who was a serviceman killed during World War II. Gloria Laughlin, alongside Goven and Flanagan, was a member of St. Cloud’s Reading Room Society, and later became president of the organization.

Transcript Summary: In two interviews conducted on March 3 and May 1, 1984, Ethel Goven, Gen Flanagan, and Gloria Laughlin spoke about their lives in St. Cloud and their time as members of St. Cloud’s Reading Room Society. Goven, Flanagan, and Laughlin said that the Reading Room Society was the oldest club for women in Minnesota’s history, as it existed for 119 years at the time of the interview. They asserted that the organization was the “epitome of social life in St. Cloud,” and that aside from holding regular meetings with its core of 55 “active” and additional, typically older “life members,” it also frequently hosted events like dinners and ballroom socials. Additionally, Goven, Flanagan, and Laughlin mentioned that the group maintained close ties with a multitude of other local institutions, such as the St. Cloud Public Library and St. Cloud State University, and that the latter’s President Isabel Lawrence and Dr. Philip Halenbeck were closely associated with the Reading Room Society, among other prominent individuals.

Interview conducted by Cal Gower

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/1/ [15538]

Biographical Information: Charles Graham was born in 1929 in Peru, Illinois. In the 1800s, Graham's ancestors emigrated from Ireland to the United States. His family farmed in Illinois, where Graham grew up. After graduating from LaSalle-Peru Township High School and attending one year at a local junior college, Graham attended the University of Illinois to pursue political science. He received his bachelor's degree in 1950, master's degree in 1951, and Ph.D. in 1955. Graham received invaluable experience before heading to Wisconsin State College in 1954, where he taught until 1963. During this time he also took a year off to work as a legislative assistant to US Senator William Proxmire, who was elected in 1957 to replace Joseph McCarthy. Upon leaving River Falls in 1963, he accepted a position as Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Wisconsin State College in Whitewater. Graham stayed at Whitewater until 1971 when he was named St. Cloud State president. Graham then served as St. Cloud State president until 1981 to become the president of Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. He passed away December 23, 2016 and survived by wife Bonnie and three sons.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted November 5, 1992, Charles Graham talked about his career in academic administration. After graduating in 1955 with a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Illinois, Graham worked for the Navy Department in Washington, D.C. He subsequently moved to higher education, first as the Social Sciences Department chair at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and then dean of Arts and Sciences at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He was appointed president at St. Cloud State University in 1971. He described his ten years at St. Cloud State as a time of consolidation rather than rapid enrollment growth. St. Cloud State was still transforming from a teachers’ college to a comprehensive university. Graham recalled the faculty forming a union and how that changed administration/faculty relations. His tenure came toward the end of years of student unrest over civil rights and the Vietnam War but he found student behavior to be responsible and respectful. Graham described St. Cloud State’s reputation as a party school and the competition for resources with sister system school Mankato State University. Graham praised St. Cloud Mayor Al Loehr for supporting the university and for generally good relations with the community.

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/11/ [13661]

Biographical Information: Marcellus Hall was born August 24, 1901 in St. Cloud to Mathew and Anna (Volz) Hall. He married Laura Icyleen Morris on June 27, 1929. Marcellus lived all his life in St. Cloud and worked as an officer of Mathew Hall Lumber Co. until his retirement in 1966. He then opened his own company named Hall Building Materials in Albany. Marcellus was a prominent member of religious councils like Knights of Columbus. On June 27, 1929, Marcellus married Laura Icyleen Morris and five children – Yvonne, Richard, Donald, Robert, and Jerome. He died on December 26, 1998 while visiting his daughter Yvonne in St. Louis, Missouri, and buried in St. Cloud’s Calvary Cemetery.

