Travels to Waseca

Gertrude McLoone Brozik recently celebrated her 104th birthday at the Atria Bayside Landing senior living facility in Stockton, CA. Gertrude was the wife of Joseph Brozik, her high school sweetheart. Here’s a link to the story:

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090107/A_NEWS/901070314

I read in a recent issue of the Waseca County News (12/16/08) that John Bendix, legendary Waseca High School teacher, is teaching a class this year as a volunteer. He taught 43 years fulltime, 7 years parttime, and now he’s teaching for no pay because he realized the school wouldn’t let him continue to teach on a parttime basis because of budget problems.

Bendix was presented with the Book of Golden Deeds Award by the Exchange Club for his teaching dedication and generous service to the community.

Way back in the 60s Bendix touched my family when he stepped way out of his teacher box and asked my father if we could help out a family friend who needed help. My father agreed. In case you don’t know it, John Bendix really is a very special person. The Waseca schools and the Waseca Community are lucky to have him.

I’m sitting here listening to and occasionally watching the live feed of the Canvassing Board’s review of challenged ballots in MN’s U.S. Senate race. What a fascinating process and moment in MN history. The process is laborious but, in my opinion, it’s working. If you’re interested in following it yourself, here’s the link to the Star Tribune’s live feed while the Canvassing Board is in session:

http://www.startribune.com/video/?ls1=1?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUycaEacyU

Would you be more interested in being a member of WasecaAlums.com if it had a social networking feature like that offered by FaceBook and MySpace? Please comment.

Thanks.
Chuck

I just read a wonderful New York Times article on George Leonard Herter and his Herter’s catalogs written by Paul Collins. The fitting title of the article is “The Oddball Know-It-All.”

The photo of Herter is by Peter Marcus (1966) as published in the NY Times.

Here’s the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/books/review/Collins-t.html?em

  Junior Holbrook has received attention recently for perhaps being the oldest living person with Down syndrome. He’s 80 and lives in an Elm home in Waseca. An application to Guiness Book of World Records has been made.

Back in the 40s and 50s Junior was the person in our neighborhood that helped teach us tolerance and appreciation for developmentally disabled people and their families. He lived with his parents across the street from the baseball field (Community Field at that time). I’m sure he wasn’t always treated as well as he should have been by us kids but he had the run of the town and it was never him if there was a problem. That was an era when most of the developmentally disabled were institutionalized, forever. I’m sure there were people in town that thought that Junior should have been sent to Faribault State Hospital, too.

Here are links to two recent articles about Junior:

http://www.mankatofreepress.com/local/local_story_239001605.html?keyword=topstory
http://www.wasecacountynews.com/news.php?viewStory=515

  Waseca will be the site of the 58th Annual Waseca Sleigh & Cutter Festival, beginning this weekend. Events are scheduled February 1 – 3   &   5 – 10   &   15 – 18, 2008. There should be sufficient snow this year. For more information on the festival, check out their web site: Sleign ‘N Cutter Festival I drove down to attend the Ice Harvesting on Clear Lake last year only to discover it had been cancelled due to the extreme cold weather that day. I may try to see it again this year. It’s scheduled for 9-2:30 on Wednesday. The weather is expected to cooperate. The Ice Harvest is an educational event sponsored by the Waseca County Historical Society.If I go, I plan to have lunch at the Boat House. Stop in and say ‘Hi’ if you’re in the area. 

  Judy Loomer Giese has scheduled a reunion during the Waseca 2008 All-School Reunion for anyone who considers the Trowbridge Park neighborhood their neighborhood. How about scheduling a reunion for your neighborhood! If you do, let us know and we’ll add it to the schedule of Reunion activities we’ll be posting.

The Trowbridge Park Neighborhood Reunion is scheduled for Saturday, July 5, 2008, at 2 p.m. We’ll meet at the Bandstand.

Chuck

I received my Waseca 2008 All-School, All-Year Reunion registration materials in yesterday’s mail. If you are an alumnus of a Waseca school and don’t receive your registration packet soon, contact me to be mailed or emailed a packet or download the registration forms that I’ve posted on the Waseca Alums site at www.WasecaAlums.com.

Did you know that the island in Waseca’s Loon Lake used to be over 7 acres but, due to erosion, is now less than 1 acre? I remember hearing stories of excursion boats running from Clear Lake to a night club on Loon Lake Island. The excursion boats ran through what we called the ‘Annie Stink’ creek through the old dump, through the low land behind Trowbridge Park and the Library, on to Loon Lake.

A small group of Waseca residents including Boyd Fuller, Jerry Kuhn and Ron Purcell are trying to stop the island from disappearing. Anyone interested in helping with future work on the island can call Ron Purcell at 835-4757.

Congratulations to Mark Engesether for being named Waseca High School’s ‘Teacher of the Year.’ Engesether was nominated for the honor by Judy Boehme, a colleague who teaches English and social studies.