Former OHS orchestra director and music teacher Arnold Krueger was honored at the Noon Rotary 100th anniversary dinner. (Submitted photo)
Former OHS orchestra director and music teacher Arnold Krueger was honored at the Noon Rotary 100th anniversary dinner. (Submitted photo)
Let me begin this week’s column with an explanation of the photo I have included. The photo was taken at the banquet celebrating the noon Rotary Club’s 100th anniversary. Special guest was former high school orchestra director Arnold Krueger, who, for decades trained and led the Owatonna High School orchestra program. I put the photo in today’s column especially for the benefit of those of you who were recipients of Arnold’s teaching and were proud to be members of his orchestra.
The Rotary Club honored Arnold as a former member who was the club piano player. He was also the author of the number one song in the Rotary songbook which was the official welcome song, beginning with the words, “Hello neighbor, we’re so glad to see you at the Owatonna club. If it doesn’t show, want you to know you’re welcome anytime whenever you’re in town…” Arnold wrote the song while on his way to Chicago for a music educator’s convention. He dedicated the song to his father, who was an active Rotarian.
It was my pleasure to host Arnold that night and we called on him to direct the members in the singing of the welcome song. He has never lost his art of directing and the experience brought tears to many eyes. He was so honored to be recognized for the many years he was a member and musician for the Rotary Club. It was a memorable evening for Arnold as he greeted old friends, many of them former elementary or high school music students of his.
Arnold was forced to discontinue his membership in Rotary due to the extreme cuts in the elementary and high school music programs. “I just didn’t feel right taking two hours away from the job on Mondays to go to Rotary when we were struggling to maintain the music program in the schools,” Arnold told Rotarians. Don Reigal and Chuck Hoogland were piano players who assumed the weekly duties at the Rotary meetings. Today, we are so fortunate to have Kim Cosens as our pianist who puts on an air of professionalism every time he sits at the keyboard. We are one of just a handful of clubs that sing at our meetings!
After Arnold retired, he adjusted his life to involve his love of wildlife. He lost his wife, Erlys and after retiring he moved to the country. His current address is 43731 Blue Grass Road, LeCenter, Mn. 56057.
The Steele County Historical Society is putting together a cookbook that will combine recipes from local residents with the stories that make them special. This project, entitled A Taste of History, will be a communal effort to document and share the recipes and stores that help to make our lives more meaningful. If you have a recipe with a special story attached such as “This is what Nana would make every Christmas” or “This is what I made for each of my children’s birthdays.” That you would like included, please let the folks at the Historical Society know. Recipes will be accepted until December 31, 2022 with a goal of having the book published by Mother’s Day 2023.
The SCHS reserves the right to include or not include any of the recipes and stories that are submitted. Edits may be made to suit formatting, length, or standards requirements. Stop by the Historical Society office and pick up a recipe submission form. Questions can be answered at 451-1420.
In case you missed Annie’s story a week ago in the OPP, the question of the next occupant of the former Jerrys Supper Club will be an Italian restaurant. Craig Korvela has announced he will be bringing Roma’s Italian Eatery to that location. He currently owns and manages Redemption in Faribault and Reunion in Northfield. The restaurant satisfies a high percentage of those answering a survey as to what they would like to see in another restaurant downtown.
Applications will be accepted for the Owatonna Police Department Citizen’s Academy to be held beginning September 26. Applications are available at www.owatonna.gov/208/Cops-in-the-Community. The academy will focus on educating citizens on how the police department is structured, the equipment used by officers and an explanation of specialized units. Presentations by the county attorney’s office and a local judge are included.
Gifts to the school district
The Owatonna School Board recently accepted with great appreciation the following gifts:
• $1,010 from Music Boosters for elementary orchestra instrument repairs
• The following gifts given in support of the OHS Homecoming parade: $300 from State Farm/Plemel Insurance Agency, $200 from Stockwell Accounting, $50 from Johnson, Doerhoefer & Miner PA., $300 from Federated Insurance, $50 from Community Bank, Owatonna.
• $165.16 from Owatonna Soccer Association to OHS for girls’ jerseys and shorts; $875 from Owatonna Theater Boosters to the OHS Theater Department.