Laura Icyleen Morris Hall was born in February 11, 1903 in Douglas County, Minnesota to Louis and Henrietta (Flesch) Morris. She graduated from St. Cloud State Teacher’s College in 1922 and taught for seven years at schools in Princeton, Foley, Napa and Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was an active member of many religious councils and other St. Cloud area organizations including Daughters of Isabella and the Cub Scouts. Icyleen died on December 19, 1995 and buried in St. Cloud’s Calvary Cemetery.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on June 16, 1977, Marcellus Hall talked about his family and ancestry. He said that his mother was born and raised in St. Cloud while his father was from Germany and moved to the United States when he was around 18 years old in the early 1880s. He discussed how his father started the Mathew Lumber Co. in 1889 in St. Cloud. Beginning in 1918, Marcellus worked at the lumber company, selling it in 1965 with his brothers who were partners. He discussed the lumber business in in the St. Cloud area during the first half of the 20th century, especially the effect of the Depression and World War II. He recounted how they were also engaged in coal business in St. Cloud and remembered supplying coal to St. Cloud State. Icyleen Hall discussed her family and about her own legal name and the baptized name. She recalled how her parents came to Minnesota to farm. Icyleen graduated St. Cloud State College in 1922 and taught as a teacher in many places including Princeton, Foley, and Minneapolis. She recalled how she first met Marcellus at a dance in the Shoemaker Hall.

Interview by Cal Gower and James Robak

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/12/ [15727]

Biographical Information: Burton C. Hanauer was born on May 29, 1923 in Albany, Minnesota to Bernard and Ida (Markus) Hanauer. He graduated Albany High School and Northwest Institute where he specialized in medical technology. He was a World War II Navy veteran and later was also employed as a medical technician at St. Cloud VA Medical Center. Burton was an active member of Avon Lions Club, Knights of Columbus Council, Boy Scouts, and the St. Benedict’s Catholic Church. He also served the Avon City Council. Burton was also the inventor of the “Football Yard Mark” which is used in high school, college, and professional levels of football. He married Janet Clair Bloms on January 21, 1947 and they had three children – Ginny, Karen, and Tom. Burton died on April 15, 1997 at the age of 73 and buried at St. Benedict’s Parish Cemetery in Avon, Minnesota

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on September 28, 1977 Burton discussed his family background, including both sides of his family. His father, Bernard, first started the Hanauer Machine Works in Albany, Minnesota, in 1930 that built farming wagons. Later he and his brother Al bought the company from their father and further developed it and expanded it to Avon. He discussed how the initially expanded the business, what they manufactured (mostly for other manufacturers), their employees, and how the business is currently functioning. He also touched on the growth of the city of Avon over time. Burton also talked about the many religious and social organizations that he was an active member of the Boy Scouts of America, American Legion, and many more.

Interview by Calvin Gower and John LeDoux.

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/13/ [13656]

Biographical Information: Pierre Theodore Hansen was born on August 22, 1921 in Rockville, Minnesota, to Harry and Mary (Krebsbach) Hansen. He attended grade school in Rockville, as well as Central High School and Tech High School in St. Cloud. He married Joyce Kane in 1945 and they had seven children – Pierre, Patrick, Michael, Mary Jo, Candy, Daniel, and Eileen. Pierre died on May 21, 2005 at the age of 83 and is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Rockville.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on March 29, 1978, Pierre Hansen described his childhood, his family background and history. Both he and his father were born in Rockville, Minnesota, while his grandfather was from Luxembourg and came to the US when he was 8 years. Pierre recounted how his great grandfather first came to Illinois and then later moved to Midwest. He proudly mentioned how his great grandfather served for Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars. Pierre discussed how his family got in to farming and how they slowly developed the family farm. Pierre recalled how farming tasks were done by hand including planting, and harvesting. He remembered the effects of the Great Depression that nearly closed down the family farm but found other ways to make money, including selling beer at dances in their barn. He further talked about his own family with his seven children. Pierre described the development of Rockville and how it expanded from a smaller town to be double in size. Hansen compared farming during 1930s until now and felt that he lived through the most interesting era of farming.

Interviewed by Calvin Gower and John LeDoux

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/18/ [15540]

Biographical Information: Ariel Whipple Holes was born on November 4, 1903 in Minneapolis Minnesota, and lived in a variety of different locations throughout the United States, before moving to St. Cloud at the age of 19. She attended St. Cloud State University but never graduated, and briefly worked as a school teacher before meeting her future husband Wilber Holes. They married on February 29, 1925. The couple had four children together. Ariel and Wilber owned their own business (Holes-Webway), and both played an active role in developing St. Cloud throughout the mid-20th century. This included the expansion of the St. Cloud State campus and the construction of local infrastructure, among other endeavors. Ariel outlived her husband (who died on August 9, 1970) and passed away on February 3, 1989. She is buried in North Star Cemetery in St. Cloud.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on June 22, 1978, Ariel Whipple Holes discussed her life, that of her late husband Wilber Warren Holes, and as residents of the St. Cloud area. She frequently discussed the business ventures of her husband, who worked in a variety of different professions, including at a granite company, in advertisement, the military, and eventually as a business owner. She also spoke at length about the challenges that the Holes family experienced during the Great Depression, such as a sharp decline in their income and purchasing power in the 1930s and the loss of four of their eight children due to miscarriages. However, Ariel also emphasized the couple’s interest in supporting their community with St. Cloud State and the local chamber of commerce. Through this work, she and Wilber helped to finance projects like the construction of new bridges and expansion of the St. Cloud State University campus.

Interview conducted by John LeDoux and Mark Stone

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/19/ [16071]

Biographical Information: Alvin Jensen was born in St. Louis Park. Minnesota, on June 2, 1908. In 1915, Alvin’s parents, who were Danish immigrants, moved to a dairy farm in Askov, Minnesota. Marie Jensen was born in Askov, Minnesota, on October 15, 1910, to an American father and Danish mother, and initially worked as an office worker in a local nursery, before she married Alvin in 1931 and worked on the family farm. The couple had no children. Marie passed away in 1999 and Alvin died in 2004. Both were buried in the Bethlehem Lutheran Cemetery in Askov.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on October 28, 1980, Alvin and Marie Jensen discussed details of their lives, the history of Askov, and the Danish cultural heritage of its townspeople. Alvin and Marie noted that like many of the other inhabitants of Askov, most of their forebearers originally hailed from Denmark, and that the large population of Danish settlers in their community prompted its name to be changed from Partridge to the Danish-sounding name of Askov in 1908. They also noted the prevalence of Danish cultural customs, festivals (such as Constitution Day on June 5), and the widespread use of the Danish language during their youth. However, the Jensens also affirmed that the town’s unique cultural identity largely withered away after the 1930s because of the onset of the Great Depression and World War II. These events prompted the gradual decline in the town’s economic prosperity, as it negatively impacted many local cooperatives and forced many local families (and especially younger people) to relocate elsewhere.

Interview Conducted by Calvin Gower and Alan Nielsen

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/29/ [15730]

Biographical Information: Frank Kolbinger was born in Becker, Minnesota, on April 5, 1918. Frank’s early years were largely spent attending school and working on his family’s farm (located a few miles east of Becker), before he enlisted as a soldier during World War II. Upon the conclusion of his military service, Frank returned home to Becker, where he worked as a general store owner and later as the town’s postmaster for multiple years. Kolbinger passed away on March 4, 1977 at the age of 58. He was survived by his wife Agnes, three daughters, and eight grandchildren.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on June 27, 1973, Frank Kolbinger discussed his life within Becker, Minnesota. Much of Frank’s interview touched on his childhood and adolescent years during the Great Depression, where he emphasized various differences in living conditions between his life then and at the time of the interview. Frank noted that during the Great Depression, his family frequently faced problems like a lack of running water, electricity, and refrigeration, while machines like snowplows and school buses that made getting to school easier were only rarely present (if at all) within Becker at the time. Additionally, Frank also discussed some of the different jobs that he worked during his adult life, including during World War II where he landed in France on D-Day, and his later positions as a general store owner and the postmaster of Becker.