I am sure that most all of us drive on I-35 without even thinking that the section around Owatonna you are driving on and the celebration surrounding its opening took place 64 years ago in Owatonna on August 21, 1958. This date marked the beginning of the first section of the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways completed in this state. The 8.3-mile portion of I-35 from Owatonna to Medford marked the start of the eventual 888 Minnesota miles in the 41,000- mile interstate system. A luncheon was held that day at the Hotel Owatonna following by the dedication ceremonies. A highway dedication committee organized by the Chamber of Commerce spent many hours in the planning for the day. Committee members included Paul Mathews Jr. (chair), Judge Charles Cashman, Lud Gillespie, Frank Gorman, Robert Graf, Lloyd Guthier, “Duffy” Hamren, W.B. Kost, Joe Leverty, Robert Naefke, John Pegg and John Smth. Governor Orville Freeman and Minnesota Commissioner of Highways, L.P. Zimmerman were on hand at the luncheon, emceed by Judge Cashman. Daniel C. Gainey emceed the formal highway opening ceremony.
The project began two years prior to the dedication. Don Larson of Owatonna was the resident engineer. During the building of the highway, Larson lost 23 pounds one season and lots of worry. I remember Larson telling, me, “There were nights when I woke up thinking that millions of dollars of work was out there and I was responsible.” It was a grueling responsibility.” Larson said in a Minneapolis Star interview, “During the day you had to keep both eyes open all the time and sometimes add a third one in the back of your head!”
On a good paving day, one crew was mixing and putting in place six rail cars of cement, 254 cars of rock and 800 tons of sand. The dry material was brought to Medford by rail where it was mixed. It was then brought to the site where the concrete was made. During the construction more than two million cubic yards of earth was moved, more than 590,000 tons of aggregate were placed on the route and 3166 cubic yards of concrete was used. Concrete paving began August 5, 1957 and was completed on October 8. The pavement was nine inches thick with approximately 2334,000 square yards of concrete poured. Steel mesh was placed two and a half inches below the pavement surface.
The official opening of the highway brought about a big celebration in town. The Peoples’ Press printed a special edition, a number of queens were on hand including local queens Helen Hosfield of Medford (Steele County Dairy Princess), Miss Jostens Pat Moore of Ellendale and VFW queen Anne Supalla. OTC provided a four-foot specially designed scissors for the occasion and Cashman Greenhouses provided red, white and blue roses for a special ‘Ribbon of Roses’.
It was interesting to note that the controlled access posed problems never before encountered in right-of-way negotiations. The Peoples’ Press stated, “Some property owners will now have to travel several miles just to get home on the other side of the highway.” That’s something we just take for granted today.
Students receiving a $1,000 scholarship from the Owatonna American Association of University Women include Kinsey Cronin, pursuing a degree in math and computer science at Amherst College, Laura Gebur, studying social work at Minnesota State University in Mankato and Julia Holt, pursuing a degree in studio art and East Asian studies with a minor in Chinese at Kalamazoo College.
AAUW works in cooperation with Riverland Foundation and provided an $800 scholarship to Rachel Benson and Kallen Hoffmann, both working toward a degree in radiography.
The AAUW reminds you of their annual “Taste of Steele County”, featuring local food vendors at the Eagles Club on September 15 from 5-7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance from AAUW members.
Here is a great mental exercise for the over-60 crowd: With which of the following names are you familiar: 1. Monica Lewinsky, 2. Spiro Agnew, 3. Benito Mussolini, 4. Adolf Hitler, 5. Jorge Bergoglio, 6. Alfonse Capone, 7. Vladimir Putin, 8. Linda Lovelace, 9. Saddam Hussein, 10: Tiger Woods?
You had trouble with #5, didn’t you?
You know all the liars, criminals, adulterers, murderers, thieves and cheaters but you don’t know the Pope? Lovely, just lovely. Now you know why I worry about you!
Data included is taken from the Minnesota Department of Health Daily reports. Because all data is preliminary, the change in number of cumulative positive cases and deaths from one day to the next may not equal the newly reported cases or deaths.
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