Interview conducted by Thomas Przybilla

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/31/ [15725]

Biographical Information: Fred Pieri was born in Elk River, Minnesota, on April 4, 1909. Fred spent most of life working as a farmer throughout Minnesota. He also worked in other professions on the side such as construction and plumbing, retiring in 1972. Fred married his wife Clara in 1933, and the couple had two sons and three daughters together. Fred away on November 22, 1990.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on December 31, 1976, Fred Pieri discussed his life living in Minnesota. Fred mentioned living through multiple significant historical events like World War I (although as a child at the time, he remembered very little about it) and the Great Depression (which caused great financial difficulties for his family). Fred noted that he worked in a variety of different jobs throughout his life, including as a construction worker, plumber, and most importantly as a farmer. In 1942, he received recognition and an award from the Roosevelt Administration in 1942 for his farm’s high output of agricultural products. In addition to his work, Fred also spoke briefly about his family life, discussing his heritage as the son of German and Italian immigrant families, his marriage to his wife Clara in 1933, and the five children that they raised together.

Interview conducted by James Robak

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/33/ [16077]

Biographical Information: Louis Schumann was born in Albion Center, Minnesota on October 15, 1912, into a family of German immigrant farmers. Much of Schumann’s early life was spent working on his parent’s farm, before economic difficulties spurred by the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression prompted him to join the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1933. After his time in the CCC, Schumann was a truck driver, worked for Northwestern Airlines during World War II, owned a service station in Waite Park, and a custodian and Bethlehem Lutheran Church. He retired in 1974. He married his wife Marge on September 26, 1938, and together raised two daughters. Schumann passed away on February 9, 1993 and is buried at the Fairhaven Town Cemetery in Fairhaven, Minnesota.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on August 17, 1981, Louis Schumann discussed his time with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1933-1934. Schumann mentioned that he originally started working on his parent’s farm, but was drawn to the CCC after the Dust Bowl worsened their economic situation and finding other employment difficult. Schumann noted that during his time with the CCC, he helped construct roads, care for forests, drove an ambulance. Working for the CCC wasn’t always easy and not a perfect fit for others, Schumann enjoyed his time with the CCC and appreciated its role in helping him to keep afloat financially.

Interview conducted by Calvin Gower

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/40 [13666]

Biographical Information: Clemment Stromwell was born on January 24, 1907, in the town of Foreston, Minnesota. Much of his early life, from the age of 17 and onward, was spent working as an iron rigger in Minnesota’s Iron Range, a job that he held until the Great Depression in 1929. During the Great Depression, Stromwell worked in various positions to support himself and his wife, who he married in 1934, before finding permanent employment as a mail carrier. He was a mail carrier until his retirement in 1972. Aside from his work, Stromwell also possessed a passion for music. He played the violin, banjo, saxophone, accordion, trumpet, and drums and spent much of his free time performing in local bands in Foreston.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on March 16, 1978, Clemment Stromwell discussed his life in Minnesota, as well as his experiences during the Great Depression and Prohibition. Stromwell said he was born on January 24, 1907, in Foreston, Minnesota, where he also attended school during his childhood and adolescent years. Stromwell said upon turning 17, he relocated to the Iron Range to work as an iron rigger, a position that he held until the start of the Great Depression in 1929. Following the start of the Great Depression, Stromwell spent time working in various professions to support himself and his family, before becoming a mail carrier. He held this position until his retirement in 1972. Aside from his work, Stromwell also discussed changes in Foreston throughout his life. He noted the number of local businesses gradually dwindled over time, but the population of the town, including its number of homeowners, steadily increased. He said this was due in large part to a new sewer system and the growth of the local forestry industry.

Interview conducted by John LaDoux

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/16 [13667]

Biographical Information: Edwin O. Swanson was a storekeeper, farmer, and community leader in Freedhem, MN. He was born on August 8, 1903 in Freedhem to Alfred and Anna Swanson. Swanson was one of six children—two boys and four girls. Swanson established the Freedhem Telephone Co. and was the first chairman of the Board of the Consolidated Telephone Co. of Brainerd for 30 years. In addition, Swanson served as Belle Prairie Township Clerk for 23 years, Belle Prairie Fire Department treasurer, Freedhem Cemetery Board as secretary, treasurer and maintenance and member of School District 89 Board, Freedhem Creamery Board, and Bethel Lutheran Church. On June 12, 1929, Swanson married Elvira Johnson and they had one son. Swanson died on August 13, 1985 and buried in the Freedhem Cemetery.

Transcript Summary: In an interview conducted on May 15, 1978, Swanson discussed the growth of the town of Freedhem, the various ethnic identities of the town’s inhabitants over time, his family history; the history of the town’s churches, the town’s first mail and telephone systems, and business and farming practices in the early 1900s. Around 1898, his parents immigrated from Sweden to pursue economic opportunities, rather than escape religious oppression, and established the Lutheran church in town. In 1902, Swanson’s father and one of his older sons opened a general store in Freedhem and sold groceries, clothing, and hardware to the local farmers. The family also farmed 80 acres of land. Swanson’s mother died in 1911 and his father died in 1914. An uncle, who previously had come from Sweden to be a cook for the family, cared for the children. All of the children assisted with the running of the family’s small dairy farm, the general store, and a community co-op creamery. In 1929, Swanson married and began farming on his own. He discussed the dire Great Depression era conditions, their impact on farming, and government subsidies for agriculture. He ceased farming and purchased the family’s general store in 1943, when his uncle could no longer run it. Swanson sold the store in 1974, due in part to advanced age and competition from JC Penney, but he continued to work there until his death. Swanson also chronicled establishing the Freedhem Rural Telephone Company in the early 1930s and discussed its growth over time. It was still in operation at the time of the interview.

Interviewed by Calvin Gower and John Ladoux

One tape

One tape

One tape.  The two interviews appear on the same reel to reel tape.

Two tapes

One tape

Two tapes

Two 60 minute audio cassettes

One 90 minute cassette. Audio on both sides of cassette.

https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/gen_oh/5/ [15729]

Biographical Information: Bertha Rodeman Brenny (Aug 5, 1906 – May 26, 2001) was born in Graham Township, Benton County Minnesota to Frank and Matilda Walz Rodeman. Bertha attended both St. Cloud State and University of Minnesota where she received her teaching degrees. She was a teacher for 37 years and taught in schools in Foley and Pierz, Minnesota. During her life, Bertha was involved in many churches and institutions in the area, including Gilman Knights of Columbus, Gilman Christian Mothers, Benton County Teachers Association, and 4-H. In 1930, Bertha married Peter Brenny Sr. Peter passed away in 1979. Bertha’s sister, Emma Rodeman (Aug 13, 1908 – November 30, 1989), was born in Mayhew Lake Township, Benton County, Minnesota. She graduated from St. Cloud State in 1947 with a two year degree and a Bachelor of Science degree in 1953. Like her sister Bertha, Emma taught in Minnesota public district schools.

Transcript Summary: In two interviews conducted on July 23 and August 2, 1973 Bertha and Emma Rodeman discussed their experiences of methods of schooling and education both as teachers and pupils as well as the changes in school systems through the 1900s. They recalled how German was the only language they knew until starting school and how they were first introduced to the English language through the alphabet and arithmetic. The sisters described how they went to school with no paper or pencils, no indoor bathrooms, no running water, and how stoves heated classrooms. They also recall how they did not have well equipped libraries until they got to high school at St. Ben’s. They chronicled their time at St. Cloud State, including the Old Main building. Bertha and Emma described public school teaching careers. They talked about the ways education materials were first introduced to students and how textbooks were required by the state during the time as well as supplementary materials consisting of notebooks, pencils, crayons, maps and dictionaries. Bertha remembered during 1950s and 1960s they had film strip machines, recorders, telephones and even overhead projectors equipped in schools.

Interviewed by Thomas Raiche